Suicide or suicide: why do people kill themselves?

Suicide or suicide: why do people kill themselves?

Suicide is an attempt to harm oneself in order to die.

The reasons why people attempt to leave this world are varied and complex, and often involve severe emotional or physical pain that the person finds unbearable.

Suicide is not only about strange people with psychiatric diagnoses of varying complexity. Not at all. Every fifth person, who is completely normal or considers himself such, has at least once in his life thought about doing something irreparable. However, we will not deny the obvious: about 90% of those who did not stop with their thoughts and moved on, realizing their desire to say goodbye to this world, had at least one mental illness, and it was not always diagnosed during their lifetime. So if those same wrong thoughts persist in you, perhaps it’s time to see a specialist?..

Russia does not occupy a place of honor in the sad statistics of suicides - it is in the top three “leaders” of this dubious rating, and only South American Guyana and South African Lesotho are ahead of it. Moreover, according to the World Health Organization, our country is ahead of the rest in the number of suicides among men. With the world average, this figure is 13.9, and in the Russian Federation – 48.3 per 100 thousand population. According to the latest data, suicides in Russia are in second place on the list of external causes of death, right behind road traffic accidents. In 2019, 17.7 thousand people died in road accidents, and 17 thousand died from suicide. Following them are poisonings - 15.8 thousand, murders - 7.2 thousand, and accidental drownings - 4 thousand.

What do suicide statistics look like around the world?

Every year around the globe, about 800 thousand people die as a result of suicide.
This means that every 40 seconds someone voluntarily dies. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24, and depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. How does this happen in women and men?
Women experience depression at approximately 2 times the rate and attempt suicide at 3 times the rate of men, with poisoning being their most common method of suicide. Representatives of the stronger sex, of course, fall into depression much less often, but if they are planning to end their life, they almost certainly achieve their goal - they account for about 80% of all suicides.

The risk of early death in depressed women is 4 times higher!
December 5, 2020722 4 The role of orientation and gender identity
. Children of non-standard orientation attempt suicide 3 times more often than heterosexuals. Medically serious suicide attempts among these youth are 4 times more common than among ordinary youth. According to some studies, more than 40% of adults who believe they were born into a body of the wrong sex have attempted to voluntarily take their own lives. More than 60% of them wanted to do this after becoming victims of physical violence. Non-heterosexual young people whose families do not accept them attempt suicide more than 8 times more often than those who have normal relationships with loved ones. In case of physical or moral violence, the chance of such people to say goodbye to life is 2.5 times higher than that of ordinary people.

Suicide

Social factors

. The state of society and the level of public morality are of a certain importance. It has been noted that the number of suicides increases sharply during periods of political and economic instability (a striking example is the huge number of “caste” suicides of financiers during the Great Depression). Society's tolerance of suicide and the tacit encouragement of “solving problems” by dying independently increases the risk of suicide, while some cultural, religious and ethnic characteristics (for example, recognizing suicide as a mortal sin or the presence of strong family ties) reduce it.

Age

. The largest number of suicide cases occurs at the age of 15-24 years, 40-60 years, 70 years and more. Men commit suicide four times more often than women. Researchers note an increase in suicide risk "at opposite ends of the social ladder." Wealthy, well-educated citizens, unskilled workers, and the unemployed attempt suicide at higher rates than people with average incomes and education.

Marital status, characteristics of upbringing

. At increased risk of suicide are (in order of decreasing probability) people who have never been married, divorced, or married but without children. Suicidal tendencies increase in the presence of traumatic childhood experiences, including episodes of emotional, sexual and physical abuse, early death of parents, early divorce of parents, neglect, pedagogical neglect, too harsh upbringing with a lack of emotional contact with significant adults, etc. .

Features of character and personality

. Suicidal tendencies often arise from uncompromisingness, maximalism, demonstrativeness, increased suggestibility, pronounced feelings of guilt, inadequate self-esteem (too high, too low or unstable), the presence of chronically unmet needs, constant or situational (for example, caused by overwork) emotional instability and inability to cope with frustration. The risk of suicide increases during periods of conflict, when habitual life patterns change and old values ​​are lost. Suicide as a way to solve problems is chosen by psychasthenic individuals, people with infantile attitudes and demands in relationships.

Medical factors

. The likelihood of suicide increases in the presence of a chronic somatic or mental illness, while successful suicide attempts are more often observed in patients with somatic rather than mental pathology. Most often, suicide attempts are made by patients with cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Other factors that increase the risk of suicide include recent operations, chronic pain of any origin, diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system that cause disability, kidney and lung diseases, as well as taking medications with a mood-lowering effect (reserpine, corticosteroid drugs, some antihypertensive drugs, etc.).

Among patients with mental illnesses, the first place in the number of suicide attempts is occupied by patients with affective disorders (depression, manic-depressive psychosis). The risk of suicide increases when two or more mental disorders are combined, such as depression and panic disorder or anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients with depression often attempt suicide some time after the start of treatment, when they have enough strength to take active action. Patients with manic-depressive psychosis more often attempt to commit suicide during the transition from a manic or hypomanic phase to a depressive phase.

Dependencies

. Among those who have attempted suicide, there are many patients suffering from drug addiction, alcoholism and substance abuse. Psychoactive substances negatively affect the instinct of self-preservation. Behavior becomes impulsive, the ability to critically assess what is happening is reduced. The patient may commit suicide under the influence of a momentary emotional impulse. According to statistics, 20-25% of suicide attempts are made while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Why do people commit suicide?

