union biblical seminary, pune

Research Paper on:

SUICIDE

By: Letmin Jose Gangte, M Th (Missiology)

On: 12th September, 2012

OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
I.
DEFINITION AND TYPES OF SUICIDE
1. Egoistic Suicide
2. Altruistic Suicide
3. Anomic Suicide
4. Fatalistic Suicide
II.

CURRENT RATES OF SUICIDE

1. Top 10 Highest Suicide Rates of the World
2. Suicide Rate in India

III.

STATISTIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION OF SUICIDE

IV.

MAIN CAUSES OF SUICIDE

V.

SOME SUICIDE NOTES

VI.

THEOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO SUICIDE

VII.

SUICIDE PREVENTION AS THE CHRISTIANS RESPONSIBILITY

CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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INTRODUCTION:
Suicide has become one of the biggest social problems of our time affecting all our lives in
one way or the other. It is a day-to-day experience and everyday news in our society. Moreover this
still remains as a silent issue of discussion with less or no efforts being done to prevent or stop this
act. The society is silent in this issue, and the church does not preach for or against it. A year ago, my
est frie d s you ger rother of late tee s o
itted sui ide ithout lea i g e e a si gle ord
to his family or friends. I watched my dear friend just taking the blame on himself. It was a terror
moment even for me because I was filled with many unanswered questions like Is this a part of
God s pla for hi ? Why did he si ply ha e to e d like this? What ill happe to hi ?
Basically this incident made me so much into the study on suicide. This paper is a brief and small but
a clear dissertation on the types of suicide, the growth of the rates of suicide, the causes and
response of the Bible and how we, as Christians can be involved in it.
I.

DEFINITION AND TYPES OF SUICIDE

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Suicide as a act of taki g o e s ow life; o e who dies
by his own hands, self-murder.1 Suicide is the process of purposely ending one's own life. Emile
Durkheim defines suicide as follows: the ter suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting
directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will
produce this result. 2 The great nineteenth century French sociologist Emile Durkheim, in his book,
Le Suicide (1897) illustrates the types of suicide he advocate. In this book he discusses four different
kinds of suicide: Egoistic suicide, Altruistic suicide, Anomic suicide and Fatalistic suicide. 3
1. Egoistic Suicide: Egoistic Suicide according to Durkheim, is caused by lack of social integration of
society in the religious sphere, domestic, and the political sphere.4 The more weakened the
groups to which he belongs, the less he depends on them, the more he consequently depends
only on himself and recognize no other rules of conduct that are founded on his private
interests. The individual ego asserts itself to excess in the face of the social ego and at its
expense; it may be called egoistic the type of suicide springing from excessive individualism.
2. Altruistic Suicide: Altruistic Suicide is characterized by a sense of being overwhelmed by a
group's goals and beliefs. It occurs in societies with high integration, where individual needs are
seen as less important than the society's needs as a whole.5 If excessive individuation leads to
suicide, insufficient individuation has the same effects. When a man has become detached from
1

2
3
4

ui ide The Oxford English Dictionary Vol-X (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978), 120
th
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide. as taken on 25 Aug. 2012
E. Durkheim, Suicide (New York: Free Press, 1897), 12
John B. Williamson and Edwin S. Shneidman, Death: Current Perspectives (California: Mayfield Publishing Company,
1995), 322 (hereafter cited as Williamson & Shneidman, Death)
th
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide as taken on 25 Aug. 2012

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society, he encounters less resistance to suicide in himself, and he does so likewise when social
integration is too strong. Bartholin, in his book reports that Danish warriors considered it a
disgrace to die in bed of old age or sickness, and killed themselves to escape this humiliation.
The Goths likewise believed that those who die a natural death are destined to languish forever
in caverns full of venomous creatures. So old men would throw themselves from the high
pinnacle called The Rock of the Forefathers and accordingly they assigned a delightful abode to
those who commit.6
3. Anomic suicide: This type of suicide is due to certain breakdown of social equilibrium, such as
bankruptcy or after winning a lottery. In other words, anomic suicide takes place in a situation
which has cropped up suddenly. It reflects an individual's moral confusion and lack of social
direction, which is related to dramatic social and economic upheaval. It is the product of moral
deregulation and a lack of definition of legitimate aspirations through a restraining social ethic,
which could impose meaning and order on the individual conscience.
4. Fatalistic suicide: Fatalistic suicide is the opposite of anomic suicide. It happen when a person is
excessively regulated, when their futures are pitilessly blocked and passions violently choked by
oppressive discipline. It occurs in overly oppressive societies, causing people to prefer to die
than to carry on living within their society. A good example would be that some people prefer to
die than live in a prison with constant abuse and excessive regulation that prohibits them from
pursuing their desires. This type of suicide is due to overregulation in society.

