4 Myths of Suicide

Helplessness. Hopelessness. Poverty. Job loss.

Relationship problems. Economic downturns. Catastrophic illness and accidents.

All these lurk around every corner and each and everyone one of these and countless more make up the stress in our lives. Each of us deal with stress differently and each of us have a limit to what we can endure. As we each learn to deal with stress in our lives, we develop coping skills, some of which are better and healthier than others. Stress comes from every direction these days.

I often wonder what finally occurred that created the over abundance of stress in which the suicidal person saw death as the only solution. What, that day, finally swayed them in favor of permanently changing not only their life, but the lives of so many others? Survivors often try and put the clues together to solve this life and death mystery. Suicide is like a thief in the night. It comes in an robs you of something you can never reclaim.

The stealthy quality of suicide makes it difficult to detect and hard to understand. Because of this, many misconceptions and myths have taken shape over time. This is not an exhaustive list (this is a blog, for Pete’s sake) but awareness has to start somewhere.

4 MYTHS OF SUICIDE

1.     People who talk about it, won’t do. They just want attention

2.     Suicide cannot be really prevented

3.     Talking about suicide is bad because it gives a person ideas.

4.     People who commit suicide are crazy

People who talk about it, won’t do it.

This assumption ends up in countless and truly senseless suicides. Sometimes, when people are talking about it, they are trying to clue people in that they are feeling THAT defeated. Remember, I said in a previous post that a battle can end in a win, loss, draw or surrender. They are overcome and they surrender to the illogical thought of suicide. Plus, some feel by talking about it, the person is attempting to make it easier accomplish. If they say that it is okay enough times, they will convince themselves that it is acceptable.

Suicide cannot be really prevented

I have worked with so many professionals who will claim that if a person really intends on committing suicide, they will do it eventually. They see a person who attempts time and time again and finally, they succeed. Sadly, the load of stressors likely worsened over time and then their ability to cope diminished even more. Could an intervention aimed at helping a person discover solutions or at least offered a new perspective changed the eventual path of a suicidal person? Possibly and it would certainly be worth a chance.

 

Talking about Suicide only puts ideas in their heads.

This one always puzzled me. If it were that easy, all of you, send me all your money. I need to cut the blog short so I can go get the checks out of my mail box. The power of suggestion does not influence a persons’ decision to suicide. How are you going to know if a person is contemplating suicide if you do not ask? Yes, it is the hardest question you might ever ask. I sometimes even preface the question that way. It is honest and straightforward. That is all one can ask of a question. Oh, by the way, send me your money. So the power of suggestion myth in the context of suicide just does not hold water.

People Who Commit Suicide are Crazy

If this myth were true, it would be easier to intervene in those contemplating suicide. But, before we could do that, we would have to agree on a definition of “crazy”. Despite living in the year 2012, there remains a huge stigma for those suffering from mental illness. This stigma keeps people from seeking help, regardless of the severity of their mental illness. Suicide affects people of all ages, races, economic status and degrees of mental wellness.

Suicide must not be discounted and it can never be dismissed. We must remember that myths and assumptions in this case can adversely affect generations.