Suicidal depression is a psychological disorder that progresses against a background of prolonged stress. The disease takes a person out of emotional balance and often occurs as a reaction to a tragic event. Depression is characterized by a depressed mood, a pessimistic view of everything that happens around. The patient remains indifferent to joyful and positive events. Mental suffering, a feeling of hopelessness - all this leads a person to reasoning about the meaninglessness of life.
Signs
Depression is a disease of the whole organism, and its manifestations are different and vary depending on the form of behavior.
- Physiological signs: loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, lack of sexual needs, fatigue during physical and intellectual stress, pain in muscles, heart, stomach.
- Emotional signs: melancholy, despair, suffering, internal tension, anxiety. Desire for solitude, low self-esteem, passivity, depression, indifference to loved ones. Alcohol consumption and addiction to psychotropic substances.
- Thought signs: lack of concentration, slow thinking, difficulty concentrating, negative and gloomy reasoning, a hopeless view of the future, suicidal thoughts.
Doctors diagnose depression if some of the above symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks. Often the disease is perceived as a manifestation of selfishness or a difficult character. But it is necessary to understand that depression is a complex and serious illness that requires treatment. Otherwise, suicidal depression forms.
As a rule, people are in no hurry to turn to specialists with mental disorders because of the judgment of others and social restrictions (registration at a psychoneurological dispensary, a ban on driving a car, traveling abroad). Often their condition is associated with life difficulties that will disappear over time. Therefore, it is difficult to diagnose depression at an early stage.
People living in metropolitan areas are most susceptible to the disease. Poor ecology and high standard of living depress the human nervous system. Obsessive thoughts of suicide can manifest themselves due to obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Without proper treatment, the condition can develop into a severe chronic form.
Is it possible to die from depression? There is no depression itself, although mental exhaustion negatively affects all functions of the human body. Any long-term depression carries a risk of suicide.
Types of suicidal activity
So, at the heart of suicide lies an intense struggle of motives. Its outcome is often unpredictable. It may depend on a random event that the suicider will perceive as the final push. Depending on the dominant motive, several types of suicidal activity are distinguished.
1. Protest
In this case, the behavior of the suicide - most often a male person between 20 and 30 years old - is dictated by the desire to take revenge on his offender. A person who decides to take such revenge believes that with his death he can harm his opponent. Often the decision is carried out publicly through self-cutting; in most cases, the suicide is under the influence of alcohol.
2. Summoning
Such an act is an attempt to change a difficult situation by attracting attention. Typically, infantile individuals go for this, mostly women aged 20-30 years, less often young people. Suicide is usually carried out at night through poisoning.
3. Avoidance
The meaning of suicidal activity in this situation is the desire to escape from an impending physical or mental threat. Usually we are talking about unbearable suffering associated with the disease, as well as family troubles. Suicide victims are people over 30 years old, both men and women. Those at risk most often include widows, divorced people, the disabled, and the seriously ill.
4. Self-punishment
The incentive for suicidal actions in this case is a feeling of real guilt or self-flagellation in the form of obsessive thoughts. At the same time, the human “I” is split into the “I”, the judge, and the “I,” the defendant. Women with a high social status, sufficiently educated, and often married are prone to self-punishment.
5. Giving up on life
In this case, the motives and purpose of suicidal activity coincide. A person decides to die rather than live, since the meaning of personal existence has been lost. This often happens due to the loss of loved ones or under the influence of a terrible diagnosis. As a rule, older men with deep personalities and people with mental disorders give up life.
Possible reasons
Suicide is a form of behavior aimed at deliberate self-destruction. A suicidal state is preceded by a decrease in social activity, a reduction in communication, and increased irritability. This is followed by the stage of plans, thoughts of suicide and ideas about ways to implement these plans are more often noted. Suicidal behavior can be divided into groups:
- Genuine suicidal actions. Behavior is formed on the idea of self-accusation, one’s worthlessness and uselessness. Changes in thinking and behavior are pronounced in a person who has decided to commit suicide. Attempts are carefully planned and thought out to the smallest detail. A true suicide attempt is always a purposeful and balanced decision. The method of taking life is chosen to be accurate and effective.
