SOC212 - 7. Suicide Flashcards
Introduction
Suicide takes place across all age groups (teens, middle-aged + elderly)
process, not a just a single act, that varies between groups, situations + time periods.
Suicidal Behaviour
defined as intentional and deliberate destruction of one’s own life.
In Canada, 3700 to 4000 people commit suicide annually.
Suicidal Behaviour
Second highest cause of death for youth in Canada
Euthanasia is suicide motivated by desire to avoid suffering that results from disease or injury
Suicidal Behaviour
Death caused indirectly by actions without immediate lethal consequences may also amount to suicide
Vulnerability
factors that make an individual vulnerable to suicidal behaviour include:
• Mental illness
• Abuse
• Loss of a loved one early in life
Vulnerability
• Family history of suicide
• Long-term difficulty with peer relationships
not causal, but combinations can result in suicide
Public Attitudes
majority of countries condemn suicide
Some countries have historically approved suicide.
Legal prohibitions - against state’s laws/religion
economy crumbles without ppl
Public Attitudes
Social acceptance or condemnation of suicide varies
associated with stigma of mental illness
some countries accept suicide - shame, widows (Japan)
condemnation varies depending on religion and education
Attempted Suicide
Suicide attempts may number as many as 20x total number of successful suicides
Women attempt suicide more frequently than men; however, men are more successful
Attempted Suicide
CAMH: 200 attempts per day
most occur in settings that encourage or allow intervention by others
Reporting Issues
Problems with providing statistics on suicide
Media portrayal
Variance in rates - underreported by authorities and media
Reporting Issues
insurance claims: cover ups by family + friends
in response to social stigma
sensitive topic in conversations
when it comes to celebrities - insensitive
Reporting Issues
rates fluctuates with economy + war - great depression - went up to 17.4 in 100,000
differ by country + within countries (regions, gender, age)
go down around holidays
rates within military have gone up
Differences
Gender Differences
Men tend to use more dangerous or immediately lethal (guns) means than women (chemical or knives)
Differences
Age Differences
Men’s suicide rates increase with age, while women’s rates peak at 45 to 54 years of age.
rates increase with age
Differences
Race: In the U.S., White people kill themselves at substantially higher rates than that occur among African Americans. In Canada, Aboriginal and First Nations communities have extremely high suicide rates
Differences
Marital Status: Married people commit suicide at
lower rates than single, divorced, or widowed people.
social support, economic support
Differences
Religion: Suicide rates of Catholics fall below those of Protestants
Differences
Sexuality & Gender Identity: LGBT youth face approximately 14x risk of suicide + substance abuse than their heterosexual peers
Differences
77% of trans respondents in an Ontario-based survey had seriously considered suicide + 45% had attempted suicide
Differences
inverse relationship with education
depression - often undiagnosed and untreated
Occupation and Social Status:
Those with less education are twice as likely to commit
Differences
suicide than those with most education
Occupational status, by itself, doesn’t effectively predict suicide
Differences
mental illness: depression
often undiagnosed and untreated
suicide result of combination of diff things