There are many reasons why a person may think about leaving this life. Often this is the result of long-term experiences that simply cannot be dealt with. According to Mind, a UK-based charity, there is a whole list of scenarios that lead to the desire to commit suicide:

• loss of a loved one;
• bullying, so-called bullying, discrimination or violence - this applies to people of any gender, but also age;
• the end of a relationship that is important to a person;
• loss of work, which hits workaholic men the hardest, who, even without committing suicide, can literally burn out within a year or two after they have, in fact, lost the meaning of life;
• a major change in life circumstances, such as divorce, retirement, or homelessness;
• identification of a serious illness that will seriously change a person’s entire life - for example, oncology;
• pregnancy or its loss is a very traumatic event, especially for women who have not been able to become a mother for a long time;
• problems with finances, including debts - this applies more to men;
• a guilty verdict and even just the realization that the near future will have to be spent in prison - and this again is mainly about the stronger sex;
• doubts about one's own sexual orientation or gender identity in an environment that does not understand or accept such characteristics;
• cultural practices that force a person to actually commit violence against themselves: for example, forced marriage;
• any other severe traumatic event.

Of course, such events do not always push people to thoughts of suicide, and not everyone who experiences them takes their own life. Each person reacts differently to the blows of fate - this is normal. It’s just that some people have a more stable psyche, capable of adapting to the new realities of life, while others have less so.

Depression June 15, 2021709 2

In January, the journal Nature Communications published a scientific article on the likelihood of suicide among cancer patients. A brief overview of the work is in the material of the Clear Morning Service.

ABOUT THE PROBLEM

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States and the third leading cause in the world, according to 2021 statistics. Just a few decades ago, it was believed that the main goal of specialists involved in cancer treatment was patient survival. At the same time, the physical, emotional and financial well-being of the patient remained out of sight of the doctors. A life-threatening diagnosis and long road to recovery continue to take a significant and often overlooked toll on patients and their families.

Research shows that risk factors for suicide are similar among cancer patients and the general population. However, it should be borne in mind that cancer is very often accompanied by behavioral disorders, which can provoke the emergence of suicidal tendencies. Thus, the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Society of Cancer Centers call depression and anxiety integral conditions for cancer patients.

The life expectancy of cancer patients is increasing every year. Today, most of them die from causes unrelated to the main diagnosis. The problem of identifying patients at increased risk of suicide requires an urgent solution and is regularly discussed by healthcare and public organizations. However, the authors of the article note that there is still no modern resource or technology that could help doctors (including oncologists and clinical psychiatrists) identify patients at greatest risk of suicide.

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

The purpose of the study was to identify groups of cancer patients with an increased risk of suicide - compared to both the population of the country as a whole and other cancer patients. The basis for the scientific work was data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results of the US National Cancer Institute.

The authors examined the medical records of more than 8 million cancer patients from 1973 to 2014. Of the 8,651,569 cancer patients included in the study, 13,311 died by suicide. Thus, among all cancer patients, the suicide rate per 100,000 people was 28.58. This figure is 4.4 times higher than the figure for the country as a whole, which indicates an urgent need for work to prevent suicide among cancer patients.

It turned out that the majority of cancer patients who committed suicide were men (83%). The group of patients with the highest risk of suicide included patients with distant metastases (53 cases per 100,000 people), the lowest risk was observed in patients with localized tumors (18.6 cases per 100,000 people).

On average, cancer patients are more likely to commit suicide within the first year after diagnosis. The risk of suicide decreases in most patients over time after diagnosis; however, it remains elevated or increases in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and testicular cancer. These subgroups of patients often undergo radiation therapy, which can cause fertility problems. The study's findings echo findings by Danish scientists in 2011, which found that women with reproductive problems are at high risk of suicide.

The study found that the older the patient is at diagnosis, the higher the risk of suicide. And in this case, Hodgkin lymphoma became an exception: with this diagnosis, most suicides are committed by young patients under the age of 50.

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, the results of the study suggest that work on suicide prevention should primarily be focused on cancer patients over 50 years of age, patients with prostate, lung, rectal and bladder cancer, as well as those suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and tumors of the reproductive organs.

The authors of the article note: the data obtained during the study can be used by clinical psychologists and psychiatrists when creating programs to support patients and reduce the risk of suicide among cancer patients.

If you, your loved one or your patient is contemplating suicide, it is serious. Look out for the following warning signs:

– the person perceives the situation as hopeless; – believes that he is becoming a burden to his loved ones; – does not see the meaning of life; – does not show usual interest in work, study, or hobbies; – avoids communication.

Please call the hotline 8-800-100-0191 and discuss this with a psychologist. Around the clock. For free. Anonymously.

The review was prepared based on the article Suicide Among Cancer Patients by Nicholas G. Zaorsky, Ying Zhang, Leonard Tuanquin, Shirley M. Bluethmann, Henry S. Park & ​​Vernon M. Chinchilli; published on January 14 in Nature Communications v.10, 207 (2019)

How do future suicides feel?

