Suicide has the unique reputation of being one of the major causes of death in America. The implications of this act extend the person who takes his or her own life. It often affects their friends, family and the communities they come from. In this article, we will attempt to unravel a few questions surrounding the legality of suicide and how to go about it.
Why is suicide illegal
Suicide is illegal because if people were permitted to die painlessly, a lot of people will take that route. It can also be viewed as one of those morality laws. Most people in the world view suicide as being wrong and as such, it was made illegal. Some feel that suicide should not be illegal because it is one of the actions which the average intelligence of man can control. It also does not make sense to make laws to stop an action which the police may not have any control over. Also, most suicidal people do not care if they are breaking any laws when they are committing suicide. There are very few people that get discouraged from suicide just because it is illegal.
What Is The Rate Of Suicides In America?
Suicide ranks as one of the main issues about public health in America. The country holds the unique reputation of having one of the highest suicide rates among the wealthy countries of the world. For instance, in 2018, there were about 48,000 deaths via suicide. Statistically speaking, the annual rate of suicide in America grew by about 24% between 1999 and 2014. It is a fact that suicide is often underreported as a result of the stigma surrounding the act.
What Exactly Is Suicide?
Suicide occurs when a person acts violently against themselves with the intent to put an end to their lives. The result of this action is usually death. It is always ideal not to use terms such as successful suicide, or committing suicide when talking about it. A suicide attempt, on the other hand, is a situation where a person causes bodily harm to themselves with intent to end their lives.
What Is The Category Of People At Risk Of Suicide?
It should be noted that suicide is not a respecter of persons. People of different ages, gender, and ethnic origins can be victims. The main factor that predisposes people to the risk of suicide includes substance abuse disorder, a previous attempt at suicide, depression, possession of guns in the home. Others include being in jail, family violence, medical illness, exposure to suicidal behaviors, and family violence.
It should be noted that among the people who are largely exposed to suicidal risk factors, most of them do not attempt to commit suicide. It is therefore quite difficult to predict who would act on such thoughts.
Are There People Who Are More Predisposed To Suicide Than Others?
Based on data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, men stand a higher risk of dying by suicide than women when compared with women. However, women are more likely to make attempts at suicide. Also, men are quite more likely to commit suicide using lethal methods like suffocation or firearms. Women, on the other hand, may prefer using poison.
In addition to this, certain demographic groups are more probable to commit suicide. For instance, Alaska Native youths, American Indian and Middle-aged persons are known to have the highest suicide rates. The second group is the non-Hispanic white adult males. It is on record that African Americans have the lowest rates among them all followed by the Hispanics.
However, African American children below the ages of twelve have a suicide rate that is higher than that of the white children.
What Makes Some People Suicidal And Others Not
It should be noted that most people who show signs of suicide end up not killing themselves. But then the risk of suicidal behavior is not easy to explain. Research indicates that people who attempt to commit suicide may have a different view about things events when compared with those who are not having suicidal thoughts. It is more pronounced when a person displays signs of substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. This is why great care has to be taken when dealing with people who show signs of suicidal tendencies.
What Are The Glaring Indicators Of Suicidal Tendencies?
Some of the signs that a person may want to commit suicide often stare us in the face. First, you may find such a person to indicate that they feel hopeless, empty, and have no reason to live. Also, such a person may regularly talk about wanting to die. Some talk about a great feeling of guilt and shame as well as those who constantly talk about being burdensome to other people. You should also be mindful of people who are giving away valuable possessions and saying goodbye to their family and friends.
Is It Possible That People Threaten To Commit Suicide Just To Get Attention?
Suicidal thoughts are a great indication that a person is going through great distress and probably needs help. This is why you should not ignore the warning signs about suicide as they become glaring in a person. It should be noted that threatening to die via suicide is not the ideal response for someone who is under the undue level of stress and as such must not be taken lightly.
Is It Possible To Tilt Someone Towards Suicide By Asking About It?
If either you or someone that you know displays signs of suicide, especially if it comes with a change in behavior, it is important to get helps as soon as you can. Usually, friends and family members are the first to spot the suicidal warning signs and as such take the first vital steps assisting someone who is at risk of committing suicide. Therefore, if someone keeps telling you that they want to kill themselves, do not leave them alone. Also, make sure that you don’t promise someone who is suicidal that you will keep their suicidal thoughts a secret. Always makes sure that a more experienced person is in the loop concerning such matters.
What Should You Do If Someone Keeps Uploading Suicidal Posts On Social Media?
Knowledge of how to get assistance for a friend who keeps uploading suicidal messages on social media can go a long way to help. Some social media platforms have a defined way to handle suicidal content and get urgent help for the poster. Added to this is the fact that several social media channels deploy their analytic capabilities to spot and assist possible suicide posts. Each one of them often offers diverse options regarding how one should respond to such posts.
It is always safe that when you see any post that tilts towards suicide that you quickly call 911 or the toll-free suicide line.
Is There Any Solution For A Suicidal Person?
Several practices can be deployed concerning suicide cases. For instance, research carried out indicates that people who have issues of borderline personality disorder stand a higher risk of suicide. Some programs help to reduce the tendency of this occurring.
There has been researching by the National Institute of Mental Health which has worked quite well for people who have suicide linked mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
What Can Doctors Do?
It should be noted that suicide is not one topic that is always discussed with doctors on certain visits where the main focus is physical issues. But if you have feelings of suicide, you should talk with your healthcare provider. It has been proven that asking questions and sharing information with your doctor or healthcare provider can go a long way to help you.
What Is The Use Of Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials are simply studies that seek ways to detect, prevent and treat certain conditions and diseases. The main aim of clinical trials is to ascertain if a new test is safe and works. Even though individual users may stand to gain some benefits from such trials, the core focus of these trials is to gain a deeper insight into the benefit of others in the future.
Conclusion
Suicide is, without a doubt, one of the issues that bedevil our generation as we know it. It is an illegal act in many nations of the world punishable by law. With the trends in the world and apparent reasons why people may want to end their lives, it is quite obvious that suicide may not be on the decline anytime soon.
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