Suicide - Myths
by: Jerry Price - Nov 1, 2006 - comments: 1
“An understanding of some of the common myths will help us appreciate what suicide is and is not.
Myth 1: Suicide and attempted suicide are the same class of behavior. Suicide is committed usually by one who wants to die, whereas attempted suicide is carried out usually by one who has some desire to live. Attemp¬ted suicide has been called a cry for help. People who attempt suicide are intent on changing something. Most are hoping to be rescued . . . A few people do not plan their attempts carefully and die not really wanting to.
Myth 2: Suicide is a problem of a specific class of people. Suicide is neither the curse of the rich nor the disease of the poor. It is no respecter of persons in socioeconomic class, race, or age. Teenagers who come from poor families that are constantly moving under stress do commit suicide, but this is a result of isolation and not poverty. There appears to be a slightly higher rate among white males as compared to black males. Males outnumber females in committed suicides, whereas females make many more attempts. At age 15 there are 64 attempts for each girl actually committing suicide. There are less than 6 attempts for each 15-year-old boy who commits suicide. Many of the adolescent attempts are for attention.
Myth 3: People who talk about suicide don’t commit suicide. About 80 percent of those who take their own lives have communicated their intention to someone prior to the act. Any threats or hints about suicide must be taken seriously for most acts are preceded by a warning. Unfortu¬nately, many warnings have gone undetected or have been ignored because no one wanted to believe that the person was serious about his intention. Take it seriously, for this is the distraught person’s cry for help. He feels hopeless and is trusting you with his plea.
Myth 4: Once a person is suicidal, he is suicidal forever. This is not true. Many who have thought of or attempted suicide have discovered the answers to their problems, and they are no longer suicidal.
Myth 5: Suicide is inherited or runs in families. If another family member has committed suicide, this fact could cause a person to be fearful of his own future behavior. Although suicidal tendencies are not inherited, the family environment and examples of others may be influencing factors. It is a learned behavior.
Myth 6: If a person is a Christian, he will not commit suicide. This, unfortunately, is not true. Some have said that if a person commits suicide he is not really a born-again person; a true believer could never become so unhappy that he would think of such an act. But Christians as well as non-Christians experience all kinds of physical and emotional disorders. Because of the many factors that could cause a person to consider suicide, we need to remember that none of us is immune.
Myth 7: Suicide and depression are synonymous. Most people who attempt suicide are experiencing stress, and yet others experience stress without thoughts of suicide. The statement ‘I can’t understand why he did this, he didn’t seem unhappy or depressed’ indicates the belief that suicide occurs only when there is unhappiness or depression. Depression is not a sign of suicidal thoughts. However, whenever a person is depressed we should be on the lookout for any thoughts or indications of the possibility of suicide.
Myth 8: Improvement after a suicidal crisis means that the risk of suicide is over. Studies by the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center indicate that almost half the persons who were in a suicidal crisis and later actually committed suicide did so within three months of having passed through their first crisis. The period of time immediately following a suicidal crisis appears to be critical. If a person immediately states that his problems are solved and seems overly happy, we ought to be wary and concerned.”
H. Norman Wright, Crisis Counseling (San Bernardino: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1985), 100-101.
Another list of suicide myths:
- People who talk about suicide don’t commit suicide.
- Suicides usually happen without warning.
- Suicidal people can’t be talked out of it if they are really intent on dying.
- An individual’s improvement following a suicidal crisis means the suicide risk is over.
- Suicide strikes more often among the rich,
- Suicide is hereditary; it runs in families.
- Someone who commits suicide is mentally ill.
- Only certain people are the suicidal type.
- The most suicides are committed by older people with just a few years to live.
- Women threaten suicide, but men carry it out.
- Talking about suicide causes suicide by planting the idea in a person’s head.
Remember! These are MYTHS. They are not true.
Jerry Johnston, Why Suicide? (Nashville: Oliver Nelson, 1987), 134-139.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Life, Suicide
1 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Aug 9th, 2007, at 4:29pm, beverly wrote:
what is the christian view of suicide. is it a ticket straight to hell/ what is a non denominational view