How do people who decide to give up their lives feel?
Often, for those who have everything in order in life, and their body works correctly - that is, they are going to live happily ever after, the thought does not even occur to them that experiences can prompt someone to voluntarily move to another world. We will list the most, so to speak, popular emotions felt by people who consider suicide as an option to solve their problems:

• strong feelings of guilt;
• rage or a desire for revenge - often occurs in teenagers who decide to “freeze their ears to spite their grandmother”;
• feeling of worthlessness;
• sadness or grief so strong that a person simply does not see any other way out of the current situation;
• a feeling of complete meaninglessness of life;
• feeling cornered - physically or emotionally;
• thoughts that everything is bad and it will never get better;
• the realization that you are a burden to your loved ones, and, in the person’s opinion, a change in the situation is not expected;
• severe physical or emotional pain.

If you notice a loved one constantly “chewing” such sensations, this is a very alarming “bell” and cannot be ignored.

Use of medications

If a person is unable to cope independently with the manifestations of a suicidal state, the following groups of drugs can be used:

1. Antidepressants. With their help, it is possible to block reactions to negative factors. Before choosing medications on your own, it is imperative to consult with a specialist. The most commonly used drugs are Afobazole and Mirtazapine.
2. Sedative group of drugs. Some medicines are made on an organic basis using medicinal herbs, while others are made using synthetic substances. For example, among the most popular are Glycine, Dormiplanta
3. Complex of vitamins. Often, suicidal thoughts arise as a result of a lack of important substances for the body. To replenish it, it is advisable to use Complivit, Daily Formula
4. Means of traditional therapy. A tincture based on peony will be effective. Therapy involves a weekly course, and adding 5 drops per day is sufficient.

Psychotherapy is an equally effective way to deal with suicidal thoughts. First of all, a specialist will help you find out what causes the condition. Depending on the severity, hypnosis, therapeutic techniques, and individual conversations may be used. As a rule, several tests are first used to determine the development of the pathological condition.

Who commits suicide most often?

According to the US National Institute of Mental Health, voluntary suicide is most common in certain groups of people:

• aged 15-24 years;
• and over 60 years of age;
• suffering from mental disorders;
• survivors of a concussion or any brain injury;
• those who abuse alcohol or psychoactive substances, or, more simply, drugs;
• in people whose relatives have a psychiatric diagnosis or use drugs;
• “inmates” serving their sentences in places not so remote;
• those who have experienced domestic violence or abuse, not only physical and sexual, but also psychological;
• among those whose relatives committed suicide;
• suffering from severe or chronic, that is, incurable illness or pain;
• and, of course, a US-specific point - people having access to firearms or other weapons.

Women attempt suicide more often than men, but they succeed less often. Researchers studying this issue believe that it all comes down to the methods that representatives of different sexes use for this not the wisest of actions. Accordingly, representatives of the stronger sex make fewer attempts to voluntarily bid farewell to the mortal world, but they more often end in death.

Suicide and mental health

As we have already written, a healthy body that works without serious disruptions is not going to die voluntarily. His task is survival, not the reverse process. According to SAVE, the non-profit organization “Voice of Suicide Education,” about 90% of people whose attempts to say goodbye to the mortal world on their own are crowned with “success” have mental disorders. Moreover, they are not necessarily identified during life, that is, these are not always those who died with a diagnosis established by doctors. According to statistics, the following conditions most often cause suicidal thoughts or attempts:

• substance abuse disorders. Moreover, these very substances are often a trigger - a sort of “trigger” that triggers the development of mental disorders in people predisposed to this;
• depressive states and disorders;
• borderline personality disorder – impulsivity, anxiety, emotional instability, low self-control and difficulties with socialization;
• bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive psychosis, is a mental illness that looks like inadequate mood swings, constant changes in energy levels and performance;
• anxiety disorders - constant worry about literally everything: work, school, appearance, money and relationships with others;
• psychosis is a condition in which a person perceives the world around him inadequately - often with delusions and hallucinations - and behaves inappropriately.

Mental illness is a serious thing.
Most of those who have never experienced this with friends or loved ones do not even realize how common such conditions are. According to various sources, from 10 to 50% (!) of therapists’ patients have mental disorders.

Up to 50! Just think: almost half of those who have ever gone to a therapist - a doctor “about everything and nothing” who refers us to various specialized specialists - are potential patients of psychiatrists!

Not everyone who contemplates suicide has a diagnosed mental illness, according to the UK charity Samaritans. But this is understandable - most of us simply did not have time to identify it.

External factors in the formation of suicidal behavior

These factors can be divided into macrosocial (conditions of human interaction with the outside world) and microsocial (relations in the family and immediate environment). Macrosocial factors include such factors as: a change in the country's political system, unemployment, low living standards and incomes, change of place of residence (usually when moving from small towns to a metropolis). When describing microsocial factors, it is necessary to dwell in detail on the interpersonal relationships between the suicide victim and “significant loved ones.” Thus, according to various studies, the causes of suicidal behavior are classified into: family conflicts, failed love, illness of loved ones, their death, etc. According to the data of the famous suicidologist S.V. Vaulinia, due to constant family quarrels and conflicts, 83.1% of suicide victims in childhood were deprived of a harmonious upbringing, and 21.2% were raised outside the family.

Biological causes of suicide

When analyzing the biological causes of suicide, according to the literature, heredity for mental illness is important. According to the results obtained by foreign researchers, more than half of the suicide victims had relatives suffering from some kind of mental illness. The psychopathological picture is of great importance in the formation of suicidal behavior. More than 90% of people who attempted suicide had some kind of mental disorder over a long period of time or short-term at the time of committing suicidal actions. Suicide and suicidal behavior usually occur in people with at least one of the following reasons :

• bipolar disorder
• personality disorder
• depression
• drug or alcohol intoxication
• schizophrenia
• stressful life problems (serious financial problems, relationship problems, etc.)

