Suicide has been a common phenomenon in the world for centuries. Suicide may be committed by single individuals or groups of people varied in size and age composition. Suicide is observed among people of all social backgrounds, ethnicities, sexes, and ages. Suicide is generally described as a person’s decision to cause their own death (Self-directed Violence, 2015). In most cases of suicide, the people who decide to end their lives are in good health. Suicidal behavior is caused by psychological issues.
Dynamics and Theories
The suicidal dynamics are characterized by several basic factors. First of all, suicidal behaviors occur due to persons’ emotional overwhelming that makes them feel particularly helpless and depressed. That way, an individual decides to initiate their own death in order to stop the painful flow of emotions. Physically such people may seem alright when internally they might suffer from powerful distress; a “psychological autopsy” is something that may help the professionals understand which events forced an individual to end their life (Martinelli, 2012). Besides, the interpersonal-psychological suicidal theory maintains that to commit suicide one requires a desire to die as well as an ability to go through with the attempt (Joiner, 2005). There is a variety of suicide models developed by psychologists; they help the practitioners to identify potentially suicidal individuals and provide required interventions. However, regardless of all the variety of approaches, all the scholars agree that the main factors that create the basis for the suicidal behaviors are one’s belief that they are a burden, feeling of extremely loneliness and the ability to commit suicide (O’Connor & Nock, 2014).
Moral Dilemma
When it comes to ending one’s life, in many cases the desire to die may not be accompanied by an ability to commit suicide. For instance, people whose physical abilities are limited due to their age, health conditions, or surrounding environments. The dilemma occurs when a suicidal individual turns to people around asking for help to go through with the suicide attempt. Morally, it is wrong to help someone to end their life, at the same, time deliberately leaving them alone to suffer is also immoral (Van Norman, 2012). Suicide assistance is prohibited by law, yet the cases of assisted suicide are not rare; they occur with the help of doctors, family members and friends of the suicidal individuals. There is no right answer to the question whether or not one should help their close person die when their sufferings are utterly unbearable, and their problems cannot be solved (terminal illness, old age, painful disabilities). In many cases, the sentences of the individuals who assisted their close ones with suicide are reduced due to public actions of the supporters of such solutions (Van Norman, 2012).
Characteristics of People Who Commit Suicide
Annually, out of 800 000 suicide attempts committed in the United States are “successful” (Grohol, 2009). In other words, out of all people who attempt suicide less than a half end up dead. This occurs due to the factors that give away the suicidal behavior. For instance, about 70% of the suicidal individuals inform someone about the planned attempts (Grohol, 2009). In addition, the professional differentiate between the individuals who are acting as if they were suicidal to attract attention and those who are actually about to commit suicide (Grohol, 2009). Among the most common behaviors of suicidal individuals, there are statements about life not being worth living, or being too hard, feeling like they are in the dead end, giving away their valuables, getting chores in order, saying goodbye to people, compiling a will (Grohol, 2009). The other characteristics of suicidal people include depression, loss of energy, sleep, and appetite, loss of focus, extremely low self-worth, substance and alcohol abuse (Grohol, 2009).
Similarities between Suicide and Homicide
One may argue that there is nothing in common between killing oneself and killing another human being. However, a relationship still exists since both of these actions result in violent death (Jackman, 2003). Another common aspect of the two behaviors is the desire to kill; the difference is the direction of the violent impulse (outwards in homicide, and inwards in suicide) (Jackman, 2003). In both cases, the impulses are the expressions of extreme unhappiness with oneself or with another individual, the violent desire to kill is a response to this dissatisfaction. Moreover, many murderers end up killing themselves after committing a homicide. The scientists notice that the chemistry that happens inside one’s brain during such actions is very similar and determined by the circulation of serotonin, the hormone responsible for self-control (Jackman, 2003).
The Use of Triage Assessment Form in Addressing Lethality
Triage assessment form is used to identify the severity of crises and their characteristics. The form is intended to evaluate one’s state according to several domains such as affective, cognitive, and behavioral. The assessment of these aspects will allow a practitioner to make a conclusion as to the degree of a client’s crisis. The most severe impairments in all of the domains mark suicidal behaviors and inclination towards lethality. The evaluation of the cognitive aspect of a client’s state helps to identify the causes of such emotional condition and possible interventions.
Reference List
Grohol, J. M. (2009). Common Signs of Someone Who May be Suicidal. Web.
Jackman, N. (2003). The Brains of Violent Males: The homicidal & suicidal brain. Web.
Joiner, T.E. (2005). Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Martinelli, R. (2012). The Dynamics of Suicide. Web.
O’Connor, R. C., & Nock, M. K. (2014). The psychology of suicidal behavior. Web.
Self-directed Violence. (2015). Web.
Van Norman, G. (2012). The Ethics of Ending Life: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Web.