Death, Society, and
Human Experience
9th Edition
Robert Kastenbaum
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Chapter Seven:
Suicide
This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law:
•Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network;
•Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, or any images;
•Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.
•
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
What Do The Statistics Tell Us?
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Suicide is the 11th most common cause of
death in the United States
The number of suicides is underrepresented
• Medical examiners will shade the fact when there is any
ambiguity as to the cause of death
• Accidents are often suicides
• For self-inflicted injury to be classified as suicide the
intentionality of the action must be established
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What Do The Statistics Tell Us?
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Suicide Rate = (Number of Suicides X 100,000),
divided by the population
• Not a percentage
• U.S. rate is 10.7, meaning 10 and 11 people out of
every hundred thousand commit suicide per year
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Suicide rates three times higher than those in the
U.S. and Canada are found in the Russian
Federation, Belarus, China, Estonia, Hungary, and
Kazakhstan
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Suicide Patterns in the U.S.
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Completed suicides occur most often among
white males
White male suicide rate increases with age,
but females and nonwhite males reach their
peak vulnerability earlier in adult life
Suicide remains the third leading cause of
death among youth (ages 15-24)
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Suicide Patterns in the U.S.
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Bad economic times are usually associated with
an increase in suicide
• The suicide rate is higher among people who:
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Suffer from depression or other psychiatric problems
Use alcohol while depressed
Deal with challenges and frustrations in impulsive ways
Are divorced
Lost an important relationship through death or break-up
Live in certain areas of the country
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Suicide Patterns in the U.S.
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States with the
Highest Suicide
Rates (in order)
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Wyoming
Alaska
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
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States with the
Lowest Suicide
Rates (in order)
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Connecticut
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
District of Columbia
Youth Suicide
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The increase in completed suicides is greater for males,
although more suicide attempts are made by young women
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Both sexes turn to firearms and explosives as the most
common method of self destruction
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Academic pressure seems related to suicide among
college students but not in a simple way
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Most of those who have gone on to commit suicide
expressed their despondency to others and made explicit
comments about their intentions
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Youth Suicide
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The immoderate use of alcohol and other drugs occurs
more often with suicidal people (at all ages)
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The loss of a valued relationship is one of the most
common triggering events for youth suicide
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Heavy metal music attracts depressed and suicidal youth –
it does not cause suicide
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Teens and adolescents who frequently change their place
of residence are at a higher risk for suicide
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Family Characteristics
Associated with Youth Suicide
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The families impose rigid rules
• Communication patterns are poor
• Parent may establish too strong an emotional
bond with the youth (smother love) while not
encouraging responsibility and independence
• Long-term patterns of dysfunction exist within the
family
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Suicide Among Elderly Persons
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Since 1990, the largest suicide rate has
been among people 85 and older
Elderly white men are the most vulnerable to
suicide (by age 85 suicide rate is 18)
Often choose firearms as mode of suicide
Less likely to give warning signs
More likely to plan suicide
Less likely to recover from an attempt
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Suicide Among Elderly Persons
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Factors that increase the risk of suicide
• White, male, over 65, living alone, residing in a rural
area of transient inner city zone
• Social isolation
• Depression
• Physical illness
• Alcohol use
• Failure to cope with stresses
• Loss of relationships
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Suicide Among Native Americans
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Suicide rate is exceptionally high at 19.3
• Compare to white males at 19.9, African American
males at 9.1, white females at 4.8, and African American
females at 1.5
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Tribal differences in suicide rates are large and
also vary over time
• Alcohol is a major factor
• More at risk in youth than in old age
• Higher rate of impulsive suicide attempts and
completions
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Other High Risk Groups
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Vietnam War Veterans
Survivors of Natural or Man-Made Disasters
People with HIV/AIDS
Frequent and Addicted Gamblers
Targets of Schoolyard Bullies and Peer
Harassment
“Suicide by Cop” – confront a police officer to force
the officer to shoot in self-defense
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Cultural Meanings of Suicide
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Suicide as Sinful
• Judeo-Christian tradition
• St. Augustine (5th century) objected because
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Doesn’t allow an opportunity to repent of other sins
Sixth commandment: Thou shalt not kill
• St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century) added
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Only God has the power to grant life and death
• Controversy: Is martyrdom suicide? Did Jesus
commit suicide?
