Suicidology: what it is, characteristics and objectives of this science

Although the problem of suicide in our society has always been considered a taboo subject, it is increasingly being treated with greater transparency.

In fact, today all the factors that influence this behavior are studied in depth, and it is done through suicide. Next we will see in detail what this field of knowledge consists of.

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What is suicide

Suicidology is the science that studies all those suicidal behaviors, but it does not stop there, but tries to develop a series of guidelines to prevent them. It achieves these objectives by drawing on two great branches of science, which are Psychology and Sociology.

Suicidology does not focus solely on suicide, but is also in charge of studying other self-injurious behaviors that do not necessarily have to lead to death, and also to suicidal ideation and parasuicides.

Suicidology in Spain

In Spain this discipline is championed by the Spanish Society of Suicidology, born in 2015

. Its objective is to bring together all groups of health professionals and other fields that in one way or another may be related to potentially suicidal people, to establish and comply with a series of guidelines whose objective is to reduce the prevalence of this phenomenon.

Likewise, they try to make the problem of suicide visible, since it has traditionally been omitted from most of the media. communication and even within society itself, a fact which, they claim, makes it much more difficult to approach the problem in a effective.

The Spanish Society of Suicidology annually organizes congresses and conferences dedicated to putting experts in suicidal behavior in contact and thus achieve to improve the protocols for the prevention of these acts.

What do we understand by suicide?

It is known as suicide by act of an individual that involves voluntarily taking his or her life. It can be done through a multitude of ways, but the most frequent are hanging, the use of poisons and the use of firearms.

There are risk factors that make a person more prone to commit suicide. For example, some mental disorders, receiving harassment of some kind, unsurpassed grief, loss of employment, alcoholism and consumption of other substances, among others.

Suicidal behavior in history

This phenomenon has occurred throughout the history of humanity, but the perception towards it has not always been the same. In ancient Greece, suicide could even be welcomed if it was done as a way to avoid dishonor. In Rome it was initially legal, but later it was prohibited, for a purely economic reason (The death of the slaves generated losses for them).

But what marked its stigma in Western society was the arrival of the Church, which happened to consider it a sin, since the sixth commandment, "you shall not kill," also implied not killing oneself oneself.

However, with the Renaissance another turn was experienced in the perception of suicide, defending it in a certain way. And already with the Enlightenment, authors such as David Hume enacted that by not affecting anyone other than the individual himself, and in a certain way being for his benefit, suicide could not be a crime.

In the 19th century, the focus of the religious question definitely shifted to mental health of the suicidal individual, going from talking about sin to talking about insanity. Finally, in the middle of the 20th century, suicide ceased to appear in the criminal codes of many of the European countries.

epidemiology

The figures surrounding this phenomenon, globally, are devastating. Approximately one million people in the world decide to kill themselves, and in fact they do. This is a voluntary intentional death every 2 minutes.

The epidemiology of suicide in Spain shows us that every year about 3,500 citizens take their own lives, the vast majority being men (3 men for every woman). Regarding age, the highest suicide rates are observed in men between 40 and 59 years old. It should be noted the concern about the increase in data experienced in 2019, almost 10% more than the previous year.

Suicidal ideation

Generally, before reaching the act of suicide, a series of self-destructive thoughts pass through the individual's mind. These ideas can occur in a wide spectrum, from the mere imagination of "what if ...", until the elaboration of a detailed plan that inexorably ends in the deprivation of one's own lifetime.

There is talk of a series of phases during suicidal ideations:

• Ideative: includes the first musings about the idea of ​​taking one's own life.
• Fight: these ideas gain strength, and generate anxiety to the individual, who doubts about the decision to make.
• Relaxation: after deciding to commit suicide, the person stops feeling that anguish.

But, faced with this phase system, also suicidal behavior can occur in a sudden way, for example by an extremely high peak of stress (coupled with a number of other factors, of course).

When the individual is in some phase of suicidal ideation, he usually shows a series of symptoms that should be like a “red alert” for all the people around them, especially for the professionals of the Health. Would include anhedonia, anxiety-depression symptoms, loss of sleep and / or appetite and difficulties concentrating, among others.

• You may be interested in: "Suicidal thoughts: causes, symptoms and therapy"

Parasuicide

Parasuicide is self-injurious behavior in which the individual voluntarily brings himself to the brink of death, knowing that it is unlikely to achieve that goal, with the intention of attracting the attention of the people around you. The main difference, in this case, is that the person does not really want to die.

Likewise, it is a very serious behavior that requires putting in place all possible mechanisms so that the person receives the appropriate treatment and stop this type of behavior, solving the problems that are causing them.

Murder-suicide

This is a different typology of suicide would be one in which the person kills (or at least attempts) other individuals just before committing suicide, or at the same time.

The typology and the underlying motivations that lead to it are very varied. We can find cases of people who provide the means to die for a disabled loved one, others who kill people from their closest environment and even cases of suicide attacks, whether through shootings, explosives, with vehicles, etc.

Self-destructive behavior

It would be all those behaviors that have the purpose of infringing deliberate damage to oneself, but not necessarily leading to death since most of them tend to be much more subtle.

These behaviors can be classified into two types.

Direct self-injurious behaviors

They are intended to cause immediate harm, and are carried out through all kinds of physical violence (trauma, incisions with sharp objects, burns, etc.). The most extreme expression of this behavior would be, indeed, suicide.

Indirect self-injurious behaviors

Instead, these types of actions seek (consciously or unconsciously) long-term damage. Among them we would find substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, etc.), risky sexual practices (without the use of adequate protection), engaging in dangerous sports, participating in uncontrolled gambling, or suffering disorders food.

Suicide note

It is a key element because, although it obviously does not serve to prevent the death of that specific individual, it does provides us with a lot of information about the causes that have led him to make such a fatal decision, so that experts can work with very valuable data in order to create protocols more effective antisuicide, allowing them to save the lives of others who will find themselves in situations similar.

The suicide note is an element used by one in six people who decide to commit suicide, although according to Studies seem to be a strongly cultural factor, since in some societies the figure increases to one in every two.

The objectives they seek when writing these lines prior to death are of a varied nature. Some seek to alleviate the suffering of their loved ones, while others on the contrary seek to deepen in it, making them feel responsible for this decision and even to indicate what they want done with their body. Others use it more pragmatically to explain their reasons for doing so. Some take the opportunity to express what they never dared to do and that tormented them.

But there are also reasons for those who do not write that suicide note. Some are simply concentrating on the most practical preparations for the suicide act and do not stop to think about writing. Others pretend that the death is accidental or even that they have been murdered.

In some cases, the decision is sudden (even if it has been ruminating for a while) and has not resulted in the note. In some cases, the person simply has nothing to say or, more dramatically, no one to say to. Finally, there are those who do not know how to express their message, or simply do not want to do it.

There is a way out

Before concluding, it is important to make it clear that there are always people willing to help anyone who is having a bad time. Suicide should never be the solution. If you need help, do not hesitate to call Hope (717 00 37 17), whatever the day and time. On the other end of the line you will find a professional willing to reach out to you.

Bibliographic references:

• Maris, R. W., Berman, A. L., Silverman. (2000). Comprehensive Textbook of Suicidology. New York. The Guilford Press.
• Silverman, M. M. (2006). The Language of Suicidology. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior: Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 519-532.
• Chávez-Hernández, A. M., Leenaars, A. TO. (2010). Edwin S Shneidman and modern suicide. Mexico. Health Ment vol.33 no.4