Giving up on life Don’t ignore the suicidal [Archives:2002/45/Culture]

BY SA’AD SHARIF TAHER
FOR THE YEMEN TIMES
Committing suicide has been great human problem historically that philosophers and scholars have discussed for centuries. Greek philosophers, mainly Aristotle, considered it “an immoral action that harms family and society.” Still, it exists nowadays and will continue to be a social problem.
Some studies suggest at least half million people die every year around the world due to suicide. That’s one suicide death a minute. Studies also note it’s an increasing problem among young people.
Psychologists declare that committing suicide is a kind of aggression on one’s self because one cannot direct his aggression towards society or somebody else. Dorkaim, an anthropologist, defined committing suicide as “death that results directly or indirectly from an action the person (victim) does to himself.”
Reasons
Committing suicide is when a person himself without the urging of others, or any kind of redeeming social value. Therefore, it is difficult to point out reasons for it. But there are known psychological, social and medical factors that lead to committing suicide.
Psychological diseases and troubles are the main ones. But Freud, the famous psychologist, said, “it is directing inside aggression to oneself.” So there frustration between one’s ideal world and realty.
Home, sometimes people commit suicide as a result of disappointing relationships, such as with one’s family. Studies suggest men are more successful at suicide, although women make more attempts. Suicide among women is most common in the 20-29 year-old range.
Most suicides take place in spring and autumn.
It’s also known that about one in five young boys and one in four young girls tend to suffer from depression.
In Arab society there are additional reasons like financial disasters, poverty, unsuccessful love and struggles between generations.
The weakness of religious discipline, psychological stressors, or social and family problems including break-ups, low spirits and feelings sin and guilt, can all be factors.
Methods
Suicide can take various forms, including:
1 – Dual suicide, when two people agree to commit suicide together, like lovers.
2 – Mass suicide, when one suicide leads to others to their death without their desire. A mother, for example, commits suicide by gas, which causes her husband and kids’ death.
3 – Assisted suicide, to shorten pain of the sick, when there is no hope to recover. The debate over this type of death is increasing, and it is becoming more socially accepted, particularly in countries where people are living longer lives.
4 – Murder-suicide: when a man kills his wife and kids then kills himself. Such kind was known among depressed men who felt that life was meaningless.
Help
Youth should be helped to overcome thoughts of suicide, which can be done by:
1 – protecting sick people by sending them to hospitals.
2 – building quiet relations between a sick person and a helper.
3 – kind observations without blaming people directly.
4 – continual treatment through anti-depressant drugs.
5 – social and psychological treatment, and convincing the patient to be active in society.
6 – giving help to strengthen the patients’ psyche.



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