Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States, far more prevalent than homicide, which ranks 15th on the list. Knowing the risk factors for suicide can help you understand how to reach out to someone who may not know how to ask for help themselves.
Age
Those who are at the highest risk for suicide are the very old and the very young. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24. The group at highest risk for suicide in the United States is elderly Caucasian men, 80 years and older. There are recorded cases of suicide attempts for children as young as seven years old.
Mental Illness
The large majority of people who complete suicide also carry a diagnosis of an Axis I mental illness such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or a combination. Examining this phenomena is important because it means that many of those people who commit suicide may have been able to find help through counseling, medication or other developing mental health treatments. There is a great deal of fear and stigma surrounding mood disorders which likely contributes to people avoiding seeking the help that they need.
Substance Abuse
People who abuse drugs or alcohol are also at a higher risk for suicide. Drugs and alcohol lower a person’s inhibitions and sometimes allows them to take risks that they normally wouldn’t. Many clinicians refer to substance abuse as a form of “self-medication” for individuals who are trying to treat their painful psychological symptoms in a socially acceptable manner. Unfortunately, drug and alcohol use can exacerbate the very symptoms they were trying to treat. Substance abuse is also a risk factor for suicide because using drugs or alcohol can lower a person’s inhibitions and allow them to take risks that they normally wouldn’t have. A suicidal thought while sober can easily turn into a suicide attempt when someone is intoxicated.
Children who have parents that complete suicide are far more likely to die by suicide themselves. This was highlighted with the recent death of Someone Hughes, the son of the chronically suicidal Pulitzer Prize winning poet Sylvia Plath took his own life in early 2009. When a parent commits suicide, the idea of suicide as a viable option for coping with life’s stressors becomes embedded in the psyche of the child’s mind. Because part of our psyche always tries to identify what are parents approve and disapprove of, people who lose parents to suicide will often register that their own suicide is something that their parent would have considered “acceptable.”
Owning a Firearm
Over half of the suicides completed in 2006 involved a firearm. Having a gun in the house significantly increases the risk of suicide for the people that live there. Gun ownership is also one of the leading risk factors for suicide because it is the most effective method of suicide. It is estimated that for every person that completes a suicide, there are 25 other suicide attempts. Attempting with a firearm is a lot more likely to end in suicide than using a method like overdose or slitting wrists. Men are much more likely to use shooting or hanging as their preferred method of suicide where women are more likely to attempt in ways like overdosing on medication or cutting their wrists. Shooting and hanging are much more lethal methods, which is why the completed suicide rate for men is significantly higher than it is for women.
The more times a person attempts suicide, the more likely they are to successfully complete it. Suicide is actually fairly difficult to complete, so having prior attempts gives the suicidal person a chance to learn from their “mistakes”. And find a more effective method the next time.
How to Help:
There is help available for people considering suicide or are concerned that someone else in their life might be. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has trained counselors available 24 hours a day at: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433).
Sources:
American Association of Suicidology:
suicidology.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
suicidepreventionlifeline.org