II.
CURRENT RATES OF SUICIDE
1. Top 10 Highest Suicide Rates of the World: Suicide in a year out of every 100,000 people as updated
by the World Health Organization in 2011.7

#10. Slovenia: 21.9

#9. China: 22.2
#8. Latvia: 22.9
#7. Japan: 23.8
#6. Hungary: 24.6

#5. Belarus: 25.3

#4. Kazakhstan: 25.6
#3. Guyana: 26.4
#2. South Korea: 31.2
#1. Lithuania: 34.1

2. Suicide Rate in India: I dia ay ot ha e the orld s highest sui ide rate, ut like i the rest of
the world, suicides in India are growing. It stands in the 43rd position in the world highest suicide

Emile. Durkheim, Suicide: A Study in Sociology (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1968), 218
www.amodmag.com/top-ten-countries-by-suicide-rate.php as taken on 25th Aug. 2012

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rates with a total of 11.2 per every 100,000 people (2011). Globalization, industrialization and
afflue eall of this has seemingly pushed our suicide rate up. Looking at the problem statewise, we see that it is mostly the developed states which have a higher rate of suicide. Below is a
graph of the suicide rate in India:

Fig. 1. State-wise Suicide Rate in India

Society is becoming more individualistic. Today it is something to be ashamed of, depending

financially on anyone but oneself. This increases pressures on individuals and not everyone can
make it. Getting into IIM or IIT, scraping up a loan to pay for the education, desperately trying to get
into a government medical college or, in fact, any reputed institute causes immense stress, even if
one succeeds in the end. While many aim to get that high paying job in a multi-national, or perhaps
go abroad, some start their own business, staking everything they have. If that fails, the disaster can
drive people to suicide.

Fig. 2. Suicide Rate of India according to occupation

As the graph shows, self-employed people (24 per cent) are the most vulnerable to suicide.
Housewives (21 percent) are the second largest group. This is not too difficult to understand in our
society. Lack of love and respect at home, dowry harassment, mental torture at the hands of inlaws, abandonment and/or sexual abuse is often the cause of despair in women. The number of
Indian women killing themselves is far higher than in other parts of the world.
Farmers (15 percent) form the next biggest group. India has seen a lot of farmer suicides in
recent years. More than 25,000 farmers have killed themselves in India since the year 1997. Debt
and the resulting harassment at the hands of money lenders is a major cause. Money lenders in
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rural areas are notorious for charging 30-40 per cent interest and then if the farmer does not pay,
they make his life miserable. Threats to life and intimidation of family members are common.
Farmers often see no way out but to die. There are estimates that by now, roughly 2, 00,000
peasants have killed themselves in the last two-and-a-half decades.8 A large majority of them are
from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana. In Maharashtra about
1,448 farmers, mostly cotton growers, committed suicide, in 2006 alone.9

Fig. 3. Suicide Victims by Sex & Age-Group during 2011

The above is the graph presentation of the suicide rate in India in respect to the age and sex
group as recorded in 2011. India alone contributes to more than 10% of suicides in the world. The
suicide rate in India has been increasing steadily and has reached 11.4 (per 100,000 of population) in
2010 registering 81% increase over the value of 1980. Majority of suicides occur among men and
in younger age groups. Despite the gravity of the problem, information about the causes and risk
factors is insufficient.10
III.