Expanding the topic of mental illnesses leading to suicidal behavior, it is advisable to highlight the main symptom complexes. Thus, one of the most dangerous causes of suicide is the presence of depression, especially its deep form. The structure of this syndrome includes a sharp decrease in mood, disturbance of night sleep, loss of appetite and interest in what is happening in life. Patients feel the “hopelessness of the life they have lived” and the “futurelessness of the future”, they see everything that happens distortedly in dark colors, “through the prism of the disease.” Experiencing painful emotional experiences, melancholy, ideas of self-blame, patients strive to leave life in order to “stop unbearable suffering” or “free their relatives from living with a worthless person.” The morning hours are especially dangerous, when the patient’s experiences intensify significantly, pushing him to irreparable actions - committing suicide.

People who attempt suicide are often trying to escape a life situation that seems unsolvable to them. They seek relief most often from:

• Feelings of shame, guilt, burden to others
• Feelings of a “victim”
• Feelings of rejection, loss, or loneliness

Suicide is more likely to occur when a situation or event occurs, such as:

• Aging (high suicide rate)
• Death of a loved one
• Substance addiction
• Emotional Trauma
• Serious physical illness
• Unemployment problems or financial problems

How can you tell if a loved one has decided to commit suicide?

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to understand that a loved one is on the verge of suicide - unless, of course, we are talking about demonstrative behavior and attempts at blackmail. For some people, it is still possible to understand that they are planning a voluntary departure from life. SAVE have listed signs that should not be ignored if your loved one:

• talks about suicide and the desire to die;
• reports, even periodically, a feeling of being cornered, hopeless, or intolerable pain;
• believes that he is a burden to others;
• plans or looks for ways to harm himself: hoards serious medications, is interested in this topic on the Internet, or suddenly, out of the blue, acquires a firearm or other weapon;
• leaves or becomes very distant from family and friends;
• Drinks alcohol more often or starts taking drugs;
• eats or sleeps more or less than usual;
• regularly acts in an anxious or reckless manner;
• experiences sudden mood swings.

Not all of these signs appear in every future suicide, and not everyone can notice them.
The best way to find out about the plans of a loved one is to simply talk to him. Pesticide ban reduces suicide rate December 19, 2020241 1

Suicidal thoughts. How to recognize and what to do?

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 800,000 people worldwide commit suicide every year. As noted by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, every 40 seconds in the world one person dies as a result of suicide. These are statistics from the latest WHO report, published less than a month ago, in early September. Moreover, these indicators do not take into account the number of attempts that did not end in death, which are approximately 20 times more, the authors of the document believe.

Russia is one of the top three countries in the number of suicides - 26.5 cases per 100 thousand people (which is more than twice the world average - 10.5 cases). Only South American Guyana (30.2 cases) and African Lesotho (28.9) are ahead of us. In 2021, there were 44 thousand suicides in our country - five people per hour.

Often people contemplating suicide cannot tell loved ones about the problem or are afraid to seek help. AIDS.CENTER has prepared material on how to recognize suicidal tendencies and how to help in this situation.

1. What signs can be used to understand that a person is thinking about suicide?

There are signals by which you can understand that a loved one is depressed and sees no other way out but suicide. Here are some of them.

• Directly says: “I’m going to kill myself,” “I wish I could die,” or “I wish I never existed.”
• Buys weapons or pills.
• Refuses to communicate and spends all his time alone.
• Feels trapped or thinks that everything is hopeless.
• Uncontrollably takes alcohol or drugs.
• Does risky and self-destructive things (such as using drugs or driving dangerously).
• He gives away things, writes a will, says goodbye to people as if he will never see them again.

Warning signs are not always obvious and can be different; in each case, you need to focus on what is not typical for this particular person.

There is a common belief that real suicides do not talk about their plans, but, as psychologists say, this is not so. Of course, there are situations when a person does not talk about his problems, is not depressed and suddenly commits suicide, in this case it is hardly possible to help. But if a loved one talks about their intention to commit suicide or you observe any of these signs, do not be afraid to talk to them.

Source: BBC Russian Service

2. How to talk to your loved one and help him?

The first rule is not to hush up the problem and not try to get around it, explains psychologist Tatyana Orlova. “If a person wants to commit suicide, then he needs to be told: “I see what is happening to you, and I have an assumption that you want to commit suicide. Let's talk about it". After this, you can ask why the person developed such a worldview, why the desire to commit suicide arose.”

As Orlova explains, usually these are circumstances that tell a person that the foundations of his life have been undermined, there is no way out, no one loves, there are no ways of development. The conversation itself will help a person understand that he is not alone. “At the same time, you can remember positive experiences, say that there have already been difficult situations in his life, and talk with him about how and due to what he coped then. Then look for resources. Let’s say a person can’t find a job for a year. What else can be done, who else can you talk to, what help can you offer him to correct this situation? - continues the psychologist.

The psychologist also emphasizes that one should not devalue or condemn. “There is no need to deny and immediately try to cast doubt on all arguments. We must admit that it is difficult for a person to deal with this. You just need to say: “I hear you, I can be with you, let’s look for a way out together” and offer the help of a psychologist.”

In addition, psychologists advise making sure that the space is safe - removing from the house all means that a person can use for suicide. And also do not leave him alone or offer to call you if he has an irresistible desire to commit suicide.

