SUICIDE

IFFAH HAMIZAH IERIEN BATRISYIA

(D20231106788) (D20231106840)
Today, we will learn about…
Suicidal Behaviour
Historical Background
Extent of Suicide
Types of Suicide
Sociological Theories of Suicide
Social Meanings of Suicide
Preventing Suicide
Physician-Assisted Suicide
Summary
WHAT IS SUICIDE ?
Suicide is death caused by injuring
oneself with the intent to die. A
suicide attempt is when someone
harms themselves with any intent to
end their life, but they do not die as
a result of their actions.
Suicide Behavior
Suicide Statistics
• The World Health Organization estimates 815,000
suicides annually, but the true number may be around 1.2
million due to underreporting.
• In the United States, suicide ranks eleventh on the list of
causes of death and is the third leading cause of death for
persons 15 to 24 years of age.

Definition and Significance of Suicide

• Suicide is the deliberate destruction of one's own life,
resulting from deliberate acts or from the individual's
choice not to avoid a threat to life.
• Durkheim's definition includes acts of public altruism
performed by religious martyrs.
Ambiguity in Suicide Terms
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 20- to 24-year-olds.
• More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from all medical
illnesses combined.
• One in 12 U.S. college students make a suicide plan.
• Clinical depression often first appears in adolescence.
• Most young adults diagnosed with depression do not receive appropriate or
any treatment at all.

Indirect Suicides
• Death caused indirectly by actions without immediate lethal consequences
may also amount to suicide.
• Some observers argue for a conception of suicide that includes both
relatively quick acts and self-destruction that takes place over long periods of
time.
• More than a quarter of all suicides end personal histories of heavy alcohol
use or follow intensive drinking bouts.
 Historical Background
• Western European societies, including the US and Canada, generally condemn suicide
strongly, but this attitude does not always apply.
• Islamic countries, including India, have not always disapproved of suicide, with suttee, or
suicide by a widow, still common in India.
• Chinese society used suicide as a tool for revenge against enemies, exposing them to
embarrassment and allowing the dead person to haunt them from the spirit world.
• Buddhist countries honor voluntary death, but devout Buddhists acknowledge neither birth nor
death.
• Japan has a high suicide rate, with hara-kiri, a ceremonial form of suicide, developed over
1,000 years ago.
• Western European attitudes towards suicide originated from the principles of the Jewish and
Christian religions.
• Early Christians sanctioned suicide connected with martyrdom or to protect virginity, but this
attitude shifted to disapproval of self-destruction for any reason.
• In the Middle Ages, Christian church leaders strengthened their denunciation of suicide, with
Augustine stating that no argument could justify suicide, as it precludes any possibility of
repentance.
Public Attitudes Towards Suicide

• Suicide generally condemned but severity varies.

• Increased tolerance over time, but perception of
suicide as wrongful.
• Viewed as a result of psychological disturbance or
mental disorder.
• Social sanctions extend to self-destruction,
endangering others, or rescuers.
• No European country legally prohibits suicide, but
England had a law from 1854 to 1961.
• Acceptance varies based on religious background
and education.
 Attempted Suicide
• Suicide attempts often occur in settings that allow
intervention, indicating they are not serious attempts.
• A study compared 5,906 attempted suicides in Los
Angeles with 768 successful suicides, identifying a typical
suicide attempter as a native-born, white female in her
twenties or thirties.
• Successful suicides are typically committed by a married,
native-born, white male in his forties or older.
• Women attempt suicide more frequently than men, with
young females more likely.
• Reasons for attempting suicide vary by race, with young
black females often responding to loss of love
relationships.
• Attempters often view themselves as too weak to cope
with life's difficulties and dissatisfaction with social
integration.
 Variations in Suicide by Country
SWEDEN AND NORWAY AUSTRALIA
Residents of Sweden commit suicide at Although the country’s overall annual suicide rate
relatively high rates compared with those of its has remained within a relatively constant range of
neighbour, Norway. between 12 and 14 per 100,000 population, suicide
is the second most common cause of death among
young Australian males.
one explanation for differences
among Scandinavian countries cites
differences in child-rearing patterns. In 1991, suicides
some have claimed that a Norwegian exceeded motor
child’s upbringing stresses open- vehicle accident
expressions of emotions and deaths in this
aggressive feelings, preventing
population or the first
him/her from carrying pent-up
time in 50 years.
hostility into later life.
CHINA
Suicide is once an accepted practice
in China, as explained earlier, suicide
is now discouraged by strong
attitudes there.
Estimates indicate a varying
suicide rate between 8 and 12
per 100,000 population in
urban areas and from 20 to 30
per 100,000 in rural areas.
The country’s highest suicide
rates prevail among the young
and elderly people.
ESTONIA
From the beginning of this century, the
suicide rate in Estonia has fluctuated in
conspicuous coordination with social-
political pressure and disturbance.
Low annual rates held during the
social democratic movement of
1905 and during most of the period
of Soviet occupation.
Rates dropped between the two
World Wars of the 20th century and
increased again between 1947 and
1953 as political pressure on
Estonians increased under Soviet
rule.
FINLAND
The Finnish suicide rate ranks
among the highest in the world, as it
has for some time
The relatively study rate
throughout the 1990s
marks increases among
young people, especially
young men, like those
experienced in many
countries.
HUNGARY
The suicide rate in Hungary has led the world for
the past 100 years but that dubious honor now
appears to belong to some of the former Soviet
republics.
The highest ever recorded, 46 per 100,000
population. Occured in 1985, followed by a slight
decline in recent years.
The highest rates occur
among the elderly
population, who develop
the weakest social
support networks.
FORMER SOVIET UNION
UNITED STATES
REPUBLICS The U.S. suicide rate has stabilized
Some of former republics of the Soviet
between 11 and 13 per 100,000
Union have very high suicide rates,
population over the past several years.
perhaps the highest in the world.