STATISTIC AND DEMOGRAPHY OF SUICIDE

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death claiming 30,000 lives each year or one every 18
minutes. More than 4,000 0f those who commit suicide annually are under age 25. Because suicide
occurs at all ages, it is the fifth leading cause of lost potential life, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, it is estimated that between 500 and 1,500
people seek care in emergency rooms each day for suicide attempts. Research indicates that in any
given year 20 percent of all high school students seriously consider suicide. 11
Suicide rates vary by age, gender and ethnicity but affect all peoples, regardless of education
or socioeconomic status. Not only the rates but also the methods of committing suicide vary with

Ashish Nandy, ui ide and the Indian Peasant , eds. Aroon Purie et.al. INDIA TODAY, July 9, 2012, p.10
th
nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/.../why-indians-commit-suicide... as taken on 25 Aug. 2012
10
Maithri, A link with life (Journal), 15
11
th
archives.umc.org/interior_print.asp?mid=995 - 15k taken on 25 Aug. 2012

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nationality. For example, because of the easy availability, firearms are most popular method in the
United States. On the other hand, inhaling domestic gas is the most common method in the United
Kingdom.12 The highest rate of suicide generally occurs among males in later life. About 80 percent
of those who commit suicide are male, but females are much more likely to attempt suicide. Suicide
rate is also related to mental and physical health, family history and marital status. The suicide rate
is high among the childless and those from broken homes. And with respect to marital status, the
rate of suicide is highest for the divorced persons, next for the widowed, then for singles, and lowest
for married people.13
It is generally agreed that not all deaths that are reported as suicides are reported as such.
Deaths may be misclassified as homicides or accidents where individuals have intended suicide by
putting themselves in harm's way and lack of evidence does not allow for classifying the death as
suicide. Other suicides may be misclassified as accidental or undetermined deaths in deference to
community or family.14
IV.

MAIN CAUSES OF SUICIDE

The causes of suicide vary from cases to cases. There may be many causes varying from
person to person, place to place and region to region. We find various causes of suicide in defining
the types of suicides. When we talk about suicide we can only safely speak of causes recognized
psychologically. One cannot pinpoint the purely personal factors whether of character, personality,
or circumstances and background which aggravate or develop hidden tendencies towards suicide.15
Here below are lists of some of the major causes that may lead a person to commit suicide.
Over 90 percent of people who die by suicide have a mental illness at the time of their death.
And the most common mental illness is depression.16 Unattended depression is the number one
cause for suicide. It is very rare that someone dies by suicide because of one cause. Thus, there are
usually several causes, and not just one, for suicide. Many people die by suicide because depression
is triggered by several negative life experiences, and the person does not receive treatment or
does not receive effective treatment for the depression.
Some of the negative life experiences that may cause depression, and some other causes for
depression, include:
The death of a loved one.
A divorce, separation, or breakup of a relationship.
Losing custody of children, or feeling that a child custody decision is not fair.
A serious loss, such as a loss of a job, house, or money.
A serious illness.
12
13
14
15
16

Lewis R. Aiken, Dying, Death and Bereavement (Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1985), 79
Lewis R. Aiken, Dying, Death and Bereavement, 85
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, 2001; 32
Donald. McCormick, The Unseen Killer (London: Frederick Muller Limited, 1964), 124
Kevin Caruso, Suicide Causes, (Michigan: Grand Publishers, 1978), 56

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A terminal illness.
A serious accident.
Chronic physical pain.
Intense emotional pain.
Loss of hope.
Being victimized (domestic violence, rape, assault, etc).
A loved one being victimized (child murder, child molestation, kidnapping, murder,
rape, assault, etc.).
Physical abuse.
Verbal abuse.
Sexual abuse.
Unresolved abuse (of any kind) from the past.
Feeling "trapped" in a situation perceived as negative.
Feeling that things will never "get better."
Feeling helpless.
Serious legal problems, such as criminal prosecution or incarceration.
Feeling "taken advantage of."
Inability to deal with a perceived "humiliating" situation.
Inability to deal with a perceived "failure."(Marriage, Love-affairs, Examination)
Alcohol abuse.
Drug abuse.
A feeling of not being accepted by family, friends, or society.
A horrible disappointment.
Feeling like one has not lived up to his or her high expectations or those of another.
Bullying. (Adults, as well as children, can be bullied.)
Low self-esteem.

V.

SUICIDE NOTES
In most and almost all cases of suicide, the suicidal usually leave a message(s) which is called
the suicide note. This contain why he/she committed suicide or a letter of apology. According to Dr.
Lenora Olson, the most common reasons that people contemplating suicide choose to write a
suicide note include one or more of the following:17
To ease the pain of those known to the victim by attempting to dissipate guilt.
To increase the pain of survivors by attempting to create guilt.
To set out the reason(s) for suicide.

