Depression and suicide can be related, but depression doesn't necessarily lead to suicidal thoughts. Other factors have a stronger connection to suicide than depression.
Suicide is a taboo subject in many homes and communities, which means certain myths about suicide can easily override the realities. It's critical to be aware of the intricacies of suicide, especially because some experts believe it's "catching." This means that if a teenager or partner takes his life, his friends or partner are more likely to do the same. Research on suicide shows this isn't always true.
Recent Research on Suicide & Psychological Disorders
Women whose partners have been admitted to psychiatric units because of psychological disorders are seven times more likely to attempt suicide than those whose partners are mentally stable (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2005). Men whose partners struggle with mental illnesses such as depression are four times more likely to attempt suicide. While depression doesn't cause suicide, there is a correlation between psychological disorders and suicide.
Men who lost their partners to suicide were 46 times more likely to kill themselves. They are less likely to seek help and may have untreated or undetected mental health issues.
Whether people who are likely to commit suicide tend to attract one another is a possibility, making suicide less "catching" in the traditional sense. That is, a person won't necessarily consider killing themselves simply because their partner did – unless they were drawn together due to similar characteristics that may lead to suicide.
Research on Suicide Rates and Depression
Older white males have the highest rates of suicide, possibly because they have few strong interpersonal relationships. Anorexics, athletes, prostitutes, and physicians also have higher rates of suicide than other people. Thomas Joiner (Florida State University Professor of Psychology) believes it's because they're exposed to pain and may be hardened to suffering. They've learned to be fearless and have become accustomed to fear, danger and pain. They become less intimidated by self-injury and dangerous situations because they're exposed to it on a daily basis – making suicidal thoughts easier to pursue.
Joiner maintains that people who commit suicide have overcome their natural instinct for self-preservation. People who commit suicide feel they are a burden to others and that they don't belong; together, these feelings provide a strong motivation towards death.
Thomas Joiner is an internationally recognized suicide expert who wrote a book called Why People Die by Suicide. His goal is to understand suicide in order to be effective in suicide prevention.
Recent Research on Male and Female Suicide Rates
The University of Bristol in Britain found that women think about suicide more often than men, but men kill themselves more often than women. This may be because women are more comfortable seeking and accepting help than men. Suicide prevention may "work" better with women.
Suicidal thoughts are more frequent in people who are:
16-24 years old
single, cohabitating, or widowed
experiencing low levels of social support (few family and friends)
dealing with poverty or low socio-economic status
unemployed
Many people consider suicide or killing themselves at some point. Sometimes the pain of loss, grief, stress, and tragedy can be overwhelming to the point of despair. If you hear someone talk about suicide, don't shrug it off. Follow up on their thoughts and feelings because they may be reaching out to you – and to life. Suicide prevention is about really listening and following your gut.
If you found Recent Research on Suicide helpful, you might like to read:
The copyright of the article Recent Research on Suicide in Suicide is owned by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Permission to republish Recent Research on Suicide in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I lost my children in a custody battle. I am a mom. Moms at least most loving moms may not get over the grief and guilt. I can't concentrate. I
simply don't want to live. We all have to die at some point. Why not sooner
than later. I just want to be successful at carrying out the suicide. Most
people don't want to die. I don't want to live. Any suggestions on how to
kill yourself without pain. I hate physical pain. Thank you for any
advice you can offer
Sep 29, 2008 8:06 AM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
I'm really sorry to hear you lost your kids - that's a terrible experience
for any mom.
The only advice I can give is to GET HELP. Reach
out to your family, friends, pastor, rabbi, counselor -- someone you trust,
who can support you in your grief and guilt. The answer isn't death -- your
kids still need you, even though they may not live with you full-time.
Get help for your sake, and your kids' sake. Please come back and
let me know how you are.
Sincerely, Laurie
Oct 3, 2008 10:32 PM
john mathew lucas :
I know my problems are not as bad as any1 elses, but i still hate being
alive, just about everyday i consider just stopping everything but i
usually never end up doing it. i told myself i would wait till i turn 17
atleast 2 see if things get better wich is the 20th but i dont
think they will ive been like this for like 5 years now =( and usually
i try and talk myself out of actually doing it by thinking of how in 20
years i wanna be alive and know i got threw the hard times but its harder
and harder, i just wanna know if there are ways 2 get past it?
