About Suicide
What is suicide?
Suicide is the act of a person consciously
(willingly) ending their own life.
Why do people take their own lives?
There is no one reason why people take their
own lives. It is often as a result of problems building up to the
point where the person can see no other way to cope with what
they’re experiencing.
Very often people (or the media) look for a
‘cause’ as if there is one factor that has led someone to take
their own life. In reality, the way someone feels is a result of
many factors. For example, a recent survey of Samaritans callers
found that 86% of them were calling about a number of problems or
worries rather than one single thing.
The kinds of problems that might increase the
risk of suicide include:
- Recent loss or the break up of a close relationship
- An actual or expected unhappy change in circumstances
- Painful and/or disabling physical illness
- Heavy use of, or dependency on alcohol/other drugs
- History of earlier suicide attempts or self-harming
- History of suicide in the family
- Depression
When someone is feeling low or distressed it
may be that a seemingly minor event is the trigger for them
attempting to kill themselves.
Why does talking help?
Talking openly about how you really feel can
be like opening a door. Talking puts you back in control and
reveals the choices you have.
Many people feel pressured into hiding their
feelings out of embarrassment or concern not to burden family or
friends. But hiding under a calm exterior only saves the problem
for later and stress can build up until it becomes unbearable.
Don’t leave it that long.
Remember, Samaritans is there to help whatever
time of the day or night.
"I'd like to say how great Samaritans are. I
recently phoned them and the bloke I talked to was really calm and
friendly. He gave me the time that I needed to say difficult things
and he called me back so that the call wouldn't appear on the
itemised phone bill. No-one there could magically make my life
better and totally happy, but talking really did help. People
reading this who are depressed
might not believe that; I know because I was the same. But I'd like
to say give it a try - it can't make things worse can it? I also
know that there will always be someone at the end of the
phone."
Gary, Samaritans caller
Do you have to be suicidal to call Samaritans?
If you think you might benefit from confidential emotional
support then we are here for you. You do not have to be suicidal to
contact us. We will not judge you if you call. We understand that
sometimes it can feel difficult to pick up the telephone, so try an
email or write a letter to us instead.
Sometimes writing down your thoughts can really help understand
them better.
"I would tell anyone to call Samaritans
because they've always helped me and you haven't got anything to
lose. If they don't help you, it's just a phone call, you don't
have to tell anyone that you've called them and it's all anonymous.
It's worth a try. Even if you aren't on the point of killing
yourself, you can still be going through immense pain and distress-
almost unbearable - and Samaritans are fantastic at easing your
pain."
Samaritans caller
Who else can help?
Please see our list of UK and Ireland-based
agencies that can offer specific advice.
How common is suicide?
It is estimated that across England and Wales
there are as many as 140,000 attempted suicides every year; that’s
one attempt every 4 minutes. About 24,000 of these cases are by
young people aged between 10 and 19.
In the UK for people aged 15-24, suicide is
the second biggest cause of death after road accidents.
Approximately one in three adolescents who die
by suicide have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of
death.
More women than men say they have considered
suicide (females 21%, male 13%), though more men actually take
their own lives.
Young women talk about how they are feeling
far more often than young men. Women are more likely than men to
have stronger social supports, and to seek psychiatric and other
medical support.
Suicidal young men are 10 times more likely to
use a drug to relieve stress. Suicidal young men were also more
likely to feel that they had been pressurised into taking drugs.
This group also spend far more on drugs than the non-suicidal
group.
Suicidal young men are significantly more
likely to have a father who is absent. They are also 10 times more
likely to use a drug to relieve stress.
For more information about suicide statistics
and Samaritans, please download the Samaritans Information Resource
Pack.
Media infudence
Research has shown that young people often get their information
on suicide from the media, and high profile cases of suicide can
sometimes lead to copycat effects.
The Press Complaints
Commission (PCC) has guidelines on reporting to make
sure reporting is not sensationalist.
Samaritans has also published some media
guidelines: “Media guidelines -
Portrayals of Suicide” which, for example, encourages
television, newspaper and radio not to publish details about
methods of suicide.
What can be done to prevent a suicide
cluster?
When there is a suicide in a community there
can sometimes be the added problem of additional ‘imitative’
suicides. This is sometimes called ‘suicide clusters’ or the
‘contagion’ effect and it has been found to be a particular problem
amongst young people.
It is thought that some of the ways in which
this ‘contagion’ takes place include personal communication, media
and/or the influence of the internet.
Ways to reduce the risk of contagion
include:
- Ensuring that unnecessary attention is not given to the
act.
- That information about the death is not presented in such a way
that other people might identify with the person who died.
- Avoiding excessive detail about time and method of death.
- Disclosing the contents of any suicide note.
- Discouraging permanent memorials.
- Not ‘romanticising’ the suicide or making events surrounding it
sound melodramatic.
How do Samaritans help reduce suicide?
Getting support to those who need it
Samaritans believes that providing someone with the opportunity
to frankly and honestly explore difficult feelings, without
judgement, can provide relief from distress. By helping people
understand their feelings and explore their options, Samaritans
believe they can enable people to find their own way forward
without controlling them.
Our phone and email support services are
available 24hours a day 7 days a week, as it's often overnight,
when other services are closed, that people struggle to get
support.
Improving understanding and reducing
stigma
One thing that can stop someone coming forward
and seeking help is the fear that they will be perceived as ‘weak’
or that people will think there is something ‘wrong’ with them.
This is a case where stigma can literally kill.
Samaritans works with other agencies to try
and improve people’s understanding of emotional health – that part
of our health that is about the way we think and feel. We do this
through our work in schools, workplaces and the media.
More information
Bereaved by
suicide
Identifying
someone at risk of suicide
Myths and
facts about suicide
Starting a
difficult conversation with someone that is
suicidal
Helping
people to talk through their problems