As the other countries, Elderly people kill

males have higher themselves at the
rates than females, highest rate, but the
and aging males the rate of young people
highest rates raises concern.
Social Differentials in Suicide Rates
1 Gender Differentials 5 Marital Status

2 Age 6 Religion

Occupation and
3 Race 7
Social Status

4 Urban/Rural Differences
GENDER DIFFERENTIALS AGE
There is a relationship between
Suicide occurs more commonly
suicide and age gender.
among men.
Generally, the higher the age, the
In fact, men’s rates generally
higher the suicide rate.
average three to four times higher
than women’s.
Among older people, the gap
between men’s and women’s rates
widens even further, while it shrinks
among adolescents.
But women in Asia commit suicide
more often than men in Western
Europe and America.

RACE
Previous research on the
distribution of suicide by race has
concluded that whites kill
themselves at substantially higher
rates than that occur among
African Americans.
Taken together white males and
white females in the United States
accounted for 90 percent of all
suicides.
URBAN/RURAL
DIFFERENCES
There are many disparities in suicide
rates between urban and rural areas.
In 1997, for example, the borough of
Manhattan in New York City had
1372 recorded suicides, a number
three times that of the entire state
of Nevada, which had 411.
The reasons for these differences
are unclear but may be related to
the greater social isolation.
MARITAL STATUS
Married people commit
suicide at lower rates than
single, divorced or
widowed people.
In particular, married people
post lower suicide rates
than single people in all age
groups.
Marriage shows an
association with low suicide
rates.
RELIGION
Suicide rates vary greatly among the main
religious groups in Western civilizations.
In general, both in Europe and United
States, suicide rates of Catholics fall
below those of Protestants, although this
differential has diminished.
In the past, the Jewish rate has typically
remained lower than the Catholic rate,
except during periods when persecutions
have made life particularly difficult or
hopeless for Jesus leading to wave of
suicide.
OCCUPATION AND SOCIAL STATUS
In his classic study of suicide, Durkheim (1951:257) found links
between occupational status and suicide, which occurs
unusually frequently among people in the upper ranks of
various occupations as well as in positions of high status.
Most research since that time, however, has strongly
associated suicide with membership in the lower social
classes.
In fact, the least-educated group had twice the suicide rate of
the most-educated group. Studies in other countries have
confirmed this relationship.
 Types of Suicide
ALTRUISTIC SUICIDE happen when
there is
EGOISTIC SUICIDE this type of
person has a low
social interaction
When social group involvement is pressure from Stemming from the absence of with others and
society and it social integration. It is committed
too high, expectation from a is supported
the commit
group is being met at a very high by the
by individuals who are social suicide for
outcast and see themselves as individualistic
level such as a sacrifice for a cult opinions of the reason
or religion. public. being alone or an outsider.

