SUICIDE

BR. SARATH THOMAS CHAMAKALAYIL

sarathcthomas@gmail.com

ETYMOLOGY OF SUICIDE
Suicide derived from the
two latin words
sui & caedere = "to kill
oneself
suicidium
Suicide, also known as
completed suicide, is the
"act of taking one's own
life"

HISTORY OF SUICIDE
Inancient Athens, a person who committed
suicide without the approval of the state was
denied the honours of a normal burial. The
person would be buried alone, on the outskirts
of the city, without a headstone or marker.
InAncient Greece andRome suicide was
deemed to be an acceptable method to deal
with military defeat.

 Historically in the
Christian church, people
who attempted suicide
wereexcommunicated
and those who died by
suicide were buried
outside consecrated
graveyards.
In 19th-century Europe
the act of suicide shifted
from being viewed as
caused bysin to being
caused byinsanity.

RELIGIOUS VIEWS ABOUT

SUICIDE
CHRISTIANITY: suicide is considered asin ,

based mainly on the writings of influential

Christian thinkers of theMiddle Ages, such asSt.
AugustineandSt. Thomas Aquinas.
In Catholic doctrine, the argument is based on
thecommandment"Thou shalt not kill"
The idea that life is a gift given by God which
should not be spurned, and that suicide is
against the "natural order" and thus interferes
with God's master plan for the world.

 JUDAISM: suicide is
tantamount to denying
God's goodness in the
world.
HINDUISM: suicide is
generally frowned upon
and is considered equally
sinful as murdering
another in contemporary
Hindu society.
Hindu scriptures state
that one who commits
suicide will become part
of the spirit world,
wandering earth until the

WHY SUICIDE IS TO BE SERIOUSLY

DISCUSSED?
Around 800,000 to a million people die by suicide
every year
It is the 10th leading cause of death worldwide.
suicide is the second leading cause of death
among college students.
It is also especially common among physicians,
lawyers and psychologists
Rates are higher in men than in women, with
males three to four times more likely to kill
themselves than females.
There are an estimated 10 to 20millionnon-fatal
attempted suicidesevery year. Attempts are
more common in young people and females.

 Suicide rate in Kerala is 24.8/lakh

during 2010. The latest figures from
the National Crime Records Bureau
show that 8,431 people killed
themselves during 2011, the State
accounting for 6.2 per cent of the
total number of suicides in the
country.
In Asia, most women suicide
attempts are happening in this small
state Kerala.

 Of the half million people

reported to die of suicide
worldwide every year, 20% are
Indians,for 17% of world
population.
In a study published inThe
Lancet in June 2012, the
estimated number of suicides
in India in 2010 was about
187,000.
A large proportion of adult
suicide deaths were found to
occur between the ages of 15
years and 29 years. There are
about 250,000 suicide
attempts in US each year.
Roughly one in eight of these
attempts are successful.

 It seems that great majority of suicides are

linked to depression, hopelessness, despair,
alcohol and drug disorders are correlated
with an elevated incidence of suicide.
Studies reveal that in countries were
Catholism and Islam are strong; the rates
of suicide tend to lower than in countries
where religious beliefs are not so deeply
held. H.KAREN, Psychology in Action,
p.504.

METHODS OF SUICIDE
firearms 80-90%,
(possibility of death)
drowning 65-80%,
hanging 60-85%,
car exhaust 40-60%,
jumping 35-60%,
pesticides 6-75%,
medication
overdose 85 %

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT
SUICIDE

People who talk about

suicide dont actually commit
suicide: people who talk about suicide
1.

are high risk group, and their veiled threats

should not be ignored

2. Suicide

usually takes
place with
little or no
warning: it is
estimated that 80%
of suicide attempts
are preceded by
some kind of
warning. It may

3. People who attempt suicide are

fully intent on dying: it appears that
only about 3.5% of those who attempt
suicide definitely want to die. Others
only want to send out a dramatic
signal. Suicides threats are often a last
ditch cry for help. They often see it as
the only source of their problems.

4. People who are suicide remain

so for ever: If they could manage
their crisis period, thoughts of suicide
may disappear entirely.
( W.WAYNE, Psychology Themes and Variations,
p.596.597)

5. People who
threaten
suicide are only
seeking
attention: 75%
of successful
suicides had
made previous
attempts.

6. Only insane
people would
take their own
lives: the
contemplation of the
suicide reflects a
narrowing of the range
of options that people
think are available to
them.
(A.S. RATHUS,
Psychology, p.499)

7. Only depressed people

commit suicide: suicide is not
limited to people with depression. Poor
physical health, serious illness, substance
abuse, loneliness, unemployment, and
even natural disasters may push many of
the people to suicide.

8. Thinking about suicide is

rare: estimates from various
studies find that 10 to 80% of the
general public has thought about
committing suicide at least once in
their lives.

Warning signs of SUICIDE.!!!

Significant changes in eating

and sleeping patterns
dramatic change in
personality or appearances
decline in social performances
drug or alcohol abuse
obsession with death
with drawl from friends and
regular activities
profound guilt or hopelessness
giving away favourite
possessions.
(D.SUE, Understanding
Abnormal Behaviour, p.364)

CONCLUSION

REMEMBER

Suicide is the most selfish,

satanic thought of human
mindour life is actually a
real blessing of God. Accept it
..as it is. And as we are the
social workers we can be the
shock absorbers of the
society so lets pray.......

And provide hope

unceasingly.

THANK YOU.