Myths & Facts Regarding Suicides

Thousands of people die by suicide each year, leaving their loved ones confused, traumatized and depressed. Suicide often accompanies undiagnosed and untreated mental illness. Sometimes it is a physical response to an internal pain. There is usually a plain progression from ideation to action. Suicide is often regarded as something without signs or indicators, but this is a myth---one of many about suicide and those who attempt it.

Myth #1

• Myth: People who talk about suicide just want attention and are trying to manipulate people.
  Fact: The people who are closest to committing suicide are often the ones who talk about it the most. By bringing suicide up as a topic, the person is trying to find help, opinions and support---not just attention. Most people have never asked their friends, relatives and loved ones how they feel about suicide. So, they decide to learn others' opinions while considering killing themselves.

Myth #2

• Myth: People who survive suicide will not attempt it again.
  Fact: People who successfully kill themselves usually have a long track record of drug abuse, mental illness and failed suicide attempts. Suicides can go wrong for a variety of reasons, including someone calling the ambulance for himself after realizing he has slashed his wrist or otherwise harmed himself. The path to suicide is very frightening and painful. Numerous attempts are not unusual in cases of successful suicides.

Myth #3

• Myth: Suicide only affects certain races, genders and classes of people.
  Fact: Suicide affects everyone from young to old, African Americans to Caucasians, and men to women. There is no special suicide population---it can affect anyone at any time of life.

Myth #4

• Myth: People who attempt suicide are insane and cannot be reasoned with or stopped.
  Fact: People with suicide plans have the ability at any time to change their minds. Whether you believe that statement or not can be key to saving lives. Suicide shares a co-morbidity with mental illness in many cases. In these cases, once the mental illness is treated, the urge for suicide fades. Some people have recurring episodes of suicide ideations and then return to their "normal" state, sometimes without harming themselves whatsoever. Reasoning and talking to a friend can literally save her life until she can find better treatment.

Myth #5

• Myth: People who are suicidal want to die.
  Fact: No one really wants to die. However, you can come to a point where the pain in your life overrides the joy. You may feel you do not want to continue to live because you are alone; are in mental, physical or emotional pain; have lost a loved one; or have suffered some sort of trauma. The actual death part of suicide is still frightening, but not as frightening as the failed prospects that will come to make up the rest of your life.

Conclusion

• It can be helpful to see and analyze what kind of ideas torment people considering suicide. The more understanding society has about suicide, the more preventions, interventions and help will be available.