ANOMIC SUICIDE stems for FATALISTIC SUICIDE a person

decides to take
sudden ad
Relates to a low degree of unexpected Occurs when individuals are kept their own life
regulation and this kind of suicide changes in under tight regulation. These because they
is carried out durig periods of situations like individuals are placed under extreme cannot handle
an extreme the rules and
considerable stress and financial loss.
rules or high expectations are set regulations.
frustration. upon them
 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF SUICIDE

• Durkheim's theory suggests higher social

integration leads to lower suicide rates.
• Suicidal behavior is inversely related to
social stability and institutional integration.
• Critics argue lack of rigorous criteria for
measuring social integration.
• Maris (1969) modified Durkheim's theory,
suggesting inverse relationship between
suicide and social constraint.
• Modernization and religious teachings may
alter suicide influence.
Durkheim's Theory on Social Integration and Suicide
• Durkheim's theory suggests a society's suicide
Social and Religious Integration incidence is inversely related to its level of status
integration.
• Conflicting attributions of status can hinder social
integration and contribute to high suicide rates.
• Stable status relationships can prevent role conflict
and help individuals conform to expectations.
• Limited empirical support in studies of white women,
but changes in status roles over time.
PROBLEM-SOLUTION
• Occupational status and marital status play more
significant roles for males.

Social Integration
• Henry and Short's theory links suicides and homicides due
to varying aggression responses.
• Suicides are self-directed, while homicides target others.
• Evidence supports lower suicide rates among married
individuals due to strong relational systems.
• Suicide rates vary in rural and inner-city areas, and
increase for older age groups with diminishing social
relationships.
• Henry and Short's theory assumes higher suicide rates for
high-status individuals.
• Women are assumed to commit murder more frequently • Stack (1982) suggests integration as a local
than men.
phenomenon.
Status Frustration • High migration rates correlate with high suicide rates,
indicating poor integration.
• Female suicide rate closely linked to ties to local
communities.
• Males often move to established jobs, often with their
husbands.
• Work relationships may offset loss of personal
relationships, while females often move away from
PROBLEM-SOLUTION
familiar situations.

Community Migration and

Individual Integration
• Suicide can be learned as a behavior, offering an
alternative to hopeless situations.
• Learning norms and values accepting suicide can be
influenced by group benefit or personal reasons.
• Two learning paths to suicide: learning to behave
suicidally, reaching the point of suicide, or learning about
and developing readiness for suicide.
• Suicide attempts can be seen as a form of
communication, especially among children and
adolescents.
• Publicized suicide cases contribute to socialization in
suicide. • Modern society views death as an alternative to life
Socialization for Suicide problems.
• Negative life changes like job disruptions, family
conflicts, and economic stress can lead to
unhappiness.
• The suicide process involves unsuccessful search for
alternatives, culminating in death.
• Ringel identified three components of a predictable
suicide syndrome: constricting alternatives, aggressive
self-blame, and indulgence in suicidal fantasies.
PROBLEM-SOLUTION
• Social isolation is common in suicidal situations.

The Suicide Process

 SOCIAL MEANING OF SUICIDE
• Suicide is a social process reflecting significant social meanings
and antecedents.
• People can learn suicidal behavior and associate it with social
rewards.
• Suicides often use communication opportunities to gain significant
advantage.
• Studies show helpful reactions from others during attempted
suicide. 2
• These reactions are often obtained under threat of suicide.
• Recognition of voluntary self-destruction as deviant conduct
ensures a reaction of confronting the problems driving the individual
to attempt or commit suicide.
Preventing Suicide
Prevention Centers
(1) Suicide Prevention Centers
(2) Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Centers
1.Suicide Prevention Centers
Suicide prevention centers work to prevent suicides
by offering counselling and other assistance
Staff members at suicide prevention centers carry out
much of their initial contact with clients by telephone
Suicide prevention centers practice crisis intervention;
they offer services geared toward clients immediate
needs rather than long-term ones, which may require
intensive counselling and advice.
Centers offer these short-term services 24 hours a
day, usually in the form of telephone counselling
directed at immediate situations.
2.Effectiveness of Suicide
Some studies have associated such
agencies with declines with declines in
the suicide rates of the areas they
serve, while other studies have
reported no change.
Other research has reinforced claims
for the effectiveness of programs to
improve interpersonal and coping
skills.
Although no one can say whether
intervention could have prevented the
suicides, better skills for handling
these particular stressful life events
may have helped them to identify and
pursue other alternative.
Summary
In recent decades, suicide has emerged
as a major public health problem,
especially among teenagers and young
adults.
Statistics on suicidal behaviour show that
the number of persons making non-fatal
suicide attempts may be at least 15 times
higher than the number of suicides.
For every person who commits or
attempts suicide, about 20 other people
are emotionally affected.
Suicide prevention remains a challenging
and complex task, which requires
consistent, sustained and collaborative
approaches across all levels of
government and the community.