Suicide

Deliberate taking of one’s own life.

A self-destructive act. The ninth leading cause of death for all ages. The second leading cause of death among those 18-24 years of age. Many attempts at are planned, deliberate acts of aggression or hostility toward oneself. Often the act is essentially a reaction to a crisis of despair or despondency and represents a dramatic appeal for help or to attract attention, to spite other, or to submit oneself to trial by ordeal.

The act of killing oneself.

The deliberate killing of oneself, a problem affecting all ages but, most dramatically, adolescents and young adults. In the United States overall, about 2.8 of every 100,000 deaths are suicides, but among 15-to-24-year-olds the rate in the mid- 1980s was 12.2 suicides per 100,000, which had tripled over the previous 30 years to become the third most common cause of death in that age group, after accidents and homicide. Since 1977, the Public Health Service reports, more than 5,000 young adults 15 to 25 have committed suicide every year.

Acting in a way which brings about one’s own death.

Deliberate taking of one’s own life; the leading cause of death in college-age Americans. Risk factors include repeated failure or humiliation, the breakup of a love affair or marriage, mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia or depression), incurable disease, and substance abuse. Among the warning signs are changes in appetite or sleep patterns, impaired concentration, agitation, giving away possessions, and such statements as, “I’d be better off dead.” Preventive measures include psychotherapy, referral services, and telephone “help lines.”

A self-inflicted death that results from a person’s intended, direct, and conscious effort to kill himself or herself. Suicide is particularly common among people with mental or emotional disorders, particularly depression, manic-depressive illness, schizophrenia, and substance abuse disorders. When an individual survives a suicide attempt, the initial need is for immediate medical care to treat the physical consequences such as a brain injury or damage to organs. Once the person’s physical condition is stable, psychotherapy can begin.

Self-destruction as a deliberate act. Distinction is usually made between attempted suicide, when death is averted although the person concerned intended to kill himself (or herself), and parasuicide, when the attempt is made for reasons other than actually killing oneself. It is estimated that some 85% of attempted suicides are happy to have survived and in the US deliberate drug overdosing is a common cause of admission to hospital medical wards.

Self-destruction as an intentional act. Attempted suicide is when death does not take place, despite an attempt by the person concerned to kill him or herself; parasuicide is the term describing an attempt at suicide that is really an act to draw attention to the perceived problems of the individual involved.

Intentionally causing one’s own death. In the U.S., about 30,000 people commit suicide each year. Currently, suicide is the ninth most common cause of death in the U.S.