- Demonstrative suicidal behavior. As a rule, a person does not actually plan suicide, but only threatens to commit suicide. Imitation with the expectation of salvation or blackmail in order to get attention, help in solving one’s problems. This behavior is demonstrated by self-centered, emotionally unstable individuals.
- Masked suicidal behavior. A person with latent suicidal behavior does not overtly attempt suicide. Realizing that suicide is a wrong and wrong act, he unknowingly exposes his life to danger. He engages in extreme sports, voluntarily participates in military conflicts, and chooses life-threatening trips and hikes that can lead to suicide. Treating this type of behavior is particularly challenging.
- Affective behavior. In a state of passion, a person loses self-control, the flexibility of thinking decreases, and under the influence of negative emotions the patient attempts suicide.
It is often impossible for a person to get out of suicidal depression on his own. In medical practice, there are many cases where a person committed suicide due to depression. The risk of suicide increases among single people who do not have a family or children. An incurable disease can also push a person to commit suicide.
Relatives and friends must be attentive and vigilant; any talk about suicide must be taken seriously.
You should be wary if a person reduces all conversations to the topic of suicide, his mood changes very sharply, he increasingly secludes himself and withdraws into himself. In such cases, it is necessary to talk a lot with the patient, talk about your love for him, about how pointless it is to die. If the patient continues to consider suicide the only solution to his problems, then hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic becomes the only correct solution.
How to recognize suicidal behavior in adolescents and adults
2.3 Prevention
A suicide attempt is a reason to seek qualified help. Hospitalization is necessary if the teenager has depression or psychosis . In other cases, it is necessary to assess the degree of risk and the family’s ability to provide adequate support. Parents are required to see a psychotherapist. Drug treatment is necessary for any suicidal behavior, but it will not prevent future relapse. For correction, the doctor selects one of the psychotherapy methods.
Taking some antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide. To avoid this, it is advisable to carry out treatment in a hospital setting. If therapy is carried out at home, it is necessary to control the intake of drugs and not give them in large quantities. The family should support the teenager and under no circumstances show him their negative emotions regarding the current situation.
Adults are responsible for any suicidal behavior of a child. All hints of suicide should be taken seriously. There is no doubt that a cry for help requires a response. Parents play a critical role in preventing suicide in children. If there are constant depressed mood and other signs of depression, it is necessary to help the teenager get out of this state.
Parents should talk to their child more often and ask about his well-being and plans for the future. All conversations should be positive. You shouldn’t lower your loved one’s self-esteem and crush his dreams. You need to prove to the child that he can achieve his goals, and his parents will definitely help him with this.
Under no circumstances should you compare a teenager with other guys who are more successful and good-natured. This will lead to an even greater decrease in self-esteem and the development of severe depression. Parents should help their child organize active leisure time. It is necessary to bring as much variety and positive emotions into everyday life as possible. A new pet can set you in a positive mood.
Parents are obliged to ensure that the teenager follows a daily routine. He should get good sleep, eat right and exercise. If you experience severe depression or other mental disorders, you should immediately consult a psychotherapist. Determining an accurate diagnosis and prescribing the required treatment should only be carried out by a doctor.
Treatment
Treatment for each patient must be selected individually. Drug and psychotherapeutic treatment is usually prescribed. To improve the patient's condition, tranquilizers and antipsychotics are prescribed. Talk therapy helps the patient understand problems and prevent repeated suicide attempts. The psychotherapist's task is to support the patient and help find solutions to the problems that lead to suicide. If necessary, family and friends are involved to improve the emotional state. In some cases, group therapy helps.
The best solution to the problem of suicide is the diagnosis of suicidal manifestations. A person should take the opportunity to gain psychological knowledge and apply it to adequately solve life problems.
Measures to prevent suicide
In modern society, suicide prevention receives a lot of attention. The entire complex of preventive measures can be divided into two main parts.
Primary prevention – activities carried out at the state level in educational institutions and workplaces:
• elimination of unfavorable social environments that shape the desire for suicide;
• formation of a personality capable of thinking positively in a negative world;
• improving the social and cultural standard of living.
