Mental Disorder
Suicide- Mental Disorder
Beginning with a historical analysis of suicide, the psychopathology of suicide is analyzed. Empirical findings are also presented to address probable causes of suicide. This paper addresses the psychopathology of suicide starting with its historical backdrop. It additionally contemplates the probable reasons leading to this pathology founded on latest empirical results. Control of suicidal behaviors and ideation are addressed, along with prevention and treatment strategies. Finally, the religious and cultural purviews with respect to suicide are considered based upon current research in the field.
Globally, suicide is one of the major causes of death. As many as 36,000 commit suicide in the United States annually and estimates suggest that 1 million individuals commit suicide in the rest of the world. While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) does not classify suicide as a mental disorder (DSM-IV-TR), practitioners recognize the correlation between psychological dysfunction and suicide, particularly with respect to perturbed orientation towards life, emotional confusion, and poor skills in ordinary coping with circumstances (Comer, 2013).
The precise definition of a suicide attempt is that it is an action which the individual has initiated with at least a partial goal of ending their own life. This act may or may not result in medical consequences and/or injury. Factors that impact the actual result of the suicide attempt include: low intentionality and/or ambivalence, chance intervention during the attempted act, incomplete knowledge about the method chosen for the suicide, and poor planning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) states that suicidal behavior includes at least one suicide attempt by the individual. An attempt made at suicide by an individual, even if they changed their mind and/or there was a timely intervention, is considered suicidal behavior. As an example, some suicide attempts include the use of poison and/or medications. The individual may begin taking these substances but then might be stopped by another person, or may choose to stop themselves. However, should the individual not actually initiate the suicidal behavior, whether due to stopping themselves and/or an intervention, it is recommended that this person not be diagnosed as suicidal (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Historical Perspective
In 1642, Sir Thomas Browne first used the word suicide in his book 'Religio Medici'. This word comes from the Latin sui and cida 'one who kills oneself'. While suicidal numbers are high at present, the act itself seems to have been recorded throughout history. Prior to the introduction of word 'Suicide', other terms used included self-destruction, self-killing and self-murder. Beck and colleagues defined suicide as a willful self-infliction of an act that is life-threatening (Pooja & Kochar, n.d.).
Historically, the societal view of suicide has varied with the culture. For example, the traditions of the feudal Japanese held suicide to be an honorable act by which a family or clan were protected from dishonor by the acts of one family member. The view of many in the ancient Roman Empire was that the act of committing suicide was an act of glory, and a demonstration of superior wisdom. Indeed, often in former historical periods it appears that the deliberate choice of death before one was enfeebled was 'dying with dignity' (Barnes, 2010). To some extent then, and particularly prior to the 1600's when the actual term 'suicide' entered into conversational use, this act was considered to be merely a different form of death.
An early stigmatization of suicide as an unforgivable sin came from Saint Augustine, and his followers, and much of Western Christianity, viewed suicide as a sinful act. Suicide was considered to be an act of murder, and thus direct violation of one of the Ten Commandments. Accordingly, individuals who committed suicide were not permitted a church burial. Furthermore, in some cases other acts expressing the societal and moral disapproval included the dragging of the bodies of suicides through town to impress the wrongness of the act upon the community, and possibly also to punish and/or humiliate the family of the individual (Barnes, 2010).
While there were often penalties and disgrace for families of suicides, classification of an individual as mentally disturbed began, during the 1800s, to change the societal purview of suicide. The societal status of a family was of significant importance in that time period, and both reputation and family dignity were considered priorities; thus having a suicide in the family was considered disgraceful. Having a family member who was mentally ill was also considered disgraceful, and the stigma attached led to the development of a taboo against suicide in Western culture. In contrast, suicide is today spoken of almost openly, and disgrace is not necessarily concomitant with the sorrow of a lost loved one to suicide....
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