Many efforts have been made to understand suicidal behavior. However, the causes of suicidal behavior are not fully understood. Theories of suicide shed light on this complexity and allow an overarching framework to understand how protective and predictive factors relate to suicidal behaviors. In addition to the broad view that theories afford, researchers attempt to identify variables that are associated with an increased probability of suicidal behaviors which are known as risk factors. Even though the diverse array of factors linked with suicidal behaviors have been identified in the extant research literature, they mostly do not account for why people try to end their lives (O’Connor & Nock, 2014). Consider a prominent example, …show more content…
Personal history, more precisely a previous suicide attempt, is the strongest risk factor for subsequent suicide death (AFSP, 2015; Biddle et al., 2012; De Leo, Draper, Snowdon, & Kõlves, 2013; WHO, 2014). Due to practicalities limit, it is impossible to include all robust variables associated with suicidal behavior. Consequently, this section only includes those risk factors shown to be associated with increased risk for lethal suicidal behavior, as this is the primary outcome of this study. Table 1 lists these risk factors and the nature of studies included in this section. This section will present a review of age, gender, race and ethnicity, prior suicidal behaviors, mental illness, physical illness, and alcohol use. Noted that this is not an exhaustive list of risk factors, however, these risk factors are the most empirical support factors for suicide. Since in most cases it is a combination of factors that leads to the choice of suicide, it will be artificial to deal with these factors in isolation. Hence, the interrelationship between various factors will be discussed in this section.
Age. There are a considerable disparities in rates and risks of suicide by age. The WHO (2014) reports the highest rate of suicide is found in men and women aged 70 years or over. In some countries, the highest rate of suicide is found in individuals between the ages of 15 and 29 years old. Interestingly,
A study done by Dr. Beautrais shows that suicide ideation and behaviors rarely happen before puberty, it is during the height of puberty and forward that increase these ideations and behaviors. The most crucial age range for suicide attempts are between 18 and 24 (Beautrais, 2003).
Suicide is a severe community health matter which can have lifelong negative consequences on individuals, families, and the society. Reduce suicidal risk factors and increase protective measures are the main objective of suicide prevention. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined suicide as the “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior; suicide attempt is “A non-fatal, self-directed, potentially injurious behavior with an intent to die as a result of the behavior; might not result in injury’; and suicidal ideation is “thinking about, considering, or planning suicide” (2015).
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a fact sheet of statistics on suicide in the United States. In 2007, it is reported that suicide was the tenth leading cause of death. Furthermore, for every suicide committed, eleven were attempted. A total of 34,598 deaths occurred from suicide with an overall rate of 11.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. (NIMH, 2010). Risk factors were also noted on this report and listed “depression and other mental disorders, or a substance abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than ninety percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors (NIMH, 2010).”
Over the past decade suicide rates have been either stagnant or have been decreasing over all of the demographics of people. One demographic of people's suicide rate, on the other hand, has risen at a substantial rate. Scientists and researchers have just started studying this trend and have yet to draw one specific reason on why middle aged white males suicide rates are climbing. The suicide rate for this demographic of people has just surpassed the deaths by automobile accidents. This recent epidemic has got many researchers and scientists asking the question of “why?”.
According to Fowler, Crosby, Parks, and Ivey (2013), suicide and nonfatal suicidal ideations are significant public health concerns for adolescents and young adults. While the onset of suicidal behaviors is observed as young as six years of age, rates of death and nonfatal injury resulting from suicidal behavior are moderately low until 15 years of age (Fowler et al., 2013). According to Fowler et al (2013), the most current available statistics in the United States (U. S.) reported suicide as the third leading cause of death among youth aged 10-14 and 15-19 years, and it was the second leading cause of death among persons aged 20-24 years.
