Why people commit suicide and what to do about it

We all have a moment in life when we cannot ignore the issue of mental health and even more so today when, for various reasons, it is being talked about in certain contexts . Within this framework, suicide is one of those situations that we have to talk about. In Colombia , particularly, during 2021 the number of people who committed suicide rose to 2,962 , being the highest in history and confirming the 44% increase that this indicator shows in the last 10 years, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) .

But it's not just about numbers. When someone close or known commits suicide, or when the media reports what seems to us to be many suicides, we begin to wonder why people do it , what motivates them to end their lives . In this post we will talk very briefly about it to contribute a little to give the topic the importance it deserves.

Suicide: between myths and realities

The first thing to know is that there are many taboos , myths , speculations and prejudices surrounding suicide . Being such a delicate situation and colliding with the principles and expectations that exist at a social level due to ideologies , beliefs and conventional value systems , families and communities try to give it an interpretation or explanation that often distances itself from what we can know or learn by inquiring more carefully. In fact, when someone commits suicide, many questions arise in the minds of those who are interested in that person, questions that for the most part will not have an answer, although society and popular thought offer generic ones, such as that he did it due to lack of maturity, impulsiveness, lack of God in his heart, feeble-mindedness, cowardice, selfishness, and/or similar reasons.

Nothing of that! Or at least, it is not always so. Suicide is actually a complex phenomenon that, in its most basic component, concerns the fact that a person made the decision and managed to end their life after evaluating their situation and finding reasons that, from their point of view, were sufficient and did not lead to another option . Suicide is not synonymous with mental illness, disorder or the reasons mentioned at the end of the previous paragraph. That said, we can think about the probable causes.

Probable causes of suicide

For many years the causes of suicide have been the object of study in disciplines such as Sociology , Psychology and Medicine . In fact, much more has been said about its causes than about its consequences. The most prudent and accurate thing with the knowledge we have to date is to say that the causes of suicide are usually many –never just one– and the relationship between them is far from being linear, in addition to the fact that there are various factors that intervene .

Just to mention a few variables, we must take into account: age, sex, educational level, employment status, number of children, family history, previous suicides of relatives or friends, help sought, psychiatric or psychological history, level of social integration, networks of support, violence suffered, consumption of medications or psychoactive substances, previous suicide attempts, stressful events and personality traits . Once characteristics such as these have been identified, the appropriate professionals –and we (ordinary people) to some extent– can hypothesize for each case how the chain of events and factors that led to suicide was articulated . But it will never be an absolute truth .

Something of the utmost importance to keep in mind: behind suicide there is much to think about; It is an issue that even has to do with social inequities . The problem is not the person who commits suicide, it is what brings them to that point.

What I can do?

Everyone from their place in society can do something. For what purpose? Everyone has their answer.

In order to promote openness towards the subject, we can begin by not feeding social imaginaries that harm those who think of committing suicide, those around them and those who have something to do with the person who committed suicide. Here we have mentioned several.

Can suicide be prevented? Despite there being controversy about this among scholars on the subject, the World Health Organization officially states that yes , providing early care , since it has been observed that before a suicide there is usually a process whose phases include: ideas of death , suicidal ideation , suicide planning, and suicide attempt .

If you want to help other people consider alternatives other than suicide :

Actively listen to them.

Be empathetic and don't judge them.

Offer them whatever help you can and want to give.

Propose alternatives respectfully.

Let them know about the professional help available.

If it has to do with you or has affected you directly or indirectly

After someone commits suicide , those around them who are still alive are affected in various ways. If this is your case, we recommend paying attention to it, talking about it with the right people and doing the necessary personal work so that you can heal that mark .