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Suicide Myths

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Suicide Myths

In most communities, suicide is a controversial topic that elicits varied reactions from

different people. Numerous myths surround this topic, particularly the belief that suicide only

affects people with underlying mental disorders. However, several factors, such as job loss or

business, are precursors for suicidal thoughts. Another myth is that people who commit

suicide are selfish and self-centered. It is a common perception that an individual must seek

help instead of committing suicide. However, this is a false belief since people see the act as

a way of ending suffering. Therefore, any form of pain and suffering could instigate suicide.

It is also widely perceived that suicide is a taboo topic that people should avoid discussing.

The assumption is that once the community embers begin talking about it, the talk will

exacerbate cases of people taking their lives. 

I thought that once an individual is suicidal, they or will eventually take their life. My

belief was that suicide is an individual’s fate, and one could never escape the wrath of the act

once it inflicts an individual’s mind. I used to hear that suicidal thoughts have no warning

signs and, therefore, a person can commit suicide when people barely expect such as

occurrence. I also believed that people with suicidal thoughts just wanted to die, which was a

skewed and unfair way of judging this category of individuals. 

After reading the text, I concluded that suicide is a psychological problem and is not

attributed to cultural dimensions. A suicidal individual is mentally ill and requires medical

attention. Instead of condemning such people, society should view suicide as a preventable

health problem. I have learned that, just like other illnesses, an individual always posits

signals before attempting suicide (Arendt et al., 2017). Some signs include a person

postulating that they will end their lives, buying a gun or pills, being preoccupied with death,

being hopeless, overindulging in drug and substance abuse, and driving carelessly. Correctly
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diagnosing such signs and symptoms helps treat people with suicidal thoughts. This

information considerably altered my once false perceptions about suicide. 

Response posts 

Dear Malarie 

In every community, people possess preconceived thoughts about various subjects,

including death and suicide. In most cases, people assign negative connotations to the issue of

suicide. Whenever a person dies by suicide, that individual is reprimanded by the community

members. You provide a practical example of a relative who died by suicide, demonstrating

that suicide can affect anyone. Further, including an in-text citation reveals that you have read

widely on the topic, and these are not just mere opinions. Overall, the post is conclusive and

easy to follow. 

Dear Jayla, 

Unfortunately, most communities believe that people with suicidal thoughts are

attention seekers and selfish. Instead, society must adjust its views about the subject matter

and address it seriously. Such judgemental and preconceived ideas are detrimental since more

people will continue to succumb to the suicide menace. It is unfortunate if we view suicide as

a laughing matter and unnecessary drama. The community needs to create awareness of this

issue and sensitize the masses on treating suicide as an illness. You can make your post more

credible by citing outside sources. The post is, however, a great piece that gives a clear

account of your perception of suicide, which is becoming a major social problem. 

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References

Arendt, F., Scherr, S., Niederkrotenthaler, T., Krallmann, S., & Till, B. (2017). Effects of

awareness material on suicide-related knowledge and the intention to provide

adequate help to suicidal individuals. Crisis.