17

To express thoughts and feelings that the person felt unable to express in life.

www.phrases.org.uk/quotes/last-words/suicide-notes.html as on 21st Aug. 2012

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To give instructions as to disposal of remains.

Occasionally, those who have committed murder or some other offence will confess their
acts in a note.
Here below are some suicide notes that suicidal left.18 The names are sometimes changed,
but the age and the words are true to its sense, so readers concern is highly appreciated.
Clara Blandick:- U.S. film actress, most famous for playing Auntie Em in the 1939 film The
Wizard of Oz. Her note stated, "I am now about to make the great adventure".
Dalidapopular French singer. She wrote, "Life has become unbearable ... forgive me."
Tony Hancock:- British comedian, who died in 1968. Suicide note included the line "Things
just went wrong too many times".
Roh Moo-hyun:- former South Korean President. The note expressed his remorse to the
people, claiming to be a "burden for others".

VI.
18

Single female, age 21:My dearest Andrew,

It seems as if I have been spending all my life apologizing to you for things that happened
whether they were my fault or not. I am enclosing your pin because I want you to think of
what you took from me every time you see it. I don't want you to think I would kill myself over
you because you're not worth any emotion at all. It is what you cost me that hurt and nothing
can replace it.
Married male, age 40:Jimmy!
Remember what I told you and always respect, protect and obey your mother and
always remember that I love you so much. I am going to leave you forever because I am too
sick to go on. God bless you my Son and when your time comes to go to Heaven you will find
your ole Pappy waiting for you.
Daddy
Single female, age 31:My boss, Kenneth J., seduced me and made me pregnant. He refuses to help me. I had not
had intercourse in two years. He says that I will have to suffer through it by myself. Several
people know about this -- my doctor, Dr. James R., and Pete M., who works at Williams. Pete
and I never had a love affair, although Kenneth would like to drag Pete into it. Also, Dr.
Arnold W. knows about it. I have always been such a good girl.
A small girl, age 15:My Dad does ot ha e ti e for e.
THEOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO SUICIDE

www.phrases.org.uk/quotes/last-words/suicide-notes.html as on 21st Aug. 2012

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Sometimes feelings of despair or apathy cause people to think about suicide. Suicide is not a
new idea. The Bible records seven suicide cases.
Abimelech Judges 9:52-54

Samson - Judges 16:25-30

Saul - 1 Samuel 31:4
aul s Ar or Bearer - 1 Samuel 31:5
Ahithophel - 2 Samuel 17:23
Zimri - 1 Kings 16:15-20
Judas Iskariot - Matthew 27:3-5
In simple response to the question on suicide, it is wrong. It is simply against the Will of God.
Let us look at some of the reason why it is wrong against God.
1. God has a great plan for life. God has created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). He created us
for a purpose. God has a specific plan in mind for everyone (Jeremiah 29:11).
2. God's plan is for life, not death. The Bible teaches that both physical and spiritual death are the
result of our sin and disobedience to God, but eternal life is a gift to those who receive it
(Romans 6:23). Suicide reveals a belief that God is not powerful enough to help you solve your
problems.
3. Jesus taught that death and destructio are the ork of the thief , Satan (John 10:10).
4. Jesus wants us to have life (John 10:10).
5. Life belongs to God. It is God and God alone who has the right to determine life and death. It is
never our place to take our own life or someone else's life (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Suicide is among the highest crimes because it is against the King. Suicide is rude. It breaks
the contract with society and disintegrates the social structure. It is clearly the enemy of the society.
Psychology sees suicide as an attack on the self. Theology sees it as an attack of God. Therefore
suicide is a problem, and it is an act of behavior to be prevented. It goes against society, the self and
God. But because it may have its source in the hope for a new community, new self and new
relationship to God, it may be something more. Suicide is an attack on transformation.19 Augustine
argued in the fifth century that suicide was a violation of the sixth commandment, You shall ot
murder (Exodus 20:13). Later, Thomas Aquinas, being Catholic and believing that confession of sin
must be made prior to departure from the world to the next, taught that suicide was the most fatal
of all sins because the victim could not repent of it.
SUICIDE PREVENTION AS THE CHRISTIANS RESPONSIBILITY
The prevention of suicide is important not only to the victim but also to the survivors. And
one important thing to be kept in mind when dealing with suicide is that suicidal tendencies are
always higher in the friends and relatives of a suicide victim. The grief, guilt, blame, shame and

VII.

