Since suicidal wishes are prevalent and potentially a lethal problem in depressed clients, it is important to understand why the person is considering such a drastic action. Throughout the world suicide is on the increase, and although each culture deals with it’s own idiosyncratic beliefs and attributions most people have parity as to why, such as, humiliation, shame, financial inequalities, insurmountable pressure to survive, constant threat, in essence often circumstances that seemingly are beyond the families or individuals controlled.
Although it may not appear so, when people choose suicide it is because they are unwell (Clinically depressed), not because of their circumstances. They see their situation as hopeless and they are helpless to make change. Yet, there are people in the same environment that don’t attempt to take their lives in fact more choose to survive than not. The reason for this, is that it is the meaning we give to ourselves, life and our situations, that will primarily determine how we feel, and our behaviours or actions, not the situations or circumstances themselves. This is of paramount importance when trying to understand what would prompt someone to take his or her life. Based on this philosophy with the correct guidance there is always the possibility for the person to adjust their point of view and experience life in a different way.
Many professionals still believe the myth, that questioning a depressed person about the presence of suicidal ideas may put the idea in his/her head, or make the idea of suicide more acceptable if they are already thinking about self-harm.
Actually, research has found that encouraging a client to talk about their suicidal ideas can help to view these thoughts more objectively, provide necessary information for therapeutic intervention, and offer some degree of relief.
The Therapist will be in a better position to select appropriate and effective techniques to deal with this particular problem, however, no anti-suicidal strategy is of any use unless the Therapist is able to detect and assess the degree of suicidal intentionality.
Hopelessness:
When a client was asked why he wanted to commit suicide, he replied, “there is no point to living, I have nothing to look forward to, I just can’t stand life, I can never be happy, I am feeling so miserable and worthless this is the only way I can escape”. “I am a burden to my family and they will be better off without me”.
Motives for suicide:
I have found that the reason most commonly reported for wanting to suicide, is because they want to give up and escape from life and seek surcease, or life is simply too much and not worth living, and the inner emotional or mental distress appears unchangeable and simply intolerable. They see no way out of their problematic situation and are exhausted from the enormous sense of loss and most times the level of hopelessness and helplessness about the future is profound, ‘things just can’t get better’.
Therapists, as well as friends and family members are often surprised by the client’s suicidal attempt because they are aware only of the factors that would, (according to their perspective) favour the clients desire to continue living. Following the suicide attempt, they may say, “he seemed to be in good spirits”, “she had everything to live for”, or “they were making real progress in therapy”. These statements illustrate the incongruity between the client’s own perception of his/her life situation and the more realistic perception of the significant others in their social environment.
Suicidal ideation can be treated with the aid of an experienced therapist. It may require the support of other services including your GP, to help you recover. If you believe you have reached this point and you are planning to harm yourself, please give the professional a chance to intervene and bring you back out of this level of suffering and despair.
