Why Suicide Happens
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages. Over the past decade the suicide rate has been 12.1 per 100,000 people. That leaves us with approximately 105 American suicides per year. (CDC)
Since my brother committed suicide, there have been many people in my past and current life that have reached out to me with their stories of suicide or friends/family members who have committed suicide. For me, this was the most impactful and staggering part of this whole experience. We don't talk about this scary thing because if it were to be brought up what do we do about it? If you were talking to a friend about depression and they suddenly stated they wanted to kill themselves, would you know what to do?
The key is understanding why suicide happens, and there have been several studies done on that very thing. Still, there are two camps of thought on this, suicide should be studied socially or it should be studied psychologically. I believe the truth comes by looking at both.
There was a study done by psychologists where they analyzed suicide notes of those both attempting and who had committed suicide to determine any commonality. The common themes between the two types of notes were: hopelessness, amount of pain, and the belief that death will end the pain.
These elements would make sense for someone contemplating suicide, but there was one major difference found in the notes left by those had committed suicide. They included in their notes more detail on how they were a burden to the people around them and society at large than the people who attempted suicide. However, this isn't enough to cause someone to kill themselves. We all can feel like a burden at times. Psychologists found there is one other common theme with people have were able to commit suicide: possessed a history where they acquired the capacity to harm themselves. This type of person may say things like, "things that scare most people don't scare me" or "I can tolerate a lot of pain."
A bizarre dichotomy arises from this. In one context this ability is seen as courageous, strong, or a form of emotional stability. However, in another light it can become a detriment, giving someone the ability to take their own life. If you've lost someone to suicide you might be thinking right now, did that person have this ability? Studies are great for understanding patterns and people in general, so keep in mind if this doesn't make sense for your situation it may not apply. For others, it might make sense of how the suicide happened. Now let's look at the society view of suicide.
The societal view of suicide is that it is best to examine the societal or historical views that impacted the person rather than the private feelings or mental state to gain an understanding of why it occurs. Back in 1897 a sociologist named Émile Durkheim wrote a book titled Suicide. He theorized that suicide comes about from shifts or changes in society. These changes alter the fundamental bonds that connected people to one another and to their community. The negative effect of this disconnect in a modern society tends to be individualistic and dangerously alienating.
Through his research of suicide data, Durkheim mapped out four types of suicide: the egoistic, the anomic, the altruistic and the fatalistic. The egoistic suicide comes about when people commonly experience feelings of not belonging, or of not being integrated in their community. This can lead to feelings of apathy, depression, and a sense of meaninglessness. The anomic suicide is related dramatic social and economic changes in society. This means that during economic downturn suicide rates are high, but this also occurs during times of prosperity and social stability. The opposite of this type of suicide is the fatalistic suicide, which occurs with the overregulation of society. This type of suicide is attributed to people who prefer to die rather than living under harsh constraints, such as a dictatorial government or slavery.
Finally, the last type of suicide is the altruistic suicide. This type occurs when someone has lost their sense of individualism or self. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for their society or group. The group's bond is so strong they create a powerful sense of group identity, with individuals being completely dependent upon the group.
You can see that Durkheim's view of suicide leaves us with a sense of disconnect. If someone's suicide is an egoistic type (feeling of not belonging) then what does it mean for their specific circumstances? Their specific history and circumstances led them to feel like a burden on society or the people around them. By combining both societal and psychological views we discover a more well-rounded perspective on why suicide occurs.
This doesn't explain all suicides and I would never want to try to explain or rationalize your specific experiences. For me, this has helped me gain a much better understanding around the circumstances of my brother's suicide. I can never pretend to fully understand why it happened, but knowing what generally leads people down that path helps me grasp the extent of his suffering.
-Much Love