Planning; Research on suicide

Gender differences in suicide;

Suicide attempts are between two and four times more frequent among females. Researchers have attributed the difference between attempted and completed suicides among the sexes to males using more lethal means to end their lives.  One theory put forward for the larger gap is the increased burden of motherhood due to cultural norms. In regions where the identity of females is constructed around the family, the pressure of it being a ‘societal norm’ to settle down and have a family and children may correlate with higher levels of risks for suicide.

This Fact was taken from the ‘Samaritans’ website which help prevent suicide, as well as looking at the causes and impacts these actions have on the individual, as well as their family. The fact that the females suicide has increased in recent years, lead to the exploration as to what the causes of these actions may be down to. As a result of this research, one of the conclusions they came to was the idea of motherhood, as shown above. This is directly linked to the storyline of my main character, the idea that she is under pressure from her mother to have and raise this child, when it is not her desire to do so, causes her to in fact kill herself, linking to this statistical fact of female suicide.

Methods of suicide;

The two most common methods of suicide among individuals in the United Kingdom are ‘hanging, strangulation and suffocation’ (all grouped together) followed by poisoning (overdose). However inhalation of domestic gas was the most common method of suicide during the mid-twentieth century.

For both men and women, the proportion of deaths from poisoning has fallen over the last 11 years. Conversely, the proportion of suicides from ‘hanging, strangulation and suffocation’ has increased over the same period. Drowning, falls and other methods have remained fairly consistent over the past decade.

Suicide in pregnant women;

 Suicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant and recently pregnant women, a new study finds. "There's no question that pregnancy is a time when mental health issues like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts manifest themselves," Pregnant women who are depressed or have problems with anxiety are more likely to experience thoughts of death and engage in suicidal behaviour compared with other pregnant women. The findings show the pernicious impact of socioeconomic adversity, interpersonal violence and lack of social support on pregnant women’s wellbeing.  Furthermore, pregnant women who are not in a relationship are also more likely than other pregnant women to experience suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide. And we found suicide risk decreases as pregnant women experience more social support.

Misconceptions and reality of suicide;

The Misconception: Suicide notes permeate popular culture. Books of them have been assembled, popular comic bits treat them as routine, and so on. As technology has changed, people have even been known to post video suicide notes online.

The Reality: While suicide notes are hardly an anomaly, a large majority of suicides do not leave behind any final message. A report  estimates that suicide notes are only found 12–30 percent of the time. The tendency seems to be that people suffering from a form of mental illness don’t leave a note, while those ending their lives because of a personal conflict are more likely to create a final message. These percentages have reportedly remained constant as the suicide rate has fluctuated—and as communication technology has become more widely available.

The Misconception: It makes sense that someone who is openly suicidal is more likely to kill themselves. They’ll have worked out the variables and risks to ensure the most effective method of self-termination. They are also the ones least likely to make calls for help.

The Reality: While it is certainly true that people who frequently contemplate putting themselves out of their misery attempt suicide often, people who attempt suicide impulsively tend to be vastly more successful. In fact, methods that require the least amount of planning tend to be by far the deadliest. These impulsive methods include self-inflicted gunshots and jumping from a tall height—this being a significant reason why putting up barriers along bridges is so effective at lowering suicide rates.

The Misconception: As the suicide rate climbs, there has also been an increasing trend to bemoan the “New Age” values that have led to a supposedly coddled younger generation. Perhaps teenagers are naturally turning to suicide because they haven’t had the experience dealing with hardship that would allow them to resist the impulse to end their lives. Suicidal thoughts, the traditional view might be, are something that can just be toughed out.

The Reality: In fact, suicide rates are higher in rural areas where traditional values are more prevalent. For example, in Wyoming, one of the most rural and traditionalist states in America, the suicide rate is three times the national average. In rural China, it’s as much as five times higher than in urban areas, particularly among women. It seems that being in an environment where people feel comfortable expressing suicidal thoughts might be a good preventive measure regarding suicide.

 This research was completed in order to gain a wide understanding of the subject of suicide, due to the fact that it is such a vast subject, with much to research and gain an understanding of. This is the bare minimum of research completed, yet everything that has been researched is completely necessary to my main character and the journey she experiences. I made sure to cover the basis of all areas that I will address due to not wanting to make any false depictions or misconceptions. These topics cover; Gender differences in suicide, methods of suicide, suicide in pregnant women and the misconceptions compared to reality of suicide.  Hopefully this research will also help to prevent the audience from feeling as though I have created a negative view of suicide.