2023-10-01 13:04:00
While it is true that people with previous diagnoses of mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, among others, are more vulnerable to committing a suicidal act, it is not necessary to go through a depressive condition to have suicidal thoughts.
The most common causes of suicide in the adult population are economic problems, physical or mental illnesses, social pressure, loss of a loved one, and breakups. Likewise, “people who do not present previous symptoms” can commit suicide, since the personal inability to resolve an overwhelming problem or situation can lead the individual to make such a decision, the press release stated.
The dr. Karina Paredes, psychotherapist at the Santa Paula Medical Group, indicated that “people with low self-esteem, dysfunctional families, with cognitive rigidity of thought or exaggerated perfectionists, are also vulnerable.”
Suicide is one of the most abrupt actions that human beings can take to harm themselves. The pain and despair that an individual experiences are hidden in the appearance of self-sufficiency that he uses as an armor to survive his daily life.
To encourage society’s attention on this issue, World Suicide Prevention Day is commemorated in September (every 10th of this month), and throughout the month different organizations and clinical spaces carry out activities to share information and seek solutions to this problem, since it is stated that 95% of suicide cases might have been prevented.
One in every 4 people in the world suffers from a personality or mental health disorder, that is, 25% of the population, of which only 10% are able to seek medical help.
In Venezuela the suicide rate is related to the economic crisis of recent years. According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), 256 suicides were recorded in the country between January and July 2023.
Warning signs
Specialist Paredes explained that there are behaviors that can warn regarding a person’s intention to take their own life, which vary according to sex, age and context.
He highlighted that, for example, “children tend to isolate themselves, they become very susceptible to any criticism, scolding or situation, their grades drop abruptly, they express desires of not wanting to attend school and they are more shy and disinterested.” While teenagers; “They present sleep and appetite disorders. They appear depressed or anxious, they also isolate themselves and show sudden changes in tastes, which is why they abandon their activities.”
In adults “aggressive behavior intensifies, showing a strong intolerance to frustration, they express the difficulty they feel in dealing with their responsibilities and tend to consume more alcohol or drugs, which function as analgesics for emotional pain.” Regarding the signs of a possible suicidal act, the psychologist
emphasized the importance of the role of family members or people around the self-aggressor to
go immediately to seek professional help.
He recommended that “every person who witnesses another’s manifestation of wanting to take their own life should avoid making judgments regarding that behavior, that means not classifying the person as crazy, manipulative, cowardly, weak or deranged, nor invalidating their speech. At this moment, the greatest act of empathy and compassion is required with the pain that the other is expressing.”
Medical treatment
The person who has incidences of committing suicide should go to a mental health specialist; “Psychiatrists are trained to make a clinical approach to the patient, usually patients are admitted who are likely to be dangerous to themselves, who have recently attempted to take their own life,” in the same way if they put the lives of others at risk. On the other hand, the accompaniment of family therapy or the immersion of support groups will also significantly complement the patients’ recovery process.
The specialist described some actions that the general population can take to eradicate the high rates of suicide: “more than talking regarding prevention, I would say regarding suicide care. We need to address the way we are developing as a society, there is a great need to show affection, listen and be compassionate.”
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