3. In what cases should you call an ambulance for psychiatric help?

You cannot always help a person on your own; in this case, it is better to seek specialized help. “If your loved one said that he is going to commit suicide, and talks about how he would do it, or prepares for it (buying something for this, writing a will) and at the same time refuses to seek help, you should call an ambulance.” - says psychiatrist Sergei Divisenko.

Another case, in his opinion, when you need to immediately call an ambulance is if a person hurts himself. “Self-harm is not always a suicide attempt. In some cases, this may be due to the desire to drown out mental pain with physical pain, but sometimes self-harm can be dangerous to life and health,” Divisenko clarifies.

4. How can I help myself and what should I do?

Sometimes a person himself understands that his thoughts about suicide are destructive, and wants to help himself. For such cases, detailed instructions were written by Mayo Clinic doctors.

1. Remember that suicidal thoughts will pass.
2. Recognize that depression and thoughts of hopelessness distort your perception of reality and prevent you from making the right decisions.
3. Understand that suicidal feelings are the result of treatable problems.
4. Act as if you have other plans for your life, even if it is difficult to do so now.
5. Seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist, or you can call the psychological help hotline.

At the same time, try to protect yourself.

• Stick to your treatment plan. Take your prescribed medications and do not miss appointments with your therapist.
• Keep on hand a list of contacts of people you can contact in a crisis situation.
• Get rid of items that could harm yourself.
• Create a weekly plan for activities that will support or delight you, and stick to it. This could be sports or art or any other hobby.
• Chat with friends and family. Try not to spend time alone.
• Join a support group if there is one in your area.
• Try not to use drugs and alcohol, they can increase suicidal thoughts.
• Keep a diary. Write down your thoughts and feelings about things that are important to you.

Talking about suicide

Some people, for some unknown reason, believe that talking about suicide can cause suicidal thoughts in others. Scientific research has debunked this myth and proved that this is not so - conversations about voluntary death do not in any way increase the risk of such an event. Moreover, scientists insist that the effect can be completely opposite - allowing people to share their thoughts and feelings with which they are struggling can, on the contrary, reduce the chance that a person will decide on such a terrible act.

Even if the conversation about contemplating suicide is quite intrusive, do not refuse it. Remember - this can help save a life.

Starting it is not as difficult as it seems. The banal “how are you feeling?”, “have you ever felt so bad that you thought about suicide?”, or simply ask a question about thoughts about suicide directly and directly are enough. The same Samaritans in such situations advise simply listening to what the person says and not judging. There is also a special technique that can be used in such a situation, it is called “active listening”, and is used in psychological training and psychotherapy sessions. What it looks like:

• focus on the interlocutor and do not get distracted;
• ask honest, open, direct questions;
• give time for wording - don’t interrupt, let him say everything that the person wants to convey to you, even if it doesn’t take him minutes at all;
• repeat the phrases said by the interlocutor so that it is clear to him: you understand him, and are not just pretending and communicating “for show.”

Listen more - for many people it’s enough just to express what’s boiling over them. This could work as a good therapy session.

“One cannot remain silent when one speaks.” Rehabilitation after a suicide attempt

“The first time I encountered suicide was when my friend committed it. I didn’t expect this at all and felt guilty because I wasn’t the person with whom you could talk about this problem,” says Moscow artist Katrin Nenasheva. Together with activists Sasha Starost and Polina Ustinskova, they plan to launch a project dedicated to suicide in September. His goal is to help people start talking about their experiences and remove the stigma from the topic. According to WHO data for 2021, Russia is one of the world leaders in the number of suicides and ranks third in the ranking.

Children drove themselves to suicide because they could not talk to anyone

Before launching the project, activists conducted a survey among residents of different Russian regions. They were all asked the same question: “What did you need most to begin to change the direction of your life after the suicide attempt of a loved one?” About 450 people took part in the survey. According to Katrin Nenasheva , the absolute majority (more than 70 percent) responded that they did not have enough discussion on the topic of suicide. “The inability to speak out or find help, as well as the silence of the problem, deprived people of the opportunity to share their experiences,” says the artist.

Katrin Nenasheva

Nenasheva worked for several years in a children's psychiatric hospital and taught socialization classes there for children and adolescents after a suicide attempt. “I have often seen children drive themselves to suicide because they had no one to talk to. Parents did not know how such a dialogue should be built, and peers did not react in any way,” she explains.

We went swimming, and for the first time I thought that I would like to die now

Irina her first thoughts of suicide at the age of nine.

– My parents and I were at the seaside, they went swimming and left me at the children’s club for the whole day. Then they couldn’t decide who would go pick me up. It was getting late, they took me to our room,” Irina recalls. “Later it turned out that my father had already left for me. He returned very angry, threw my and my mother’s things into a beach bag and told us to “get out” of the room.

Irina and her mother went to the beach. “When we went swimming, I thought for the first time that I would like to die now,” says the girl. She could not tell her parents what she was thinking that evening.

Thoughts of suicide appeared again in ninth grade.

“My parents spread rot on me: they said that no one needed me and no one would love me. At graduation, I washed down several sedatives with three glasses of Martini, it made me feel sick. Then, at one of the school parties, she almost fell out of the window: she was waving her arms, saying that it was just a joke. My friend miraculously pulled me out,” she says.

After several suicide attempts, she began to see a psychologist, but things did not get better. Video stories of people who shared their stories helped, and a friend who realized that Irina was not joking about suicide.

