Yasmin Neil
Sw 505
The Case:
Jessica is a 16 year old girl that battled with thoughts and minor attempts of suicide
because she believes her parents do not love her. Her mother is always busy working and her
father is in and out of her life. In result to the lack of emotional support and her poor relationship
with her parents, cuts class to smoke weed with friends, she stays out past curfew, and argues
with her mom when she is reprimanded. All these factors made Jessica feel like a horrible person
because she knew she did it all to fill a void. She wanted to be loved. Her mother had tried to get
Jessica to see a therapist but Jessica refuses to go because she thinks the therapist pitied her. The
only other option Jessica’s mother can think of encouraging Jessica to get involved with the
church youth group.
Jessica had a few friends at her church that she knew she could confide in, but was often
hesitant to do so in fear of being judged. Her youth pastor Jane became her mentor and shared a
lot in common with Jessica with her promiscuous past and suicidal attempts. Jane became her
mentor and gave Jessica scriptures, worship songs and prayers to use when she is feeling down.
Jessica was happy to have someone whom she can relate to and confide in. Jessica found these
tools to be very helpful and grown to love herself and life. She battles less with suicide, practices
abstinent and no longer feels alone because she has community with her church friends.
The Theory:
Hall states that suicide is psychological and that it occurs as the result of intense
psychological pain (2018). A person’s spirituality whether it be attending a church or expressing
your spirituality anyway you see fit, can serve as a protective role against risks factors to suicide
(2018).
Integration of the theory and case:
When Jessica first attended her church, she was unhappy. She felt like the older ladies
judged her for falling asleep and text on her phone during the sermon. Jessica wanted to grow in
her spirituality but struggled because she felt ashamed of her struggles with suicidal thoughts and
her behavior. She felt that if she opened up to anyone,she would be shunned. It wasn't until she
became more involved with the youth in church that she can find some common interest with
church members.
Jessica connection with her Youth Pastor Jane and youth members who shared a similar
story. She met two girls who had a promiscuous past but decided to take of vow of chastity. One
of the girls also struggled with suicide and had a problem with cutting until one day she almost
died by cutting to deep. Together they decided they would hold each other accountable whenever
they felt like going back to their old ways when they felt sad, unloved and depressed. They came
up with ways to cope with these emotions and suicidal thoughts and urges, and would call each
other to pray regardless of the time of day.
Jessica's became more intuned with her spirituality. Prayer helped her fight suicidal
thoughts and now rarely has thoughts to harm herself. She realized she felt that way because she
needed a stable community with individuals that loved her. Jessica felt like she was valued and
cared for. Although it took some time to make these changes,she found forgiveness through her
faith in God. Jessica now opens up conversation about suicide in her church to raise awareness of
suicide among the youth. In result to her determination to overcome these thought the youth
group discussed ways they can create a community where they can confide in each other with
personal struggles.
Reference
Hall, B. B., Webb, J. R., & Hirsch, J. K. (2018). Spirituality and suicidal behavior: The
mediating role of self-forgiveness and psychache. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000182