Psychology of suicidal behaviour.

Every year:
 1 100 000 people dies because of suicide
(officially) or 4 000 000 (really)
 300 000 in China
 160 000 in India
 37 000 in USA
 30 000 in Russia
 30 000 in Japan
 16 000 in France
 10 000 in Ukraine
“Sometimes I “No one
feel like I just understands
want to die” me”

“Leave me
alone”

medication,
sharp
“When I am objects,
gone, I want weapons
you to have
this” “I am
worthless”
“You would
be better off
“I’ll try without me”
anything,
I’m not
afraid to die"

“If I died, would you miss me?”

Uncompleted suicide
 19 000 000 people per year
 Non-fatal suicide attempts may lead to
injury and long-term disabilities.
 Rates of completed suicides are higher
in men than in women, with males
three to four times more likely to kill
themselves than females.
 Suicide
Intentional selfmurder with fatal outcome

Common methods include: hanging,

poisoning, and firearms.
 Facts:
Every 40 seconds someone in the
world commits suicide
 Suicides take 2
nd place among other
causes of death for young people
50% of all suicides are committed by
people aged 18-19
50% of people who committed
suicide has at least 1 previous suicidal
attempt
 Types of suicides
 True
 it is usually well-planned event,
whose purpose is to die at any price,
regardless of the opinions and
reactions of relatives, friends and so
on.

 Demonstrative (the so-called

parasuicide or pseudosucide)
 It’s purpose not to die but attract
attention to their problems and
others, "a cry for help“
Risk Factors
 drug and alcohol misuse
 history of trauma or abuse
 unemployment
 social isolation
 poverty
 poor social conditions
 imprisonment
 violence
 family breakdown.
Reasons (problems in one’s
personal life)
 family conflicts, divorce
 bad love;
 Death, illness or loss of a loved one
 Loneliness , the lack of care and attention
from others
 chronic or prolonged stressful situation in the
sphere of interpersonal, often family relations
 failures at work, in their studies
 financial loss
Reasons (cont.)
 bad social experience (eg, loss of a social
group, job loss, career collapse), social
exclusion ;
 obstacles to meeting the urgent needs of
situational ;
 change usual stereotype of life;
 outing (public disclosure of personal
information about sexual orientation or
gender identity of a person against his will
and consent) ;
 severe physical illness or disfiguring defect;
Reasons (cont.)
 Incitement to suicide:
 targeted harassment, slander, threats,
humiliation;
 rape, physical abuse, beatings.
 Satiety of life, tired of life, lack of
purpose and interest in life.
 Religious fanaticism, ritual suicide
(seppuku, sati etc.).
 Ideological (political opposition to the
values ​of society as a whole).
Reasons (cont.)
 Forced suicide (by the verdict of the
court, under threat of painful death, or
violence with close relatives;).
 Fear of punishment (the fear of
condemnation by the family or society
have unmasked criminals fear justice).
 Self-condemnation for improper action.
 Suicide for preservation of honor (e.g.
hara-kiri, seppuku).
Reasons (cont.)
 Imitative suicide (following similar
deaths famous people or fictional
characters,” Werther Effect” (Die Leiden
des jungen Werther by Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe).
 Influence of solitary confinement
(imprisonment) in individual cases.
 Medical illness and suicide
 Chronic pain
 Surgery
 Lack of psychological and palliative care
to patients in the terminal stages ;
 Old people – somatic illnesses
(oncological, cardiovascular, bronchial
asthma)
 Young people – ugliness
 Hereditary factor – 30-50%
Severe mental disorders
More than 90% of suicides and suicide
attempts having been found to be
associated with a psychiatric disorder
 Depression (15% of depressive patients
can commit suicide)
 Bipolar disorder,

 Schizophrenia,

 Borderline personality disorder,

 Alcoholism

 Drug abuse
 4 D’s of suicidal risk in older
adults
 (Clinical) Depression
 Debility, physical weakness
 Disconnectedness

 Deadly means
 Suicide prevention
 Suicide prevention efforts include limiting access
to method of suicide such as firearms and poisons,
treating mental illness and drug misuse, and
improving economic circumstances.
 Although crisis hotlines are common, there is little
evidence for their effectiveness.