Something shook me to the deepest core of my blood cells today. It was the tragic news of a loved one passing away in the prime of her life. Later I found out that it was a suicidal death. Nothing had prepared me for this. A beautiful, young and bright student; my brain was going numb pondering as to what might have compelled her to take this drastic step. In hindsight, it doesn't really matter what made her take the final plunge, what matters is that a momentary lapse of self-confidence and a surge of depression has created a collossal loss in the lives of her family members and friends. I have made the decision to devote my time towards the research and prevention of suicide.
Initial Research:
Suicide (from
Latin sui caedere, to
kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending one's own
life; it is sometimes a noun for one who has committed or attempted the act.
Suicide is viewed in varying ways among the cultures, religions, legal and social systems of the world. It is considered a
sin or immoral act in many
religions, and a
crime in some
jurisdictions. On the other hand, some
cultures have viewed it as an
honorable way to exit certain
shameful or hopeless situations. Persons attempting or dying by suicide sometimes leave a
suicide note.
Many suicidal people attempt suicide which does not end in death, this is called an "Attempted Suicide" or "Parasuicide". Generally, those with a history of such attempts are almost 23 times more likely to eventually end their own lives than those without. Sometimes, a person will make it look like he tried to commit suicide, without actually succeeding (as a cry for help from those he hopes care). This is called a "suicidal gesture". It can be done either by a non-lethal, non-damaging method that still leaves clear signs of the attempt, or by counting on somebody to be back in time to rescue the apparently suicidal person. On the other hand, a person who genuinely wishes to die may fail, due to lack of knowledge about what he is doing, unwillingness to try methods that may end in permanent damage if he fails, or an unexpected rescue, among other reasons. This is called a "suicidal attempt".
Statistics:
Over the last 60 years the suicide rate worldwide has tripled. Suicide is the 2nd largest cause of death among college students and the 3rd largest cause of death between the age of 15 and 24. More persons die by suicide than by homicide. Data from a survey conducted by the American College Health Association revealed that 9.5% of all students surveyed (16,000) had contemplated suicide while 1.5% had actually attempted suicide.
Psychologists have identified the teenage years as one of the most difficult phases of human life. Teenagers must make key decisions about their future, develop their identities, change schools and meet a new sets of friends, find out about their family's past, et cetera. Many young people have difficulty coping with these stresses with the onset of mood altering
hormones. Growing competition and peer pressure are only rising by the day. This onslaught in rapidly developing countries is even more severe where personal depression and professional success go hand in hand and are a stark reality for the youth.
For instance, out of every three cases of suicide reported every 15 minutes in India, one is committed by a youth in the age group of 15 to 29. A study conducted by the Vellore-based Christian Medical College on teenagers in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, especially in the Vellore region, found that the average suicide rate for women is as high as 148 per 100,000, and 58 per 100,000 for men. Worldwide, this rate is 14.5 per 100,000. Of the 154,000 total number of suicide cases recorded in the whole of India in 2002 some 50,000 came from the four south Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. This statistic is even more alarming than the rising population.
If by chance you are not visiting my website to ponder or think about suicide prevention but are actually thinking about ending your life.........Please Please Please do me a favor and read this first.....It only takes 5 minutes
If you are thinking about suicide......Read this firstMy aim in putting all this information together is two fold:
1. To increase awareness:
Each year thousands of people commit suicide, and 70% of those people tell someone or give warning signs before taking their own life. Stop A Suicide, Today!Knowledge about something gives us the power to fight it. Please read below some articles about how to identify signs of suicidal tendencies. Even if you never feel depressed this information might help you identify the signs of manic depression in someone you love and give you the tools to save them. If you are a student please learn more about the 2nd largest death cause and use the power of knowledge to build awareness and help groups in your school, college, dorm, etc. Please please do not make fun or dishearten someone who is already emotinally pained. Remember that kindness, humility and sympathy are good virtues to possess.
2. To create proactive societies and organizations in all parts of the world for the prevention of suicide
As I suspected my first research efforts have presented minimal resources for suicide prevention and suicide rehabilitation in India and Indian colleges. I hope to garner some interest from fellow Indians to create more awareness and support groups across Indian colleges.
Also on the local front, I would like to volunteer with local bodies in California to use my time and skills for suicide prevention.
It is my belief that society and society alone; consisting of you, me and all global citizens can do something to prevent the rise of this unwieldy death cause that wipes away thousands of young lives each year. Instead of blooming in their prime, a few lovely buds wither away in the wintery night...
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicidehttp://www.nmha.org/suicide/report.pdfhttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/suicide/http://www.nmha.org/suicide/youngPeople.cfmhttp://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2002/july02/htmls/cov_hope.htmlhttp://www.yellowribbon.org/http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/apr/15spec.htmhttp://www.stopasuicide.org/http://www.spanusa.org/http://www.preventsuicidenow.com/http://www.save.org/http://www.hereforlife.org.au/http://www.whitewreath.com/http://www.elca.org/dcs/suicide_prevention.html
