Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention
Suicide is a complex problem in today’s society, and a solution requires many steps to ensure a better quality of life. There are many reasons why people think about ending their lives, and the task of the state is to prevent such an outcome. Suicide prevention is one of the important steps in countering this phenomenon.
The main principle of this method is to identify and eliminate factors that can push a person to suicide (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2020). This may include removing various objects from the person’s environment that they can harm themselves with. In addition, a necessary aspect is also the strengthening of psychological support for a person in order to avoid suicide attempts.
At the same time, specialists must also take into account social and economic factors in order to competently eliminate the causes of risk. Suicidal intervention is a reaction directly to the onset of a crisis at the moment of contemplating or deciding to commit suicide. The purpose of such intervention at a critical moment is to prevent a person from harming themselves and to connect them to the appropriate help resources (Krysinska & Andriessen, 2022).
Hotlines can be a suitable means of providing a person with ongoing support in crises. Emergency medical services or mental health professionals are also tools that must be provided to the individual. Effective intervention requires the ability to recognize the warning signs of suicide and know how to communicate effectively with a person in crisis.
The postvention of suicide is another way that is strikingly different from the previous two. In this case, this is not a process of prevention but of eliminating the consequences of an attempt or completion of suicide. Such practices may include providing support and resources to those affected by the suicide, such as family members, friends, or colleagues (Krysinska & Andriessen, 2022). Efforts to eliminate the consequences of suicide may also include identifying and eliminating the factors that contributed to suicide in order to avoid their traumatic effect.
Suicide in the Sociological Model Postulated by Émile Durkheim
Émile Durkheim had extensive experience in the field of sociology and developed many significant theoretical developments. At the same time, one of his important works is the sociological model of suicide, according to which four main types are distinguished. The first is selfish suicide, which occurs when people feel that they are out of touch with society and cannot integrate properly, which causes them moral discomfort (Zhang, 2019). Such situations can arise in situations where a person does not belong to any social group and cannot normally establish social relations. Such suicides can occur in individualistic societies where high expectations are placed on people in the context of their personal success and development.
Another type of suicide is altruistic, which means that people begin to feel depressed or anxious because they are too connected to society. In this regard, some individuals may put their personal priorities below the goals of the group, which creates certain difficulties in their lives (Zhang, 2019). This type of suicide can be seen in many cultures where the individual’s life is not expected to be as valuable as the goals of the group. These can be various religious sects or military actions, since they most often trace the self-sacrifice of a person as a norm.
Anomic suicide may occur because of violations of social norms or values that were not previously regulated. This type of suicide can often be the result of high-profile social upheavals such as a global economic crisis or pandemic (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2020). Such events frequently give rise to feelings of insecurity or confusion in people, which can later develop into a depressive state and suicidal thoughts. Anomic suicide can be common at times of dramatic social change in society when established principles and traditions are being reconsidered.
Fatalistic suicide is the fourth type and can occur when a person finds himself in a social trap from which he sees no way out. This condition can occur in situations of extreme oppression when people feel they have lost control of their lives. Such suicides can become common in societies with a rigid culture that demands too much from people (Zhang, 2019). In such situations, a person may feel as if nothing depends on them, which destroys the concept of healthy morale.
Cultural and Individual Meanings of Suicide
Among the cultural meanings of suicide, one can single out the stigmatization and shamefulness of such a decision. In many societies, suicide causes ambivalent feelings of rejection in people, which can lead many people to hide their suicidal intentions and not even share them with relatives (Abrutyn et al., 2020). Another meaning in a cultural context could be the preservation of dignity. This may be relevant in the context of wars where some soldiers may choose to die rather than surrender.
In the context of individual meanings, suicide can be seen as an escape from any problems through the inability to cope with them (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2020). These can be called social, emotional, psychological, or physical. In such cases, suicide is seen as a way to alleviate suffering. Another individual value may be loss of control in situations of great stress or trauma.
References
Abrutyn, S., Mueller, A. S., & Osborne, M. (2020). Rekeying cultural scripts for youth suicide: How social networks facilitate suicide diffusion and suicide clusters following exposure to suicide. Society and mental health, 10(2), 112-135. Web.
DeSpelder, L. & Strickland, A. (2020). The last dance: Encountering death and dying, 11th ed. McGraw-Hill Education.
Krysinska, K., & Andriessen, K. (2022). Perspectives on family-based suicide prevention and postvention. BJPsych open, 8(4), e127. Web.
Zhang, J. (2019). The strain theory of suicide. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 13, e27. Web.