From time immemorial there have been cases of people deciding to take their own lives by committing suicide. Arguably, the rates of suicide vary from one region to another, and from one age group to another. As a result, people and especially psychologists have been trying to understand why people would choose to commit suicide. There have been discussions on various platforms whether suicide is a personal affair or does it, to a certain extent, involve the society. Reasons as to why somebody would come to a point of taking his or her own life are still a point of debate. Understanding suicide will, therefore, require one to understand the reasons both on a personal level and on a societal level that can push people to kill themselves.
In understanding suicide, it is vital, to begin with outlining the various categories of suicide. To begin with, we have fatalistic suicide where somebody feels that life is in the extreme end and there is no way a human being can live under that given conditions. Secondly, we have anomic suicide where one finds life as being meaningless especially due to loneliness or isolation. Thirdly, there is altruistic suicide in which case one sacrifices his or her own life for the sake of society. Lastly, there is egoistic suicide where one decides to end his or her own life after failing to meet personal or societal expectations (Werth, 2013). Notably, the conditions under which people used to commit suicide anciently are somewhat different from modern conditions (Rogers & Lester, 2010). In modern society, Anomic and egoistic are the most prevalent. On the other hand, fatalistic and altruistic characterizes traditional scenarios.
What makes one commit suicide can sometimes be very private and difficult to comprehend. However, there are the most common causes that have been documented. Various writers have associated suicide with decreasing societal ties which then lead to isolation. This has made many people keep to themselves whenever they have problems leading to depression (Werth, 2013). As a matter of, depression has been identified as a single highest contributor to suicide. Depression destabilizes the emotional state of a person leading to extreme sadness and despair.
Given the loose societal ties, people are often on their own. Consequently, nobody is aware when they make such desperate decisions. Another cause of suicide is the view that one has become a burden to the family and society at large. The burdensomeness thought mostly comes about when one is unable to provide for his or her own needs and has to depend on society members (McLaughlin, 2007). In scenarios like this, people tend to think that their death will be a reprieve to society. They, therefore, prefer committing suicide rather than staying a life. People can also be pushed to commit suicide when members of society discriminate against them. This leads to low self-esteem and loneliness (Rogers & Lester, 2010).
The discussion about the causes and effects of suicide is not about to end soon. This is because we still do not know exactly what leads to cases of suicide. The data that we collect and the views analyzed are all subjective. Apparently, the exact reasons why somebody would commit suicide are well known by the deceased who cannot talk (Rogers & Lester, 2010). However, it is crucial to note the role of society and culture in not only maintaining social norms but also ensuring the well-being of everybody. In this regard, it means that the ideal way of reducing suicide cases is to ensure inclusivity of people in society. Nonetheless, it should be noted that there are people who would never want to reveal their problems.
References
McLaughlin, C. (2007). Suicide-Related Behavior: Understanding Caring and Therapeutic Responses. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Rogers, J. R. & Lester, D. (2010). Understanding Suicide: Why We don’t and How We Might. Amsterdam: Hogrefe Publishing.
Werth, J. L. (2013). Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide. London: Routledge.