Suicide Signs Should Be Read Correctly!

Detecting signs that an individual may have committed suicide or are likely to commit suicide play a key role in suicide prevention, experts say these signs are zamIt emphasizes that it should be taken into account immediately.

Noting that the vast majority of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental illness, experts point out that depression is one of the most common causes of suicide.

Üsküdar University NP Feneryolu Medical Center Psychiatrist Dr. Lecturer Dilek Sarıkaya said that suicide is a very important public health problem that causes more than 800 thousand people to die every year.

Suicidal thoughts are related to despair and pain

Dr. Faculty Member Dilek Sarıkaya said, “In our country, approximately 10 thousand people died in the last 32 years and 2019 thousand 3 people died in 406 as a result of suicide. Suicidal behavior is a multifactorial event with genetic, biological, social and social aspects. Suicidal thoughts may arise in individuals of all sociocultural levels and all kinds of beliefs. Suicidal thoughts are related to the despair and pain experienced by the person. The person feels so hopeless that complete annihilation like death may seem like hope to him. "The suicidal thoughts of a person who believes that his pain will not end and cannot be cured may turn into a suicide plan and attempt after a while".

People who say they want to die should be taken into account

“Identifying signs that indicate that an individual is likely to commit suicide or is likely to commit suicide plays a key role in preventing suicide,” said Dr. Faculty Member Dilek Sarıkaya said the following:

“If a person talks about wanting to die and relieving their pain, searches the internet or its surroundings for suicide devices such as firearms, toxic / chemicals, distributes their valuables, leaves a will, and says goodbye to those around them, withdraws, isolates himself, talks about starting to burden others, angry behavior. If they exhibit despair or mention that they do not have a reason to live, if they exhibit risky behaviors that will endanger their lives, it should be taken into consideration that they tend to commit suicide with the thought of ending their pain. "

The most common reason; depression

Noting that the vast majority of people who committed suicide had a diagnosable mental illness, Dr. Faculty Member Dilek Sarıkaya said, “Depression is the most common cause of completed suicides. Bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, psychosis and personality disorders are also other mental illnesses that can be seen in individuals who attempt suicide. Anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders accompanied by depression also carry a significant risk in terms of suicidal behavior. Suicidal behaviors can also be observed in the presence of painful and chronic physical diseases with cancer, stroke, organ and function loss, ”he warned.

Attention to adolescence and old age!

Stating that when suicidal behaviors are evaluated in terms of gender, suicide attempts are higher in women, Dr. Lecturer Dilek Sarıkaya said, “However, deaths as a result of suicide are more common in males because males use more deadly suicide methods. Suicide rates are higher in adolescence and old age. Suicide risk is higher for those who have lost their jobs, migrate from rural areas to urban areas or to a different country or region. In some professions (farmers, law enforcement officials, military personnel, doctors, veterinarians, nurses), suicidal behavior is higher than in other professions. "Easy access to suicide devices, high job stress, professional isolation, unwillingness to seek help are important reasons that increase the risk of suicide."

Anyone who talks about suicide should be taken seriously

Stating that there are some wrong beliefs about suicide in the society that are thought to be true, Dr. Faculty Member Dilek Sarıkaya said, “For example, it is thought that someone who talks about committing suicide will not really commit suicide. However, many of the people who have attempted suicide have given the signals of this before, so anyone who speaks of killing himself openly or implicitly should be taken seriously and act immediately. Or it is believed that someone who decides to commit suicide can never be stopped. But we know that many people who think about suicide actually just want to end the pain. Even if this request is very strong, it is temporary. The fact that a person is alive indicates that there is still something holding on to him, and if he shared it with someone, it means he wanted help and something could be done. The calls for help from people who voicing suicidal thoughts should be heeded. They should be encouraged to apply to mental health centers as soon as possible to cope with this problem, ”he said.

Suicide news should be given carefully

Emphasizing that having a mental illness is an important risk factor for suicide, Dr. Faculty Member Dilek Sarıkaya made the following recommendations:

“It is important that mental illnesses are detected at an early stage and that individuals at risk of suicide have access to appropriate treatment. Social prejudices about mental illnesses and suicide prevent people with suicidal thoughts from accessing appropriate mental health services. It should be our responsibility to be aware of our own prejudices about suicide and mental illness, to educate and develop ourselves and those around us, to learn about the situations where the risk of suicide is increased, and to direct them to appropriate services when we see this risk in our relatives. Media and media professionals also have important roles in preventing suicide. The detailed coverage of suicide news in the media, its dramatization and the presentation of suicide as a normal response to crisis situations negatively affect individuals at high risk of suicide. Suicide news should not take place in the media whenever possible; Even if news will be made, it will not create an incentive effect, it should be targeted to report in the simplest way possible and direct people with suicidal thoughts to appropriate services.