Get informed : Suicide
questions about suicide
Understanding suicide better
Myths and preconceptions
Shh!… Talking about suicide can be unsettling. When someone you know talks about committing suicide, you may ask yourself if they really intend to go through with it, and how you should react. Rest assured — many people are thrown when they hear others talk of suicide. Suicide is still a taboo subject.
False beliefs. When something is taboo, it is not talked about often, and may therefore be misunderstood. There are several myths and preconceptions about suicide. They are the result of a lack of understanding, of discomfort, and of feelings of powerlessness with regard to the problem. These preconceptions can prevent someone who needs help from getting it.
Wanting to die. We may be inclined to believe that a suicidal person wants to die. But a person who develops suicidal behaviour wants to stop their suffering, not to stop living. They have tried everything they know to stop their suffering. Their problem can blind them to other solutions… and other solutions do exist. Adolescents may only have a very short list of ways to ease their suffering, which is why it’s so important to listen carefully to adolescents who are going through difficult times.
Manipulation. We may be tempted to think that people who talk about committing suicide do so in order to manipulate us or attract attention. Suicide threats must always be taken seriously. If someone talks about committing suicide, it is a call for help and means that they are not doing well.
An unforeseeable departure. Suicide might appear to be something that occurs without warning from one day to the next. However, there are often clues to what the person is thinking. Because many warning signs (words, behaviours, attitudes) are not widely known or are difficult to recognize, it may appear as if the person acted rapidly (read more here about how to know if a person is thinking of committing suicide).
False beliefs. When something is taboo, it is not talked about often, and may therefore be misunderstood. There are several myths and preconceptions about suicide. They are the result of a lack of understanding, of discomfort, and of feelings of powerlessness with regard to the problem. These preconceptions can prevent someone who needs help from getting it.
Wanting to die. We may be inclined to believe that a suicidal person wants to die. But a person who develops suicidal behaviour wants to stop their suffering, not to stop living. They have tried everything they know to stop their suffering. Their problem can blind them to other solutions… and other solutions do exist. Adolescents may only have a very short list of ways to ease their suffering, which is why it’s so important to listen carefully to adolescents who are going through difficult times.
Manipulation. We may be tempted to think that people who talk about committing suicide do so in order to manipulate us or attract attention. Suicide threats must always be taken seriously. If someone talks about committing suicide, it is a call for help and means that they are not doing well.
An unforeseeable departure. Suicide might appear to be something that occurs without warning from one day to the next. However, there are often clues to what the person is thinking. Because many warning signs (words, behaviours, attitudes) are not widely known or are difficult to recognize, it may appear as if the person acted rapidly (read more here about how to know if a person is thinking of committing suicide).
The suicide process
A combination of things. There is no single reason why some people have suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, a combination of difficult life situations can make people feel fragile; when that happens, a person can try to find ways to solve the problems and feel better. When the ways they’ve chosen don’t work as well as expected, suicide may begin to seem like a way of ending their suffering. The further down the list of problem-solving methods a person goes, the more room suicidal thoughts may begin to take up in their head. They may begin planning their suicide (how, where, when).
The straw that breaks the camel’s back. When it all gets to be too much and a person sees suicide as a solution to their suffering, a specific, sometimes trivial, event may be all it takes to push them beyond their limits and cause them to go through with the act.
The straw that breaks the camel’s back. When it all gets to be too much and a person sees suicide as a solution to their suffering, a specific, sometimes trivial, event may be all it takes to push them beyond their limits and cause them to go through with the act.