The 4 factors that increase the risk of suicide

There are both psychological and material aspects that increase the probability of committing suicide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that suicide and suicide attempts are one of the most serious health problems we face in the 21st century. In Spain, an average of 10 people commit suicide every day.It is the leading cause of death among young men between 15 and 29 years of age. Suicides double the number of fatalities resulting from traffic accidents (in 2015 there were 3,602 suicides in Spain).

We see many campaigns by the Government to control and reduce the number of victims at the wheel, but how many times do those people who have deliberately decided to take their own lives appear in the media? It seems that denying the existence of the problem is not a good strategy. That is why it is necessary to know the factors that increase the risk of suicide.

Factors that increase the risk of suicide.

According to the APA (2003), 13.5% of the general American population has had suicidal ideation at some point in their lives. Completed suicides are more common in men, but suicide attempts are more common among women (APA, 2003).

But how can we be able to reduce the number of people who commit suicide? Is there any way to prevent it? Many studies have been carried out along these lines, with the aim of identifying through the scientific method which are the risk factors that determine a greater probability of committing suicide. These risk factors usually have an additive effect, although sometimes they interact synergistically.

We will divide the risk factors into four subgroups: psychiatric disorders, previous attempts, genetic factors and other factors.

1. Psychiatric disorders

Within the group of people who commit suicide, 80-85% present depression, substance abuse or schizophrenia. In addition, mental disorders are associated with more than 90% of completed suicides. Some psychiatric disorders are associated with an increased risk of suicide. Among them, the following stand out:

1. 1. Depression

People with major depression have a 20 times higher probability of suicide risk compared to the general population. Within this population, it has been found that those people with severe anhedonia, insomnia, obsessive-compulsive personality traits, and high hopelessness have a higher risk of suicide than the general population. and with high hopelessness have a higher risk of killing themselves.

1.2. Substance abuse or dependence

There is a 15 times higher risk of suicide. In this group, those who have people who have also suffered a recent breakup have a higher risk, together with the presence of associated have a higher risk, along with the presence of associated depressive symptomatology.

1.3. Schizophrenia.

Within this group they present up to 9 times more likely to end their own life.. If the person with schizophrenia also has depression, obsessive-compulsive traits and shows a negative attitude towards treatment, the risk increases.

1.4. Bipolar Disorder

Those diagnosed with this disorder are 15 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

1.5. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

It has been found that those people with PTSD who have intense feelings of guilt are more likely to become suicidal. are more likely to be suicidal.

1.6. Borderline Personality Disorder

They present a suicide risk 4-8 times higher than the general population. The impulsivity that characterizes this group of people can increase the suicidal risk..

1.7. Antisocial behavior

In these cases, if they are associated with substance abuse and present some affective disorder (poor affective regulation), it is more risky for them to commit suicide.

It should be noted that the risk of suicide increases even more if there is comorbidity between two of the aforementioned disorders.. For example, there would be a very high risk if a person with schizophrenia were suffering from major depression.

2. Previous attempts

The most potent risk factor for suicide of all is a person's previous attempts. The more times he/she has tried, the more likely it is that he/she will try again in the future.. Moreover, the risk is higher if a number of additional variables are taken into account (APA, 2003):

• Whether previous attempts have been severe.
• If there has been an intense desire to die..
• If the person has tried to avoid being discovered (e.g., by making sure that no one was coming home at that time).
• If particularly lethal methods were used that resulted in significant physical harm.

3. Genetic factors

Some studies have shown that there appears to be a genetic factor for suicide, although much research remains to be done in this area. There is There is greater concordance for suicide and suicide attempts among univiteline twins..

In addition, it appears that there is a higher risk of suicide among Biological relatives than in families with adopted children who exhibit suicidal behavior. It is very important for the health professional to carefully evaluate the family psychiatric history.

4. Other associated factors

Some elements that increase the risk of suicide are:

• Being single or divorced.
• Job loss and being over 50 years of age.
• Having few economic resources.
• Low educational level.
• Homosexual or bisexual orientation.
• Suffering gender violence.
• Immigration with uprooting.
• Little social support and social isolation.

The need to take preventive measures

It is necessary social awareness of suicide risk in order to respond to it more training in suicide detection and prevention, more professionals specialized in the subject, and more awareness-raising talks for all ages. In this sense, the main objective should be to detect this danger in time and provide these people with the psychological care they require.

Suicide is said to be an eternal solution to what is often no more than a temporary problem. Suicide may be presented as a permanent solution to intense pain, to suffering that seems to be never-ending.Suicide can be presented as a permanent solution to seemingly endless suffering.

In fact, people who want to commit suicide do not think of simply dying, but of escaping the intense suffering that they believe will last forever, and contemplate suicide as the only way to stop suffering. But although it may not seem so, hopelessness, pain and emptiness are temporary states, not permanent..

If you have read this article and you know someone who may have suicidal ideation, try to approach that person with empathy and offer support, it can be a great change for that person.