There are many myths around people who have suicidal ideas or commit suicide, it is said that they do not express what they are thinking or feeling, that it is to attract attention, that they are weak, among other things. How true is it?
Sergio Pérez Barrero, doctor and founder of the Suicidiology Section of the World Psychiatric Association explains in his article: ‘ that myths are culturally created criteria that, without counting on scientific veracity and acting as erroneous value judgments, They justify certain attitudes of those who support or experience them and, in that sense, they become a brake on suicide prevention.
In that sense, it highlights some of them and exposes the scientific criteria that must prevail in order to make their help effective in preventing suicide.
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What are some of those myths?
- Myth 1: He who wants to kill himself does not say it and he who says it does not do it.
9 out of 10 people who commit suicide clearly express their intentions and believing that they do not lead to not paying attention to people who express suicidal ideation or threaten to commit suicide, but; in addition to minimizing suicidal threats that can be mistakenly considered as blackmail, manipulation, boasting, etc.
- Myth 2: Those who attempt suicide do not want to die, they only do it to get attention and if they really wanted to kill themselves, they would have thrown themselves in front of a train.
People never use it as a way to get attentionIn that sense, it has nothing to do with how lethal the method they select is, but rather that they are doing something to threaten their life and they express what ails them, generates a lot of pain and makes them think that ending the life is an alternative.
- Myth 3: The subject who recovers from a suicidal crisis is not in any danger of relapse and anyone who attempts suicide will be in that danger for their entire life.
There is a greater risk of suicide when the person has had previous attempts; however, With good support, it is possible for the person to learn to manage their emotional crises. and do not resort to suicide as an alternative on subsequent occasions.
- Myth 4: Everyone who commits suicide is depressed.
Although every depressed person has the possibility of attempting suicide or committing suicide, Not everyone who does it has this disorder.. They may present other conditions such as schizophrenia, alcoholism, character disorders, among others.
- Myth 5: Everyone who commits suicide is mentally ill.
People with mental illness commit suicide more frequently than the general population, but You don’t necessarily have to suffer from a mental disorder to do it.. There is no doubt that every suicide is a person who suffers.
- Myth 6: Suicide is inherited.
It is not proven that suicide is inherited, although several members of the same family can be found who have ended their lives by suicide. In these cases, what is inherited is the predisposition to have a certain mental illness in which suicide is a main symptomFor example, affective disorders and schizophrenia.
- Myth 7: Suicide cannot be prevented, as it occurs on impulse.
Before attempting suicide, every person shows several symptoms that have been defined as pre-suicidal syndrome.consisting of constriction of feelings and intellect, inhibition of aggressiveness (which is no longer directed towards other people and is reserved for oneself) and existence of suicidal fantasies, all of which can be detected in due time, in order to prevent this person from carrying out his purposes.
- Myth 8: Talking about suicide with a person at this risk can encourage them to commit suicide, since only psychiatrists can prevent suicide.
It has been proven that talking about suicide with a person at such risk, instead of inciting, provoking or introducing that idea into their head, It reduces the danger of committing it and may be the only possibility offered by the subject for the analysis of his self-destructive purposes.
It is true that psychiatrists are experienced professionals in detecting the risk of suicide and managing it, but they are not the only ones who can prevent it. Anyone interested in helping these types of people can be a valuable collaborator in their prevention.
- Myth 9: The suicidal person wants to die.
The suicide is in an ambivalent position, that is, You want to die if your life continues in the same way and you want to live if small changes occur in your life.. If this ambivalence is diagnosed promptly, the balance can be tipped towards the option of life.
- Myth 10: He who attempts suicide is a coward or he is brave.
Those who try to commit suicide are neither brave nor cowards, they are just people who suffer, because Bravery and cowardice are personality attributes that are not quantified or measured. depending on the number of times someone takes their life or respects it.
- Myth 11: Only the poor or rich commit suicide.
Suicide is a cause of death It is observed more frequently in inhabitants of developed countries than in underdeveloped countriesbut obviously the rich are not the only ones who commit suicide, the poor can also commit suicide, although they are more likely to die from other types of diseases due to their conditions of poverty.
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- Myth 12: Only old people or children commit suicide
Older people make fewer attempts at self-destruction than young peoplebut they use more effective methods when trying, which leads to death more frequently. After a child acquires the concept of death, he or she may commit suicide. and, in fact, they make decisions of this type at these ages.
- Myth 13: If you challenge a suicide, he or she will not try.
Challenging a suicide is an irresponsible actsince we are faced with a vulnerable person in a crisis situation whose adaptation mechanisms have failed, since precisely the desire to self-destruct predominates.
- Myth 14: When severe depression improves there is no longer a risk of suicide.
Almost half of those who went through a suicidal crisis and completed suicide did so during the first three months after the emotional crisis when everyone believed that the danger had passed. It happens that when the person improves, their movements become more agile and they are able to bring suicidal ideas that still persist to reality.and before, due to inactivity and inability to move agilely, he could not do it.
Because we want you to be well, We invite you to do the following ; In addition to giving you some recommendations, you do need them.
- Myth 15: The media cannot contribute to suicide prevention.
The media can become a valuable ally in suicide prevention if they correctly focus the news on the subject and follow the following suggestions from suicidologists on how to disseminate them:
- Post the warning signs of a suicidal crisis: inconsolable crying; tendency to isolation; suicidal threats; desire to die; hopelessness; sudden changes in behavior, emotions and habits; isolation; excessive alcohol or drug use; making farewell notes; etc
- Publish mental health sources that can be turned to in the event of a suicidal crisis. Likewise, those institutions, organizations and natural leaders to whom to turn to receive the first psychological help when in a situation of suicide risk must be disclosed.
- Disclose suicide risk groups:
– The depressed.
– Those who have suicidal ideas or threaten suicide.
– People who have made a suicide attempt.
– People in crisis situations.
– The survivors or relatives of the suicide. - Disseminate simple measures that allow the population to know what to do if they detect a person at risk of suicide:
– Always ask the person at risk of suicide if they have thought about suicide. If the answer is yes, avoid access to any method that could harm it.
– Never leave him alone as long as suicidal ideation persists.
– Notify others significant to the person that contribute to avoiding the occurrence of a suicidal act.
– Bring you closer to health sources to receive specialized care.
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