Oct 4, 2008 5:20 AM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
John, it's good to hear from you. Ugh, 5 years is a long time to feel that
way! I don't think it's an age thing - you say "when I'm 17 I'll feel
better." I think it's the way your biology is wired. Sometimes, our
brains secrete too much of the "bad" hormones (such as cortisol,
which is a stress hormone), and not enough of the good ones, like serotonin
or oxytocin. That makes us feel terrible about life.
The way to
get past this is to GET HELP, and stop thinking it'll go away. Talk to
someone you trust, and go to a doctor to see if you should be taking
something that'll change your biology a little bit, and make you feel
better about life!
Feeling despondent is a terrible way to go
through life, so please take care of yourself and take action.
Come back, and let me know what's happening.......
Warmly, Laurie
Oct 16, 2008 4:35 PM
Guest :
My situation fits in four categories of those whose suicidal thoughts are
more frequesnt. No support, poverty, single, and unemployed. I just cannot
make it on my own, too disabled to be desired in employment, not severe
enough for SSA or SSI. In speaking with other people I have actually been
told that they understand my particular case and could understand my
thoughts. I also have several illnesses which are more annoying and costly
than deadly. I have suffered from depression since I was 18 and have
experienced a whole lot of trauma. Religiously speaking Suicide is a sin.
However, it makes sense that if a person could take their own life legally
(and without guilt) it would make people happy that their tax dollars
weren't spent on people that no one cares about anyway.
Nov 4, 2008 10:08 AM
Guest :
I do not fit the stereotype. I am married with a newborn and have been and
have been diagnosed with major depression (and now I think I'm more
bi-polar) but now I am at a dangerous stage. My marriage is one the rocks,
my job is in jeopardy (it is well paying) and I'm facing a criminal charge
that could put me in jail.....so much stress and pain that I cannot deal
with. I have planned how I would do it and even bought the rope. Each day
I wake up and start thinking how everyone would be better off without me
for a couple hours. I think hard about my suicide plans and eternal
darkness. Deep down I want to live and its not that I want death, but to
escape life and the shame of all my failures. I feel horrible and wish I
could make this pain go away, but I can't. The only thing that keeps me
going is the pain I will cause my wife & son, parents & sister and
friends. I don't know how to cope and blacking out and never waking up
seems like it will help. I want to go to the ER and voluntary commit
myself, but am afraid of the conditions, stigma of doing that and its
impact on everything and everyone around me. I surely would raise red flags
with my job, friends and family. I think if I told them what I was
thinking, they would never let me out again and I'd be tied up for life in
a rubber room. I can't focus on anything and each day it seems easier to
follow through.....but then I think of how FINAL this is.
Nov 4, 2008 11:49 AM
john mathew lucas :
hello, me again, im doing better so far =D and since then things are just
working out a bit better u know? well thank u for saying what u said and
all that. I'm starting 2 like life better.. if there is anything i can do 2
help u just tell me =D thank u
Mar 6, 2009 5:23 AM
Guest :
hi, im not actualy sure whats wrong with me. since i was about 10 or 11 ive
been feeling, well i dont know if depressed is the proper diagnosis but its
basically what ive been feeling. but its horrible because a lot of the time
it comes without reason, there could be no real trauma or stress of any
sort and without notice i feel like dying. and it feels pathetic that ive
sunk so low, to the point where, well i havent actualy tried but i think
about it all too much. ive been thinking of funeral costs and other such
expenses to save my family some greef. and even though i havent actualy
tried thoroughly yet, at times when i do feel stressed or in so much
emotional pain i do reach for a razor. and now i feel that i may have a
problem since now i feel that in order to keep going i almost have to cause
myself physical pain. sometimes cutting my wrist was the only way to save
me from doing something that i wouldnt really regret at this point but that
the ones i love would
Mar 14, 2009 1:52 PM
Guest :
My son suicided at age 28, although he was younger emotionally. He was
intelligent and insightful. I have a box full of his journals that I can't
bring myself to destroy. They describe his feelings and multiple attempts
at suicide and cover much of the last ten years of his life. Do you know of
someone who could use them for research or an article or book? Thank
You. gus@gschairer.com
Mar 15, 2009 6:18 AM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
Gus, that's a very kind offer to give your son's journals to someone.