In society there are not many opportunities to talk about the fact that you have suicidal thoughts, Nenasheva believes. But there are even fewer opportunities for rehabilitation. There are no projects in Russia that would deal with the socialization of people who have attempted suicide.

Now a person who has made such an attempt is taken to a psychiatric hospital - to a ward where he is under constant supervision. Next, the psychiatrist selects the necessary medications, and at the same time, work with a psychologist should proceed. If a suicide attempt was stopped by someone you know, hospitalization can be avoided. Then, if a person does not know how to ask for help, he is again left alone with his problems.

The state offers us a strategy of silence

“We decided to create our own infrastructure,” explains Nenasheva. – The working group will include psychologists, psychiatrists, rehabilitation specialists, activists and journalists. It is necessary to create a community where a person, if necessary, could turn and develop a language, a way to talk about their problem.

As part of the project, an immersive performance will be staged, where people will talk about their experience of living with suicidal thoughts, support groups will be organized, as well as street actions and discussions on this topic. The first event planned by the activists is a week of talking about suicide issues. It starts on September 7. The week will be called “Saying cannot be silent.” Under this hashtag, social network users are invited to talk about their experience of rehabilitation after a suicide attempt, and also answer the question: is there any point in talking about this problem? “The state is offering us a strategy of silence. Maybe this is what we should do?” – Nenasheva reflects.

A person comes to the conclusion that things won’t get any better

In fact, silence only makes the problem more acute, says psychologist Sergei Skvortsov . According to WHO data for 2021, Russia is one of the world leaders in the number of suicides, ranking third in the ranking. Roskomnadzor's blocking does not seem to be working effectively enough. In August, the department reported blocking more than 100 thousand materials about suicide. It all started with Novaya’s material about “death groups” on the VKontakte network, where teenagers are allegedly persuaded to commit suicide. After this, a number of restrictions were established for mentioning suicide in the media, and mass blocking of various resources began.

– If we don’t talk about suicide, the problem will not go away. There is no point in keeping it silent, Skvortsov is sure. – Another thing is that suicides should not be romanticized or given some mysterious and beautiful context, as is often the case in literature or cinema.

Talking about suicide rarely leads directly to committing it, says the psychologist. Most often, this can provoke physical harm to oneself or demonstrative attempts to commit suicide. However, in this way a person rather tries to draw attention to his problems. “He commits suicide only if he comes to the conclusion that now everything in his life is bad and it won’t get better,” adds Skvortsov.

Demographer and analyst at the National Research University Higher School of Economics Ilnur Aminov , who studies suicide in Russia, is convinced that it is necessary to talk about the problem of suicide. Despite the fact that in almost all regions of Russia there are suicidological services located in psychiatric hospitals, hotlines, as well as NGOs specializing in the topic of suicide, it is difficult to talk about the effectiveness of state policy.

The suicide rate is decreasing every year, Aminov notes. In 2017, according to Rosstat, the suicide rate in Russia was the lowest since 2000. But these data most likely do not indicate the real state of affairs, the researcher is sure.

Regions do not benefit from high suicide mortality rates

– Along with a decrease in the mortality rate from suicide, the mortality rate from “injuries with undetermined intent” is steadily increasing, and this may indicate that some suicides are undercounted in official statistics. The latter is especially noticeable at the regional level. Apparently, it is not beneficial for the regions to have a high suicide mortality rate. This figure is a kind of indicator of social well-being in the region, notes Aminov. “If it’s big, it means people don’t live very well there.”

According to Rosstat, the leader in the number of suicides per 100 thousand population in 2021 is the Altai Republic. Next come Buryatia and the Jewish Autonomous Region.

If someone is thinking about suicide, will they kill themselves?

Experiencing suicidal thoughts does not always mean that a person is truly ready to commit a terrible act.

According to Samaritans suicide statistics, approximately one in five people will consider suicide at some point in their lives - often in response to a specific situation or temporary feeling.

In most cases, people who have thoughts of voluntarily leaving life do not commit anything irreparable.

And here there is an important nuance - there is a huge gap between suicidal thoughts and intentions. Thoughts can leave the same way they came, but intentions mean that the decision has already been made, and the person has decided to act in accordance with his plans to take his own life. It is in such situations that immediate help is needed.

What to do if a loved one decides to commit suicide?

If someone is contemplating suicide, it is important to act quickly. SAVE recommend:

• Ask direct questions:
  ask the person if he has any plans to take his own life. If the answer is yes, then clarify how and when this is planned to be done.
• Ask for help
  .
  If a person is in immediate danger, call 112. Hotlines for suicides or those trying to prevent them are, to put it mildly, difficult in our country - what is available in all civilized states without exception is completely absent in ours. But there is a 24-hour helpline: 8-800-2000-122
  , where you can seek psychological help and support every day and at any time of the day or night.
  There is also an emergency psychological help line of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for residents of the capital: 8-499-216-50-50
  , anonymous, 24/7 and free.

In fact, people who think about suicide do not always want to die. Often they reach the edge because they simply cannot think of a way out of the current situation. Intervention can not only support, but also restore hope and show another point of view that a cornered person simply would not think of.