Secondary prevention is ascertaining and corrective psychotherapeutic measures:
• timely identification of persons prone to deviant behavior, monitoring them in order to recognize and stop suicidal tendencies, and overcome their social maladjustment;
• registration of suicides, work on readaptation with people in the post-suicide phase;
• relieving mental stress in patients in critical situations; the main task in this case is to reduce the risk of self-execution in the initial phase of suicidal activity, when a person still has a fairly high level of internal protective barrier;
• work to reduce emotional sensitivity, dependence, exhaustion, development of a balanced mental mechanism, formation of a philosophical attitude towards life's problems as temporary and surmountable.
Suicide is not a desire for death. This is an unrequited love for life, coupled with a lack of self-control. The main task of everyone coming into this world is to understand this in time.
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Personality characteristics of people prone to suicidal behavior
Developmental psychology, acmeology | World of Pedagogy and Psychology No. 8 (25) August, 2018
UDC 159.9
Publication date 08/20/2018
Barsukov Alexander Valerievich Candidate of Psychology Sc., Associate Professor of the Department of General and Social Psychology, Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after. N.I. Lobachevsky, Russian Federation, Nizhny Novgorod, Burova Ekaterina Alekseevna psychologist of the department of general and social psychology, Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after. N.I. Lobachevsky, Russian Federation, Nizhny Novgorod,
Abstract: This article discusses the problem of suicidal behavior of an individual. Currently, this problem is relevant for psychological research. The authors examine the personal characteristics of persons prone to suicidal behavior. Particular attention is paid to the role of the family in the formation of suicidal behavior. The characteristic features of families that can influence the formation of suicidal behavior are given. This article is also complemented by a consideration of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies and their relationship with suicidal behavior of the individual. The article draws attention to the fact that people prone to suicidal behavior use adaptive coping strategies less often than maladaptive ones. Key words: Suicidal behavior, personality traits, suicidal tendencies, coping strategies
Personal features of the people inclined to suicide behavior
Barsukov Alexander Valeryevich Cand.Sci.(Psychology.), associate professor of the Department of General and social psychology, NI Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod – National Research University, Russia, Nizhny Novgorod Burova Ekaterina Alekseevna psychologist of the Department of General and social psychology, NI Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod – National Research University, Russia, Nizhny Novgorod
Abstract: This article deals with the problem of suicidal behavior of the individual. Currently, this problem is relevant for psychological research. The authors consider the personal characteristics of persons prone to suicidal behavior. Special attention is paid to the role of the family in the formation of suicidal behavior. The characteristic features of families that can influence the formation of suicidal behavior are given. This article is also supplemented by the consideration of adaptive and non-adaptive coping strategies and their relationship with suicidal behavior. The article draws attention to the fact that persons prone to suicidal behavior are less likely to use adaptive coping strategies than non-adaptive. Keywords: Suicidal behavior, personality features, suicidal ideation, coping strategies
Suicidal behavior of an individual is one of the acute problems of modern society and serves as a unique indicator of public health and social well-being. Suicides occupy a leading place among the mortality rates of the working-age population and maintain an upward trend in a number of countries around the world, including the Russian Federation (U.I. Gradskova, 2015). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1 million people commit suicide every year, and according to forecasts, by 2020, 1.5 million people will die as a result of suicide. In economically developed countries, the suicide rate is higher than in developing countries, and during periods of world wars and epidemics there is a tendency for a sharp decrease in suicidal behavior [4]. According to the sociological theory of E. Durkheim, increased material security leads to greater individualization of a person, and global cataclysms and wars are the reason for the unity of the population. A person focused on the highest values of human life (mercy, kindness, mutual assistance, mutual assistance, etc.) has a goal in life, as a result, the feeling of loneliness, anxiety, detachment is eliminated and spiritual strength arises to combat life’s circumstances.
S.S. Surnin and U.Kh. Gadzhiev considers the dynamics of the development of suicidal behavior in connection with the spiritual, moral and ethical state of the individual and moral social attitudes [7]. When a person’s value system is destroyed or rethought, as well as when a person is disappointed in the material world, a person may develop suicidal behavior.
Traditionally in psychology, individual and personal properties are divided into innate and acquired. Conventionally, congenital traits of suicidal people can be called the presence of a depressive character and a tendency to impulsive reactions [3]. At the same time, we believe that without social influence the formation of traits predisposing to suicide is impossible. In this regard, the family of the suicide victim is analyzed as the most significant factor in the socialization of the individual.
