Adolescent Suicide
Epidemiological Approach to the Study of Male Adolescent Suicide in Idaho
Throughout history suicide has remained an enigma in cultures that are far and different from each other. The act of taking one's life has been a representation of religious beliefs, cultural attitudes, and the answer to pain and suffering. Although suicide is mainly frowned upon in the western world is such countries as Japan and India the act of suicide is a requirement of honor and social acceptability and the passage of time has seen the emergence, and rejection, of varying attitudes toward suicide. For example, during the persecution of Christians by the Romans an acceptable practice of a Christian woman to prevent herself from being "deflowered" by a Roman soldier the act of suicide was not only accepted but expected as well. In fact the Romans and Greeks both were of the opinion that suicide was a responsible and socially acceptable and sometimes necessary course of action. Socrates drank hemlock in the company of his friends and in certain parts of rural India it is still permissible for the wife of a deceased husband to commit suicide by throwing herself onto his funeral pyre. What is important to remember is that suicide places the victim in a voluntary position wherein facilitation of the act is determined by the individual him or herself and, for the suicide there is no question of symmetry or consent. For these individuals suicide may well be a rational argument to end one's life in the context of prolonged physical pain or metal anguish. On the other hand, however, there are numerous situations wherein ambiguity rings clear and the act is a reflection of an emotional dysfunction wherein the ability to rationalize outside the constraints of the illness lead to suicide. In other words, the powers of reasoning have been suspended. In fact affective mod disorders that lead to suicide, or evoke the desire to commit suicide, must be treated in the same vein.
If suicide is both culturally influenced and psychologically determined the question becomes one of differentiation. Although this particular philosophical debate is beyond the scope of this paper mention must be made by way of consequential interests. The leading question, therefore, is suicide a defensible action given certain contextual situations. For example, does the death of one person become socially and morally correct if the act ensures the continuance of life for a greater number of people? Continuing this example further consider a soldier who constantly risks his/her life for the well-being of others. Should the bomb explored and the soldier be killed does society consider the person's death an act of suicide? Can one actually question the morality of the soldier who was in full possession of the knowledge of the risks involved? Most would agree that even St. Thomas, who was vehemently opposed to the act of suicide, would deem the act excusable when the primary intent of the action is altruistic. In other words a socially and morally unacceptable action completed in principle is morally acceptable if an obligation exists to exercise an action benefiting the larger majority.
The act of suicide must also be looked at from the viewpoint of a natural or unnatural response to pain. As a side bar note it is interesting to point out that animals suffering from extreme pain do not actually commit suicide. The haunting question is, therefore, what is the defining feature in man that permits the act of suicide to emerge? Is it because, right or wrong, man has the ability to make the argument on a hypothetical level, to reason, and to logically arrive at a conclusion? If this is the case, what tempts or causes man to be illogical in decisions ending in suicide? Or, what influences are so strong that rational man decides that suicide is the only probable answer to a dysfunctional situation? The answer, of course, lies in the epidemiology of the construct of suicide itself, namely risk factors that are sociodemographic, psychiatric, biological, familial, and situational.
The remainder of this paper will take a more epistemological look at the issue of suicide, especially male teen suicide with respect to the phenomenon existing in the state of Idaho. The secondary phase of the report will pay particular attention to the role of the nursing profession in suicide rate reduction. The end product, or result, will be the formulation of a testable hypothesis seeking to determine whether or not the nursing profession is equipped to become a forcible entity in lowering the rate of male teen suicide in Idaho through preventative programming.
The Epidemiology of Teen Male Suicide. By broad definition epidemiology refers to the...
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