Hopefully someone will respond to you. I'd also suggest calling the
Distress Lines or social service organizations in your area -- they might
have some idea on who could put your son's journals to best use.
For the previous guest: if you need physical pain to feel stuff, then you
need to get help! Please talk to someone you trust -- because cutting
doesn't solve the problem. It just creates more problems. Talk to someone
- in person, not just over the internet - before it goes too far, okay?
All best, Laurie
Apr 24, 2009 1:02 AM
Guest :
Hey I dont know if you remember me at all. but thank you again.I hardly
ever think about killing myself or anything anymore..and I am actually sort
of happy. And and yeah my name is John. And just thanks again keep doing what your doing. :)
Jun 2, 2009 7:31 AM
Guest :
i have never thought of committing suicide but iknow that my cousin has i
am in school and i am lookkin for research on suicide.
Jun 10, 2009 8:52 AM
Guest :
hi i am another who thinks abt it a lot. just feel like a failure and feel
like don't have the will or belief in myself to change this. feel it's too
late for me to make anything out of my life. maybe there never was a chance
for me to make it, but I feel like my life went off track a long time ago,
and now things have happened that can't be reversed. all went wrong, for
one reason or another. too late now. so that's why i think about it. just
awful being terrible at everything, and trapped in a life where this seems
the only option. everyone around me excels. i'm "the loser." you
know, some people are shoved into the mold of being a star when they're
little, and some are shoved into the loser mold. some people are taught to
swim as children; some are taught to drown. but they're taught so young,
they don't remember - this is just what they end up doing. I am married
with children. wish i could just get hit by a car or something
Jun 11, 2009 5:26 AM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
Sometimes feelings of depression leads to thoughts of suicide -- and the
solution isn't getting hit by a car or leaving this earth, it's getting
help for your feelings of despair. Especially if you have kids! They can
sense your depression, and does affect them.
Can you talk to
your doctor, and explore possible treatments for depression? Getting help
may not be easy or even your first choice for dealing with your feelings,
but it can lead to a healthier, happier life.
If you're
struggling with thoughts of suicide or depression, please call a Distress
Line or a local social services organization. You don't have to continue
feeling so bad about your life....help IS out there, but you have to find
it.
Laurie
Jul 16, 2009 6:35 AM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
I'm very sorry for the loss of your father to suicide. You're struggling
with alot of questions, pain, and grief -- and having so many unanswered
questions doesn't help!
I've given you my thoughts on my
Psychology blog, including why I had to remove your email address from your
comment.
Just click on my name in blue at the top of this page,
then click on "Read Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen's blog" on the right
side. Scroll down to "Who Can I Talk to About My Father's
Suicide?" You can also find it in the July, 2009 list on the side
panel.
I hope to see you there.
Laurie
Aug 2, 2009 9:05 PM
Guest :
a family member just committed suicide i havent spoke to him are his family
in 25yrs what can i do to console his wife and adult children all though i
havent spoke to them i cant stop crying i hate to see anyone in that much
pain ... some of these comments are so sad
the srcret to being
miserable is to have the leisure to bother about wheter you are happy or
not
it takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow
Aug 3, 2009 6:55 AM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
I'm so sorry for your loss. Even if you haven't seen them in 25 years,
suicide is still shocking and devastating.
I suggest you reach
out to them, and be as honest as possible. Don't try to say "all the
right things" -- because there really is no right thing to say!
Express how sorry you are, and don't be afraid to say "suicide."
Suicide isn't something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about -- and the
more openly you can talk about it, the better.
Instead of giving
all my suggestions here, I wrote a post on my Psychology blog. I can't
include links to suicide websites here in the comments sections, and I
found some links that will help.
