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If you feel like committing suicide or harming yourself, it is important to contact someone to talk about it now. If you are in Chennai call Sneha Hotline NOW - 04424640050. For suicide hotlines in other cities in India click here. Or contact your local hospital casualty department.
The most common cause of suicide is an underlying mental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Please note: The information here should not be used as an alternative to professional care.
If a friend or family member talks or behaves in a way that makes you believe that he or she might commit suicide, don't try to handle the situation yourself. Get help from a trained professional as quickly as possible. The person may need to be hospitalized until the suicidal crisis has passed.
Do's & Don'ts
If you have a friend who is showing some of the warning signs and you're worried, here a few suggested dos and don'ts (the term "she" is only used for convenience):
Do
Don't
Be very watchful when a person begins to lift out of depression. If necessary, take turns keeping watch. Even if the person goes to the bathroom, someone should be either ready at hand to force open the door, or have the person not lock himself in at all. After all, it is not difficult to keep a knife or pills hidden in the bathroom and use them at that time. Keep all objects such as blades and sharp knives away because they could be used to slash wrists. Also, keep insecticides, kerosene and matches in places that are difficult to find. Be specially careful with medicines of all kinds, including those used for diabetes and blood pressure.
Who can commit suicide:
Suicidal thoughts have numerous causes. Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of feeling like you can't cope when you're faced with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. These situations could include financial problems, the death of a loved one, a relationship breakup or a debilitating illness. If you don't have hope for the future, you may mistakenly think suicide is a solution. You may experience a sort of tunnel vision, where in th
Depression: Suicide can be committed when a person getting is having or getting better from a severe depression. This is without question the most common reason for people to commit suicide. Severe depression is always accompanied by a pervasive sense of suffering as well as a sense of hopelessness with the belief that the only way to escape from it is suicide. The pain of existence often becomes too much for severely depressed people to bear. The state of depression warps their thinking, allowing ideas like “Everyone would all be better off without me” to make rational sense.
Because depression is treatable, we should all seek to recognize its presence in our close friends and loved ones. Often people suffer with it silently, planning suicide without anyone ever knowing. Despite making both parties uncomfortable, inquiring directly about suicidal thoughts almost always yields an honest response. If you suspect someone might be depressed, don’t allow your tendency to deny the possibility of suicidal ideation prevent you from asking about it.
Cry for help: Problems of living, dowry, marital disharmony etc., can lead to suicidal attempt as a CRY FOR HELP. These people don’t usually want to die but do want to alert those around them that something is seriously wrong. They often don’t believe they will die, frequently choosing methods they don’t think can kill them in order to strike out at someone who’s hurt them—but are sometimes tragically misinformed. The prototypical example of this is a young teenage girl suffering genuine angst because of a relationship, either with a friend, boyfriend, or parent who swallows 20 tablets to Crocin—not realizing that in high enough doses Paracetamol causes irreversible liver damage.
Impulsive act: Alcohol or drug abuse etc. make a person more prone to attempt suicide and any attempt can cause accidental death. Those abusing drugs and alcohol become maudlin and impulsively attempt to end their own lives. Once sobered and calmed, these people usually feel emphatically ashamed. The remorse is usually genuine, and whether or not they’ll ever attempt suicide again is unpredictable. They may try it again the very next time they become drunk or high, or never again in their lifetime.
Warning Signs
Whether you're considering suicide or know someone who feels suicidal, learn suicide warning signs and how to reach out for immediate help and professional treatment. You may save a life.
Suicide warning signs aren't always obvious, though, and they vary from person to person. Some people make their intentions clear, while others keep suicidal thoughts and feelings secret. Suicide warning signs or suicidal thoughts include:
Suicide is a desperate cry for help and if help is forthcoming, it could be averted.
At times a spiritual attitude consistent with the person's belief is very useful specially the concept of life after life. All the members of the family have to stand up united in this hour of need and blaming others or infighting further worsens the situation.
Most attempted suicides are not actual attempts, but some are. Warning signs of suicide should never be taken lightly. They are cries for help.
If you should suspect that someone you know is thinking of suicide, get help immediately by contacting a psychiatrist. The person may need to be admitted to a psychiatric ward. Even while admitted to a hospital, family members must always be vigilant for suicide attempts.
If you are with a friend who is saying he or she is going to commit suicide now, stay with them. You could phone a suicide hotline or emergency number, call for help from family or friends, or try and get your friend to the casualty department of your local hospital.
Who can commit suicide:
Desire to die: The decision to commit suicide for some is based on a reasoned decision often motivated by the presence of a painful terminal illness from which little to no hope of reprieve exists. These people aren’t depressed, psychotic, maudlin, or crying out for help. They’re trying to take control of their destiny and alleviate their own suffering, which usually can only be done in death. They often look at their choice to commit suicide as a way to shorten a dying that will happen regardless. In my personal view, if such people are evaluated by a qualified professional who can reliably exclude the other possibilities for why suicide is desired, these people should be allowed to die at their own hands.
Psychosis: Psychosis is another disorder in which suicides can take place as a result of the person's breaking off from reality and responding to his own abnormal thoughts. Malevolent inner voices often command self-destruction for unintelligible reasons. Psychosis is much harder to mask than depression — and arguably even more tragic. Schizophrenia often strikes otherwise healthy, high-performing individuals. Schizophrenics are just as likely to talk freely about the voices commanding them to kill themselves and can give honest answers about thoughts of suicide when asked directly. Psychosis, too, is treatable, Some of the signs of schizophrenia are: talking, laughing or crying to oneself, expressing ideas about others wanting to harm the person, hearing voices or seeing things when no one is there, severely disturbed sleep, withdrawing from day to day reality and functioning.
There may also be a genetic link to suicide. People who complete suicide or who have suicidal thoughts or behavior are more likely to have a family history of suicide. While more research is needed to fully understand a possible genetic component, it's thought that there may be a genetic link to impulsive behavior that could lead to suicide.
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Leading Expert Experienced Neuro Psychiatrist | 5 Star Rated | Top Best Psychiatry Clinic | Chennai, India | Depression / Head ache / Anxiety / Stress / Child Behavior / Dementia | Online / Video/ Telemed Consult / Counselling
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