There is at least 113 suicides each day or 1 every 13 minutes. Suicide among males is the seventh leading cause of death and the fourteenth leading cause in females. Most suicides are with a firearm and are carried out with a “ Saturday night special”. (Dilaura,Cynthia DiLaura) “More than 90 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal. “ (Brady Campaign) There are a number of reasons why suicide occurs. Stress is the number one cause among our youth, bullies, peer pressure, depression, and abuse. 41,100 people committed suicide in the United States in 2013. Our young teens today does not take time to look deeper into there problem and to seek out a better solution. They are looking for a quick fix but not realizing once the trigger is pulled the result is final with no turning back. Most people who has attempted suicide is more likely to try a second attempt and most have an underlying mental illness. There is many warming that someone may be in a suicide crisis. We most learn how to see things through their eyes. No matter what one is facing in life or the difficult that lie ahead of them Nothing is worth taken your own
The Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire taps into lifetime’s suicide ideation and/or suicide attempt, assess the frequency of suicidal ideations over the past twelve months, assess the threat of suicide attempt, and evaluate self-reported likelihood of suicidal behavior in the future (Osman, Bagg, Gutierrez,
Every suicide effects more than the individual’s life, in truth it impacts families, communities and economic well-being of our nation. According, Piscopo, Lipari, Cooney, and Glasheen, (2016) “Suicide is an important public health problem in the United States and a tragedy for all involved—families, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and communities. In 2014, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States overall.1 Among people aged 10 to 34, suicide was the second highest cause of death, and for those aged 35 to 54, it was the fourth highest cause of death” (p. 2).
Suicide rate is a grow problem in the United States according to the American foundation for suicide prevention more than 41,149 suicides were reported in 2013. The highest rate of suicides is committed by adults between age 45-64 and this is especially true amongst the elderly. Older adults are inflected with a terminal disease, loneness and depression and because of this they are committing suicide at a higher rate. Suicide amongst the men is steadily higher than women, in 2013, 77.9% were male and 22.1% were female. Men success rate for suicide is much higher, because their attempt is more lethal, for example, men are more than likely to shot themselves, whereas women are more likely to use poisons to end their life. Suicide Rate committed race/ethnicity was higher among Whites 14.2%, American Indians and Alaska Natives 11.7%, Asians and Pacific Islanders 5.8%, Blacks 5.4% and Hispanics 5.7%. According to the mean method used to commit suicide is a firearm, then suffocation and poisoning. The main cause of suicide is due to mental health condition and depression is at the foremost leading factor.
The article specifically identifies the person who collects the data as “a doctoral level clinical psychology graduate student,” and is qualified and trained to work in the field (DeJong et al, 2010). Researchers use various instruments to collect specific information about suicide attempters and suicidal completers such as Suicidal checklists and Risk-rescue rating scale. Suicidal checklists gather information regarding patient’s “suicidal behaviors, life stressors, and historical variables” (DeJong et al, 2010). Risk-rescue rating scale is also used to rate the lethality of suicide attempters. With the result from Risk-rescue rating scale, the researchers classify the suicidal attempters into two groups: low-lethality and high lethality (DeJong et al, 2010). Even though the instruments are identified in the method section, researchers do not thoroughly describe the instruments. It would be appropriate to further discuss the type of scale, the outcome of scores, and the meaning of scores in
The Center for Disease Control is responsible for keeping track and providing facts and figures for suicide. They describe suicide as a serious problem and a leading cause of death in the United States. It is in fact the 10th leading cause of death across all age groups. In 2013, an estimated 41,149 people successfully committed suicide (Understanding). In contrast, 494,169 attempted to harm or kill themselves but failed (Understanding). Many more people are thought to have tried and not sought out help, leaving them an unknown factor in the equation. All in all, suicide and its attempt are responsible 6.1 billion dollars in medical and work loss costs in the United States annually (Understanding).
Profile of the Participants in the Study with Reference to the Four Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) Categories
Suicide rates within the United States continue to rise at a steady rate. Within the past several years, the suicide rate has steadily increased to 12.6 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, which comes to more than 41,000 deaths per year (Bower, 2016). Fleischmann et al. (2016) found that despite preconceptions, suicide occurs in approximately 75% of lower to middle class countries. Worldwide, around 50% of suicides account for violent death in men and 71% in women (Fleischmann, et al., 2016).
Suicide is a main source of death around the world and ranks among the three main causes of death among young adults aged between 15-45 years. Indeed, a response to this continuous worldwide issue, the World Health Organization called for the prevention of suicide (WHO, 2015). Several studies have evaluated some of the contributing factors, however, the connection between suicide and the evaluated factors is conclusively positive or negative.
Suicide is currently the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury, 2017). On average, 121 Americans complete suicide each day (CDC Fatal Injuries Report 2015, 2015). The American people are living longer with advances to medical care and technology, yet suicide rates continue to rise. According to the CDC, suicide rates have increased by 24% from the year 1999 to 2014 (Curtain, Warner & Hedegaard, 2016). Consequently, the suicide epidemic continues to grow with no clear path to prevention. This literature review was conducted using the Robert Morris University Library online databases. Databases accessed include PubMed…………., from the years 2000 to 2017. Overall, most the articles obtained are