Just click on my name in blue
at the top of this page, then click on "Read Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen's
blog" on the right side. Scroll down to "How Do I Survive When a
Loved One Commits Suicide?" You can also find it in the August, 2009
list on the side panel.
I hope to see you there, and you have my
deepest sympathies.
Laurie
Aug 7, 2009 8:55 PM
Guest :
I do not suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts. I do not fit the
sterotype. But even I have seriously considered suicide at one point in my
life. I don't really know why I didn't go through with it, I didn't talk to
anyone, nobody tried to stop me. I just had to live. Despite the pain and
the loss, something drove me to stay alive. And here I am today.
M.
Sep 14, 2009 6:27 AM
Guest :
you guys should not kill yourselves. it is not the right way to do things.
GET HELP!!!
Oct 2, 2009 7:21 AM
Guest :
I am tired of living life. my life just drags on like and elastic rubber
band which can stretch beyond a limit. i am in class 7, thirteen years old.
my parents are barely in town, and, having no siblings, i am usually
exxtremely lonely. i have thought this over time and again and have decided
that suicide is the only thing i can do. i top in my class almost every
year but last year i didnt because i couldnt concentrate on anything. there
are many other problems in my life and i just want to put an end to them,
now. amd i cannot confide in to ANYONE. I would greatly appreciate any
advice you can offer to put an end to myself or else i hav only one another
option. Thanks.
Oct 3, 2009 10:05 PM
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :
Hi,
I’m sorry you’re struggling so much – and that you feel so
alone.
Before you make any decisions about your life, please
read my “Help for Depressed Teenagers” article, here on Suite101. I can’t
post links in the comments section, but you’ll find it if you search for
“Help for Depressed Teenagers Suite101” here on Suite or on Google
itself.
Read through the article, and through the comments.
You’re not alone – SO MANY teens struggle with depression and thoughts of
suicide. For every person who comments, there are 100 people who are
feeling the same way, but don’t comment!
Please read through the
article, and think about the advice given to those teens struggling with
depression. And, feel free to comment again, either on that article or this
one.
Best wishes, Laurie
Nov 3, 2009 7:21 PM
Guest :
I am on this website because I need to write a paper for my developmental
psychology class and have chosen the topic of suicide. I see that many of
you have had these thoughts, and some are searching for ways to get over
their depression and some are seeking ways to carry out a suicide. I don't
know if anyone is going to even listen to this, but I will write it
anyways. DON'T DO IT. Yes your life may suck, you suffer every day, you
have nothing to live for, you feel helpless, unwanted, etc. But this is
not true. There may be bad things that have happened, but there are worse
that have happened to someone else. Life gets better if you make it. I
have also had suicidal thoughts, so I'm not just some happy go lucky freak
who goes around talking about peace and love, but I have realized that I am
alive and I need to live life to the fullest. Last year one of the most
amazing people I know committed suicide. He was only 20 years old and
suffered from cancer, but had so much going for him. I saw how it affected
my entire community, his family, friends, even people who didn't know him.
I see how much people suffer. Just 4 days ago a friend from high school
who was also only 20 took his own life as well. He had lost both parents.
He has a little sister who is a sophomore in high school who has now lost
her mom, dad, and brother to suicide. My boyfriend lost his father 5 years
ago, and often used to say how he had nothing to live for, lost the only
person he loved, was going no where in life, etc. Even though he still may
feel those same feelings, he has seen what committing suicide does to
people and knows he couldn't be so selfish as to do that to people who love
him. If you're thinking about it, you know that it is wrong. PLEASE GET
HELP. Many people never have these thoughts again after seeking help and
it is definitely worth a try. Please. I don't know you, and you don't know
me, but just listen to a stranger. While doing some research, I also saw
that a man that jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge had left a note at home
saying: I'm going for a walk on the bridge. If one person smiles at me, I
will not jump. If any of you feel that way, I am the one person smiling
back. DON'T DO IT. Think of what you will to do other people. Suicide
often leads the loved ones left behind do think about and possibly do the
same thing. If you are gone would you want you're loved ones to repeat
your actions?
Apr 18, 2007