• Take the reasons for suicide seriously:
  even if you understand that the reason that a person considers to be a reason for leaving life is not objectively such, do not try to convince the person who is planning the irreparable of this. It won’t help - it seems to him that he is 146% right, all your arguments will be smashed against the wall of misunderstanding, and they will simply stop talking to you. Instead, listen, assure that you understand and agree with everything, but that you can get help and at least try to change something. Don't argue! Remember, about 90% of suicidal people are people with mental problems, and a considerable part of them do not have an official lifetime diagnosis. Treat it that way—agree with everything, don’t disagree with anything.
• Don't keep your knowledge a secret:
  yes, trust is very important, but if you just keep everything to yourself, you will simply endanger the life of a person who may be in the process of exacerbating a mental disorder and cannot objectively assess what is happening. In the case of people being cared for, loved ones, carers and medical staff need to be aware of such thoughts in order to eliminate all possible sources of danger.

What if this is all just window dressing to attract attention?

It is a fairly common belief that those who talk about suicide or make a futile attempt are trying to do it for attention, and therefore are simply showing off and do not need help.

Of course, this is not uncommon. And, of course, such people need help. Even if a person is not actually going to go to another world, such conversations or actions always indicate that he is stressed and his psyche urgently needs support.

Painful causes of suicide

Often suicidal behavior is dictated by psychotic experiences (the presence of psychosis - delirium, voices, splitting, etc.). For example, under the influence of hallucinations, a patient jumps from a roof or inflicts injuries on himself that are incompatible with life. The risk of suicide is especially high during the first attack of the disease, when the patient is not yet familiar with these experiences. The first important signal about a deterioration in mental state is disturbance of night sleep, increased anxiety, a sharp decrease in mood, and alienation from what is happening. Describing painful symptoms, patients talk about “an impending threat, a change in the surrounding reality, a spectacle around, a feeling of “Groundhog Day,” hopelessness,” they feel persecution from unknown persons, and can finally hear “voices inside their heads” that blackmail, force them to do something. or actions. Being in a state of confusion, experiencing an intense feeling of fear, patients can submit to hallucinatory experiences without realizing their painful, false nature.

Suicide due to the use of psychoactive substances

A similar picture is observed with the use of various drugs. In this case, younger people (school graduates, university students) are at risk. Recently, so-called synthetic “designer drugs” have begun to appear in our country. These include already well-known smoking mixtures (spice). The essence of this type of surfactant is the impregnation of any plant material (dried leaves of chamomile, roses or a mixture of plants) with synthetic derivatives, similar in action to heroin, amphetamine, LSD, TGK, DOB. The whole difficulty of using this drug lies in the fact that during the first tests it is impossible to find out the reliable concentration of the active substances. According to our observations, more and more young people are trying smoking mixtures. From the moment of first use, they experience acute psychotic states, experience hallucinations, flee from persecutors, trying to end their suffering, commit suicide or become victims of accidents. According to a number of researchers, when analyzing suicidal manifestations, the following circumstance attracts attention: more than half of the respondents (60%) who made a suicide attempt were in a state of alcohol or drug intoxication.

Myths and truth about suicide

Myth: People who talk about suicide are not serious and have no intention of committing it. Fact:
Suicidal people often told someone that their life had no meaning or they couldn't see their future. Some actually reported that they wanted to die. But in some cases, conversations about voluntary death are really not a story about a decision made, but a cry for help.

Myth:
If a person is serious about completing his life’s journey, then nothing can be done. Fact:
Often suicidal feelings are temporary, that is, having coped with certain circumstances and received support in time, the suicide may well change his mind.
Myth: Only mentally ill people think about suicide. Fact:
Every fifth person has thought about suicide at least once in their entire life, and not everyone who dies as a result of it has mental health problems at the time of death. However, it must be admitted that about 90% of them actually have a similar problem, and often the diagnosis is made only posthumously.

Myth:
Suicidal people want to die. Fact:
Most of those who say or are contemplating suicide do not actually want to say goodbye to this world - they simply do not want to live the life that they currently have. It may seem that the difference is not big, but in fact it is not - there is a whole abyss between these two concepts. After all, today everything may be bad, but tomorrow the sun will come out from behind the clouds and life will sparkle with new colors. True, it’s no longer for everyone.

Myth:
Suicides are most likely to occur during the winter months. Fact:
Statistics show that it's not just about the seasons, cold or warm weather, or the amount of sunlight.
And yet, the largest number of suicides occurs in the spring and around the New Year. Myth: Talking about suicide is a bad idea because it may make someone think about trying it. Fact:
Suicide can be a taboo subject. Often people who are seriously thinking about leaving this life do not want to bother anyone or burden anyone with their problems, and do not discuss anything even with their loved ones. But! When you ask a direct question, you are essentially giving the person permission to talk about how they feel. Quite a few people who are suicidal report what a relief it is for them to be able to talk about their experiences.

New screening effectively identifies suicidal teenagers February 4, 2021457

Female suicide

The majority of suicides are registered among women, but completed ones, that is, brought to their “logical conclusion,” are more common among men

Why are there fewer completed suicide attempts among women and what are the characteristics of female behavior in suicide?
As a rule, women have stronger stress relief mechanisms and higher resistance to stress; women are more attached to family and children, that is, they are more social. The reason for women's resistance to stress, among other things, lies in the peculiarities of raising boys and girls. Men are taught in childhood to be stronger - don’t cry, you must be strong, “feminine” traits are condemned, but “masculine” traits in women, on the contrary, are welcomed (you are a woman, which means you must endure, being strong is one of the best qualities). A woman has the right to react to accumulated emotions and stress - cry, throw a tantrum, complain, tell numerous friends about her misfortune, in addition, women more often turn to psychologists for professional help. Some researchers find reasons for more resilient female behavior in certain cultural traditions that have the character of resistance to cultural suicidal demands. Women's suicides were of a certain nature and were justified, for example, altruistic suicides or permitted ritual actions: sacrifice at the grave of a husband or leader.