19

Robert E. Neale, The Art of Dying (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1973), 65

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feelings of helplessness experienced by survivors are also incalculable. Therefore whenever a

person, either directly or indirectly, threatens suicide, the listener should be accepting, caring, and
supportive. ui ide is a failure of God s will and plan.
Many people want to end their lives because they cannot think of a good and satisfying
reason to live. We, as Christians, should take responsibility in this to give meanings to life. God has
created each person with a specific purpose and design a slot in the universe for which there is no
substitute. We must teach every person to have the conviction that he/she is the instrument God
has created or chosen to achieve His will and purpose.20 We must give answers, help and comfort
the agonized. Christian faith, love and support can only help these grieving ones who are left alone
with the question Why did God allo this to happe to y o ly so /daughter/husband? If we
ake it possi le to dis o er God s purpose a d desig for ea h perso day y day y prayer a d
meditation and constant fellowship with God, it would make life exciting and challenging. The love
for life and the sense of urgency to do what is intended would be so overwhelming that there would
not be any time to think of ending life.
CONCLUSION:
As human, it is true that we all must die one day. But the way of we die also matters. God
gave us this life, just one life, to enjoy it and take proper care of it. We are going to give our own
account of how we use it one final day when we stand in front of the One who gave us. We have
discussed in the paper on the different types of suicide, the current growth rate of it and the
response of the Bible towards it. There may obviously be more of it because some even consider
people taking drugs, or other intoxicants as indirectly committing suicide which is not discussed in
this paper. Now, in conclusion, as Christians, we have our own responsibilities towards suicide in
one way or the other. It is time we fight against it; tell the world that suicide is not an answer to
life s problems and sufferings. It is just a cowardly act to escape from suffering. But, on the other
hand, if we endure the sufferings of life, the reward is always greater than what we actually
imagine. Therefore, it is a great challenge for us, Christians, to help someone in need, console
someone in depressed, and to comfort the agonized with the hope that God has set for us in the
Bible.

20

Dr. Baker Fenn, Positive Christianity (Tiruvalla: Christava Sahitya Samithi, 2005), 126

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Aiken, Lewis R. Dying, Death and Bereavement, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1985
2. Ashish Nandy, uicide a d the I dia Peasa t , Eds. Aroon Purie et.al. INDIA TODAY (July 9,
2012)
3. Caruso, Kevin. Suicide Causes, London: Barlow press, 1994
4. Durkheim, E. Suicide, New York: Free Press, 1897
5. Durkheim, Emile. Suicide: A Study in Sociology, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1968
6. Montgomery, S A and Goeting, Nicola L.M Eds., Current Approaches: Suicide and Attempted
Suicide; Risk Factors, Management and Prevention, Southampton: Duphar Laboratories Ltd.,
1991
7. Fenn, Dr. Baker. Positive Christianity, Tiruvalla: Christava Sahitya Samithi, 2005
8. Maithri, A link with life (Journal)
9. McCormick, Donald. The Unseen Killer, London: Frederick Muller Limited, 1964
10. Menninger, Karl. Man Against Himself, New York: Harcourt, Brace & World Inc., 1938
11. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, 2001
12. Neale, Robert E. The Art of Dying, New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1973
13. Stephen, M. Introducing Christian Ethics, Delhi: ISPCK, 2003
14. ui ide The Oxford English Dictionary Vol-X, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978
15. The Holy Bible (NIV)
16. Williamson, John B. and Shneidman, Edwin S. Death: Current Perspectives, California: Mayfield
Publishing Company, 1995
17. Internet sources:
i.

archives.umc.org/interior_print.asp?mid=995 - 15k

ii. En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide
iii. nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/.../why-indians-commit-suicide...
iv. www.amodmag.com/top-ten-countries-by-suicide-rate.php
v. www.phrases.org.uk/quotes/last-words/suicide-notes.html

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