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Cultural Meanings of Suicide
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Suicide as Criminal
• Most suicide laws have been erased
• Insurance companies will pay some death
benefits when suicide occurs
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Suicide as Weakness or Madness
• Highest rates among depressed psychotics
• Survival of the fittest (and the weak commit
suicide)
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Cultural Meanings of Suicide
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Suicide as “The Great Death”
• Called daishi in Buddhism (China and Japan)
• Seppuku, traditional Japanese suicide, is
personal disembowelment with a sword
• Romans (classical period) viewed suicide as
noble and glorious
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Suicide as a Rational Alternative
• Often attributed to Stoicism
• Death is preferable to a miserable life
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Durkheim: Four Types of Suicide
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Egoistic
• Not under sufficient cultural control
• Those whose talents or stations in life give them special
status (like celebrities or creative artists)
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Altruistic
• Exaggerated or excessive concern for the community
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Anomic
• Society as cast this person aside (like the homeless)
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Fatalistic
• Society is too controlling (suicide is the only way out)
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Individual Meanings of Suicide
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Suicide for Reunion
Suicide for Rest and Refuge
Suicide for Revenge
Suicide as Penalty for Failure
Suicide as a Mistake
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A Psychoanalytical Approach
to Suicide
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Early Freudian Approach: What looks like
suicide is a symbolic murder of another
person
Later Freudian Approach: We have two
instinctual drives
• Life instinct, Eros
• Death instinct, Thanatos
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The Descent Toward Suicide
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A loss and/or trauma that deprives the
person of emotional support
Losing hope for a satisfying life
Sense of descending, sinking, falling slowly
into a subhuman kind of existence
Withdrawal and communication breakdown
increasingly isolates the individual
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The Descent Toward Suicide
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Constructing a façade as protection against further
emotional pain
Suicidal trance (restricted range of thoughts and
feelings)
Feeling trapped in a tunnel and death is the only
way out
An impression that death is somehow beckoning
the individual
A precipitating event is likely to trigger the actual
suicide attempt
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Popular Myths About Suicide
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Myth: A person who talks about suicide will not
actually take her own life
• Myth: Only a specific class of people commit
suicide
• Myth: Suicide has simple causes that are easily
established
• Myth: Asking people about suicide will put that
thought into their mind and encourage suicide
attempts
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Popular Myths About Suicide
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Myth: Only depressed people commit suicide
Myth: Only crazy or insane people commit suicide
Myth: Suicidal tendencies are inherited
Myth: When a suicidal person shows
improvement, the danger is over
Myth: People who are under a physician’s care or
who are hospitalized are not suicide risks
Myth: Suicide can be prevented only by a
psychiatrist or mental hospital
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Suicide Prevention
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Take the suicidal concern seriously
Do not issue a provocation to suicide
Go easy on value judgments
Do not get carried away by the “good
reasons” the person has for suicide
Know what resources are available
Listen
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Three Emerging Challenges
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Do antidepressants help in prevention or
add to the risk of suicide?
What are the best ways for a vulnerable
survivor of a suicide attempt to deal with the
aftermath?
How should society deal with internet
suicide pact groups?
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Glossary: New Terms
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Altruistic Suicide
Anomic Suicide
Collective
Representations
Daishi
Egoistic Suicide
Fatalistic Suicide
Genocidal
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Parasuicide
Samurai
Seppuku
Social Integration
Stoicism
Suicidal Trance
Suicide
Suicide Rate
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