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Victoria Tolbert
Liberty University
Essay 2
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Suicide
Introduction
At one time or another we all will experience trauma and crisis. Crisis has been an
inherent part of being human since the fall of man. Crisis can result in positives outcomes
manifesting growth and development or in negative outcomes manifesting emotional
and/or mental disturbance, violence, addiction, or self-destruction (Hoff 2009). Suicide is
a self-destructive behavior and negative outcome that is a leading cause of death in the
general population, and especially the youth population. This essay will discuss
attempted suicide, a suspected suicide situation and response, and factors that may
contribute to youth suicide in first world nations. Hopefully, this will lead to a better
understanding of suicide so that as caretakers we can be more understanding and able to
provide appropriate support and connections to community resources to those at risk so
there is a positive outcome to their crisis.
Why should clinicians and others take seriously even a low-lethality type of
suicide attempt? Or are such attempts really just “gestures”?
There is a feeling that people who threaten suicide or make low lethality suicide
attempts are not really at risk for suicide and should not be taken seriously. However,
Hoff (2009) states that according to Motto and Shneidman “the majority of people who
succeed in killing themselves have a history of previous suicide attempts” (p. 299).
Ingaki, Kawashima, Yonemoto, and Yamada (2019) also posit that previous suicide
attempts are a strong predictor for death by suicide (p. 2). In The Complete Guide to
Crisis & Trauma Counseling, Wright (2011) states that a suicide attempt is ‘the most
clear and dramatic cry for help’ (p. 305). Therefore, even low lethality types of suicide
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attempts should be taken seriously. If not taken seriously, this can lead to a second
attempt or a successful suicide. In his commentary on self-harm in adolescents, Ougrin
(2012) states that one of the strongest predictors of suicide is self-harm (p.1220). When a
person attempts suicide it is a warning sign. They person needs help immediately. The
low lethality may be due to any number of reasons such as an underdeveloped plan, a
lack of means, or an unexpected interruption. The person may also be in a lower risk
state than someone whose attempt succeeds, but this state could quickly change. Ingaki et
al (2019) discuss the importance of interventions because the risk is high for a repeated
attempt within the first six months after the initial attempt (p. 1). It is essential to treat the
attempt seriously because even if it was only a gesture, that person is crying out for help
and is in some type of distress. Moreover, in Colossians 3:12, the Bible requires us, as
Christians, we should ”put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience”. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians encourages them to “encourage one
another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Therefore, it is our spiritual
mandate to show compassion, patience and to encourage one another regardless of our
person assessments and feelings about others, their actions, and motivations.
Identify a situation in which a danger of suicide was suspected. What was done or
not done in response, and what were the reason why. As usual, we do not want
you discussing anyone or any facility by name or even in a potentially identifiable
fashion.
There was a situation in which Shay and Liz (not their real names), a same sex
couple who were married for ten years, got divorced because Liz cheated on Shay.
Liz did not want to get divorced but due to the nature of the cheating, the dishonesty
that
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continued after it was uncovered and preexisting problems in the marriage Shay insisted.
They had a two-year-old daughter, whom they adopted when she was ten days old.
Initially, Shay sought full custody but relented and agreed to equally share legal and
physical custody. They were able to successfully co-parent during and after the divorce
and there was nearly no animosity. A year after the divorce, Shay informed Liz that she
was in a serious relationship and she would be introducing her significant other to their
daughter because they had agreed to inform one another before introducing their daughter
to a significant other. As soon as Shay told Liz, Liz got emotional and left the building,
slamming the door. Liz then backed the car out of the parking spot and sped away. The
car visibly slid from side to side on the ice and made a screeching noise. After a while,
Shay received a text from Liz apologizing for the strong emotional response. However,
when she found out that the significant other was a male she went into a rage, text many
irate accusations about Shay never really loving her and their marriage being a sham, and
culminated by saying she would kill herself. She then quickly text that if she didn’t have
her daughter she would kill herself. Shay was concerned about this because Liz has
mentioned wanting to die on a previous occasion and suffers from depression and PTSD.
Shay knew it would not be helpful to communicate with Liz so she reached out to
her family. She gave them an overview of what had taken place and expressed concern
about Liz’s well being. Liz’s family were aware of her mental health issues so they
talked to Liz and tried to get her to calm down. They encouraged her to make an
emergency appointment with her psychologist. They knew that they would not be able to
help Liz but her psychologist was the expert and had worked with her for years so she
would be
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able to stabilize her. Shay refrained from contact to give Liz space and not upset her and
send her back into rage or suicidal ideations.
A week after the incident, Liz contacted Shay and apologized again and expressed
she was happy for Liz. She also disclosed that her medicine was off and that was part of
the reason she ‘flipped out’ and the fact that she still loved Shay and had hoped for
reconciliation even though they were divorced. Although Liz appeared calm, Shay was
cautious in the conversation and kept it brief. After their conversation, Shay reached out
to Liz’s family to update them and to ask them to keep an eye out on her social media
posts so as to detect any feelings contrary to those Liz expressed. Shay felt that Liz could
have mood swings and depressive episodes, although she was in a good place at the
moment, and this would be most likely be evident through social media. Liz is a prolific
social media user. This thought aligns with the findings of Bryan, Butner, Sinclair,
Bryan, Hesse and Rose (2018) that support the utility of social media data as a possible
method for identifying the suicide risk of military personnel. Though their study was
specific to military members, I believe that it can be applied to other groups as well.
Many people post details about their personal life, feelings and emotional state. Specific
to this example, Liz had posted a lot of the generalities of her cheating and divorce until
Shay requested that she not post information that concerned them both. So it is likely that
if Shay becomes depressed or experiences suicidal thoughts, it will be evident in her
posts.