The custom of sacrificing the wives of deceased husbands took place among the Indo-Aryans in the self-immolation of widows - sati. It was believed that the wife was the property of the husband, and the widow committed suicide to avoid the risk of getting married again or in any other way breaking fidelity and chastity, and also to provide her husband with everything necessary in the afterlife. In Russian culture, there were also acts of leaving wives together with their deceased husbands, so as not to be subjected to violence or condemnation, since a widow could dishonor the family.

In general, these small examples clearly show that women's lives were less valuable than men's lives. At the beginning of the last century, when women's movements for freedom and independence began, when women sought equality, the number of female suicides decreased significantly, emancipation allowed women to become healthier and more prosperous socially.

What are the causes of female suicide today?

Most female suicides are committed, as a rule, in order to attract attention to themselves, this is a last attempt to resolve love problems or improve family relationships. Unrequited love, divorce, unhappy family life, husband left for another woman, fiance betrayed, close friend does not reciprocate. The better the situation was before, the more sudden the blow, the more difficult it is for a woman to solve this problem.

Often, a woman attempts or threatens suicide to keep her husband or lover close to her. And it is such constant attempts to leave life that sustain a deeply unhappy marriage or relationship. When there was an omnipresent Soviet society, a woman could turn to the party committee and rein in her errant husband, a public organization could put pressure on her husband and keep him in the family, protect him from divorce. Although it looked like a joke, it was a defense mechanism; now no one interferes in the families and personal lives of spouses. And women find themselves in difficult situations more and more often. Family reasons included the closure of enterprises, long-term non-payment of wages, unemployment, price increases and inflation, layoffs and layoffs. Added to the alcoholism of husbands were husbands who were drug addicts and new Russian businessmen with their devaluation of women. A new risk category has also emerged - mothers of drug addicts. Some felt the meaninglessness of their struggle, others had no one to fight for, since their only child died of an overdose. Women have more reasons to commit suicide.

According to doctors, most women who commit suicide are absolutely mentally healthy. If the word “soft” is suitable for suicide, then it is women’s suicides that differ from men’s in the softness of their methods and demonstrativeness. For example, pills, going out of the window, gas, less often - hanging and cutting veins, the use of weapons is practically not used. This is a last desperate attempt to attract attention, to force people to love themselves, a cry for help!

“Zhenya filled the bathtub with water and undressed. The pills fell off immediately, because somewhere in my head I was frightened by the thought that it would hurt, the rope would leave ugly marks on the neck, but cutting a vein and lying naked and incredibly beautiful in a bathtub filled with blood would have a greater effect on a loved one who had suddenly left her alone. The suicide was a last desperate attempt to bring back the traitor and evoke feelings for himself. Having made a small cut and turning the water in the bathroom pink, Zhenya stopped for a moment, whether to call or not, he should know that I decided to do this! She called and hysterically described what was happening. It turned out convincingly, my beloved made it!”

A phone call to a friend, a letter, a note, an empty pack of pills in plain sight, a warning about the place and time of suicide - this is how demonstrative suicidal people usually behave. Sometimes a woman does not intend to die, but the state of passion is so strong and overshadows consciousness that any method possible at the moment is chosen; the place for suicide does not matter. The chance of escape in this case depends on luck. There are more completed suicides in this case.

The most dangerous and most severe are the so-called true suicides . In this case, the woman makes the decision to die consciously and finally. And, as a rule, he brings suicide to its logical end. She carefully thinks through the method, place and time. And she does it in such a way that in this case they will no longer be able to save her.

Whatever the suicide, a person who is on the verge and in an extremely difficult situation needs help. It is necessary to let the woman understand that she has a friend and an understanding person who will be with her and help her. Convince people to seek help from an outpatient psychiatric service—that’s where suicidologists work. As a rule, these are psychologists, psychotherapists or psychiatrists. For those who promptly seek support from a psychotherapist or see a doctor after a suicide attempt, help is provided effectively. The woman is restored to self-confidence, shown that a seemingly hopeless situation can still be overcome, and given recommendations and information on how to proceed.

Of course, additional help would be ideal - support from lawyers, assistance in finding a job, just help around the house or even house duty, but this is already in the realm of fantasy, since rarely does a woman driven to despair have such versatile support among friends and acquaintances .

I came across a phrase that accurately describes the current state in the modern world: “No state is truly interested in a person - the problems of society, not the individual, are solved. This has always been the case, but the situation in Russia today is simply catastrophic.”

Fortunately, women have clearly learned a good phrase about whose hands it is to save drowning people and are creating organizations to help women in crisis situations, clubs for women are opening, women's online magazines, women's help centers, communities, there are several helplines for women who find themselves in in a crisis situation.

But, unfortunately, suicides are often reaped rather than prevented.

Women are strong, but they really want to live. Live, not survive. To please, to love, to educate, and not to wage an endless struggle for survival. Rejoice in happiness until your last breath, and not fight until your last breath.

Today I will be rewarded with Three steps from the kingdom, Three horseshoes from Sivka, Three hooves from my brother... Three attempts to return, Two attempts to stay... (C) Svetlana Sushinskikh
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