Essay on Mental Health: Suicide

According to The National Institute of Mental Health, one of the top 10 deaths in the United States is suicide. Why is it that common to happen among so many Americans? Why do people of all ages commit suicide? These are some of the questions Sociologists ask themselves. Suicide is one of the major social issues that occur and continue to occur today. More studies can aid in the understanding and prevention of suicide. There are ways that we can prevent these suicides and those with suicidal thoughts. From a perspective of a Sociologist the social issue of suicide is due to the lack of support to the individuals who go through with suicide. Identifying a loved one who is going through a hard time and having suicidal thoughts, need support immediately to prevent the worst from happening. It is up to us as a community to help anyone in need of help. 

Firstly, while digging more into the aspects of suicide there has been many articles that talk about the cause and preventions. Suicide is preventable so why does it continue to occur? In certain cases, there are times people go through extreme changes in their lives and experience stressful events that can cause suicidal thoughts. For example, going through a divorce or losing your job. In the article, Durkheim, Social Capital, and Suicide Rates Across US Counties, Nicolas L. Recker and Matthew D. Moore came across a few interesting conclusions on this subject. These individuals used Durkheim’s work to build upon their research. In their findings, counties with higher rates of social capital, diversity, and population density experienced lower suicide rates. Counties that had higher levels of divorce, unemployment, poverty, education, and median age experienced higher suicide rates. I strongly agree with the findings of these authors due to those times in one’s life being extremely difficult and stressful. It could be hard for them to coupe with what is happening in their lives. I would recommend help from a professional psychiatrist as well as support from loved ones. 

However, a major issue with suicide is the online aspect of it. According to Soontae An, her article, Suicide Stigma in Online Social Interactions: Impacts of Social Capital and Suicide Literacy, discusses that suicide is often preventable with appropriate intervention, barriers such as stigma prevent individuals from seeking help and treatment. Suicide is generally perceived as a sinful or abnormal behavior, and such stigmatizing views often accompany discrimination against those who commit suicide. The social stigma towards suicide adversely affects prevention of suicide. Educating people on suicide is extremely important for positivity and support for the community, it will help with the understanding of those who are going through it. Those struggling with suicide will be more willing to seek help, when those around them are not judging negatively. Suicidal individuals need support of family, friends, and the community to get help they need. 

Furthermore, online can be a preying ground for suicidal individuals. According to the article, Instances of Online Suicide, The Law, and Potential Solutions, the author James discovered even more issue with suicide. Through online there are vulnerable individuals who are most likely seeking some help in a more public way, hoping that someone will stop them from committing suicide. But just the opposite occurs, James found that most people were likely to sit and watch a person commit suicide online and even encourage them to go through with it. Online suicides are an extreme issue due to people watching, they may believe it’s okay to commit suicide because another person is, which leads to copycat incidents. Again, I’d like to emphasize the importance of educating everyone on suicide and to watch for signs, this could really help a lot. The author’s solutions for addressing the problem include websites promoting help-seeking behavior, and internet based cognitive behavioral therapy. Also contacting the police when a suicide is occurring online is our obligation as a society.  

To conclude, suicide is a problem among us today that effect us poorly as a society. 

Bibliography

An, Soontae, “Suicide Stigma in Online Social Interactions: Impacts of Social   

Capital and Suicide Literacy.” Health Communication 34, no. 11 (October 2019). 

Phillips, James G. “Instances of Online Suicide, the Law, and Potential Solutions.” Psychiatry,              Psychology & Law 26. No.3 (June 2019): 423-40.

Recker, Nicholas L.” Durkheim, Social Capital, and Suicide Rates Across US Counties.” Health Sociology Review 25, No.1 (March 2016): 78-91