In sociocultural perspective, identify factors that may contribute to youth
suicides in wealthy societies like the United States and Canada.
Suicide is usually addressed from the mental health perspective. The mental state
of the victim is assessed, and then there is a fact-finding mission to uncover the
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circumstances that created the stress, trauma or crisis that led to suicide or suicide
attempts. While this is important and valuable knowledge, we are neglecting the
importance of sociocultural influence. Hoff (2009) says that the neglect of social factors
is a serious omission (p. 17). I do not believe that sociocultural factors always have a
major influence but they could be the straw that broke the camel’s back; thus
transforming a tenuous situation into a destructive situation. In Matthew 27, we read the
story of Judas hanging himself after betraying Jesus. After Judas betrayed Jesus, he was
consumed with guilt. He tried to return the money he was paid for his betrayal but it was
refused. He descended in a state of crisis and was desperate. He could not forgive himself
for his betrayal that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. He must have believed only way for
him to regain his honor was through death, and that was socially acceptable at that time.
In those times, suicide was sometimes motivated by shame and honor and the behavior
was not seen so much as self-destructive but as courageous and redeeming (Garrison,
1991. p. 2). This sociocultural perspective is also seen in Acts 16 when the jailer
guarding Paul and Silas woke up and upon seeing the prison doors open drew his sword
to kill himself. This suicide attempt was likely due to his sense of duty and honor as well
as the fear of being killed if prisoners had escaped. I believe the social expectations
weighed on jailer so heavily that he felt suicide was his only option; until Paul
intervened. Paul’s intervention not only saved the jailer’s life but also caused the jailer to
give his life to Christ.
So when we look at the factors contributing to youth suicide we must look at
society and the social perspectives, expectations and judgments that exist. Rahmandar
and Biro (2017) discuss the connection between self-worth, resilience and suicide risk in
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youth during puberty (p. 302). King, Viodourek, Wagner and Merianos (2012) discuss
the risk factors of lack of connectedness and disruptive events that undermine the
positive social and emotional connections that are essential. These risk factors tie to
sociocultural issues. Society inundates the youth with images of what they should
physically look like, acceptable apparel, personalities and behaviors. When youth do not
fit into the expectation it sets them up to be ostracized. Gender inequities and sexism is
another issue that has an enormous affect on females. Many females have not only
experienced sexual harassment, abuse or rape but also exposed and victimized again by
those who do not want to face the sexual crime epidemic that has been plaguing society.
Though society has progressed in this area, homosexuality is still taboo and socially
undesirable so that many youth who are struggling in this area feel isolated and outcast.
When an adolescent is experiencing a crisis, it is exacerbated most times by one of the
aforementioned or other sociocultural perspectives which leaves the young person feeling
alone, disconnected, hopeless, and even attacked (cyber bullying has been a major
factor). The mother of Amanda Todd, a teen who killed herself after years of online
harassment, sexual exploitation, and blackmail, called it ‘character defamation and social
assassination’ Rahmandar and Biro (2017, p. 127). Sociocultural factors have a strong
influence on people and it is essential that we understand how this contributes to and
increases risk factors among adolescents so we can implement interventions to counter
their effect and save a life.
Conclusion
Suicide has existed for a long time and the statistics continue to increase
despite the awareness education campaigns and outreach efforts. When people are
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in crisis it is essential to listen to their words, actions, behavior and body language
so that we can accurately assess them. We must be careful not to disregard what we
may judge as low lethality suicide attempts, non-suicidal self-harm and threats of
self-harm and suicide. Christ came so that we might have abundant life (John
10:10). So as we live, work and minister we must keep in mind that as we follow
Christ, we are living to help others live an abundant life in Christ. Many people are
still misinformed and do not know myth from fact with regards to suicide. We owe
it to one another to understand suicide, risk factors, sociocultural influences, so as
we care, counsel and minister we do so from a place of knowledge, wisdom,
understanding and compassion.
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References
Bryan, C., Butner, J., Sinclair, S., Bryan, A. Hesse, C., & Rose, A. 2018. Predictors of
Emerging Suicide Death Among Military Personnel on Social Media Networks.
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 48 (4). 413-430.
Garrison, E. (1991). Attitudes towards Suicide in Ancient Greece. Transactions of the
American Philological Association. 121: 1–34. doi:10.2307/28444
Hoff, L. A., Hallisey, B. J., & Hoff, M. (2009). People in crisis: clinical and diversity
perspectives. New York: Routledge.
Ingaki, M., Kawashima, Y., Yonemoto, N., & Yamada, M. 2019. Active contact and
follow-up interventions to prevent repeat suicide attempts during high-risk
periods among patients admitted to emergency departments for suicidal
behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 19 (44), 1-11.
King, K., Vidourek, R., Wagner, D., & Merianos, A. (2012). Preventing Youth Suicide:
The Importance of Detecting Risk Factors and Warning Signs. Journal of
Experimental Psychotherapy. 15 (4), 34-37.
Ougrin, D. 2012. Commentary: Self-harm in adolescents: the best predictor of death by
suicide?, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 53 (12), 1220-1221.
Rahmandar, M., & Biro, F. (2017). Suicide, puberty, and a changing body. International
Journal of Child Health and Human Development. 10 (4), 299-304.
Webb, T. (2007). Suicide: Coping with the Aftermath. [Video Presentation]. AACC:
Liberty University Online
White, J., & Kral, M. (2014). Re-Thinking Youth Suicide: Languages, Culture, and
Power. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology. 6 (1), 122-
142.