A number of domestic scientists who have studied the problem of suicide cite an unfavorable family environment as one of the main factors of suicidal behavior [2]: a situation of long-term conflict in the family or divorce of parents, loss of significant attachment (death of a parent), absence of a “significant adult” in the family, etc.
A study was conducted on the relationship between suicidal activity in adolescents and family upbringing factors [5]. The authors argue that suicidal behavior in adolescents is influenced by both individual psychological characteristics of the individual and the type of upbringing of the child in the family. With a positive attitude from the family, the child can develop psychological defense mechanisms and behavioral patterns that allow him to adequately respond to emerging stressful situations and reduce negative emotional background. Inattention and an insufficiently serious attitude towards your child, his problems and experiences can become factors that increase the likelihood of suicide attempts in adolescence.
Most suicide researchers focus on the presence of completed or unfinished acts of suicide in the families of suicide victims. In these families, subsequent suicides are significantly more common. Studies of families of suicide victims indicate the presence of the following educational dysfunctions: low level of parental warmth (rejection of the child), underdeveloped communication functions of the family and family support, high levels of violence and traumatic experiences in childhood, and conflict situations in general [1, 2, 5]. Those who have attempted suicide describe the family as having low cohesion, less support, and less adaptability to change. By talking through his experiences to the mother, the child feels accepted and protected by the parent, due to which the traumatic experience is discharged. The condition for the child's frankness should be the parents' acceptance and consistency. If this mechanism does not work, traumatic experience accumulates with underdeveloped coping strategies and mature defense mechanisms.
A.S. Oreshkina studied coping strategies in suicidal patients in comparison with relatively healthy subjects. The author claims that in the group with conditionally healthy subjects, such coping behavior as planning decisions, seeking social support, and positive reappraisal of the life situation are significantly expressed. For the group of suicide victims, such coping behavior as escape-avoidance, when used, does not resolve the problem situation, is significantly expressed. The author also states the presence of a subjective feeling of loneliness among suicide victims in comparison with the norm group [6].
Abramova N.M. notes that suicidal people statistically significantly less often use adaptive coping strategies “problem analysis”, “optimism”, “cooperation” [1]. At the same time, they more often use maladaptive coping strategies such as aggressiveness, ignoring, confusion, and active avoidance. The formation of maladaptive coping strategies is associated with internal conflict structures of self-attitude: “internal conflict,” “self-blame,” “self-humiliation.” The author states that suicidal people have compensatory aspects of self-attitude in the form of self-acceptance, autosympathy, and self-esteem.
Thus, to prevent suicidal behavior, it is necessary to pay attention to the personal characteristics of people that may characterize a tendency to suicidal behavior. Also, the use of adaptive coping strategies may be a means of overcoming suicidal behavior.
Bibliography
1. Abramova N.M. Personal and ethnocultural characteristics of persons who have committed suicide attempts by poisoning: abstract of thesis. dis. ...cand. medical Sciences: - St. Petersburg. scientific research psychoneurol. Institute named after V.M. Bekhterev. - St. Petersburg, 2005. - 22 p. 2. Antonova A. A., Bachilo E. V., Barylnik Yu. B. Risk factors for the development of suicidal behavior // Saratov Journal of Medical Scientific Research. 2012. No. 2. T. 8. P. 403–409 3. Wiener C. Kerig. P. Psychopathology of the development of childhood and adolescence.. - St. Petersburg: prime-EUROZNAK; 2004. - 384 p. 4. Durkheim, E. Suicide: A Sociological Study / Translated, from French. with abbr.; Ed. V.A. Bazarova.- M.: Mysl, 1994.-399 p. 5. Minullina A.F., Sarbaeva O.Yu. The relationship between factors of family education and suicidal activity in adolescents // PM. 2020. No. 5 (90). 6. Oreshkina A.S. Features of coping behavior of a suicidal person // Social and clinical psychiatry. — 2017. — Volume 27, Issue. 3. - pp. 43-48. 7. Surnina S.S., Gadzhieva U.Kh. The concept of spiritual and moral characteristics of the individual and their role in the formation of suicidal intentions // Bulletin of medical Internet conferences, Vol. 5, Issue 2, 2020, pp. 101-102.
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