Crisis Management Suicide

Crisis Management Suicide

Suicide refers to the intentional act of terminating one’s life. According to research by (Arafat, 2017), at least 12 among 100,000 people per year meet their death through such an action. Different age groups have varying degrees of suicidal tendencies due to their risk factors. A risk factor is something that increases someone’s chances of developing a disease or a disorder. In this case, the term risk factor refers to the various elements that contribute to suicidal thoughts and attempts. Multiple factors such as mental health problems, family discord, and physical or sexual abuse are rated among some of the leading causes of suicide among adolescents, adults, and the elderly. This essay explains the risk factors of suicide in the three groups and analyzes the demographics, psychosocial, and development stage impact of these risk factors.

Adolescents

Following The World Health Organization’s definition, an adolescent is any person between the ages of 10 and 19. These are young people who are mostly vibrant and experiencing transitions in their body forms into adulthood. However, this age comes with its fair share of challenges. Demographically, many girls attempt suicide than boys. However, many boys complete the attempt. Research also indicates that adolescent girls repeated the act in less than two years after the first attempt (Sukhawaha, 2016). The psychosocial risk factors that contributed to this act include the lack of social and family support. Teens who do not get help from their families tend to feel isolated and lonely. Most have reported feeling hopeless, helpless, and worthless. As a result, they resort to getting rid of their lives with the notion that nobody cares after all..

Many adolescents struggle with perfectionism, and when they are not able to reach their desired goals, they develop rejection mentality. They resist who they are; such an act sends them to stress and depression that results in suicide. Physical or sexual abuse is another risk factor that primarily affects this age group and leads to self-life termination. A child who was continuously molested and made to go through physical pain without any help will view life negatively. As such, this person may lose interest in life itself and feel that they are of less value. Such thoughts lead to suicide if no measurements are taken to save the child. Academic struggles and low self-esteem also makes it hard for an adolescent to maintain a relaxed mind. They feel bad about themselves, and some resort into self-murder.

Adults

According to The World Health Organization, about 900,000 adults commit suicide every year in the world. This means that every 40 seconds, a person loses their life due to suicide. Unlike in the adolescent stage, where many females attempt suicide, at adulthood, it is the males who face this threat the most. Statistics conducted by (Olfson, 2016) indicate that male adults commit suicide at a three times higher rate than their female counterparts. The risk factors that contribute to this scenario include family discord, where issues such as conflicts become insolvable, and one has to live with the pain of a broken family. This pain has been reported to cause mental health problems, and those who unsuccessfully attempted suicide admitted that they felt they had nothing to live for, thereby resorting to suicide.

Adults also engage in suicidal tendencies due to the loss of loved ones. Studies revealed that some male adults killed themselves because of the loss of their wives. Some adults who go through physical or sexual abuse without getting any help have also been reported to commit suicide. They do so due to the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. Apart from these mental related issues, adults also commit suicide due to the development stage. The risk factors at this stage involve access to lethal firearms; people quickly access firearms are at two times higher risk of committing suicide than those who don’t. Adults also face mood disorders, which leads them into such a dubious act. Adults between the ages of 35-54 are also the most stressed due to the many responsibilities they have to play; as such, some develop depression, which, if not correctly handle, results in suicide. Some adults engage themselves in drug and substance abuse, and as such, they face a lot of stigma from family and friends. This happens especially when one is a critical addict. It is this feeling of being rejected that makes them develop a suicidal mindset.

Geriatrics

Geriatrics deals with the elderly in society. Most countries in the world qualify any person at the age of 65 and above to be termed as the elderly or old. Persons at this age also face problems such as personal issues, social relations difficulties, and psychological traumas. Statistics indicate that some countries, for example, the U.S, 1 in every five suicide deaths is of an older adult ({\”O}zer, 2016). The risk factors involved include psychiatric illness and the perception of the meaning of physical pain. Older adults perceive physical pain differently from the younger ones. They get emotionally affected and offended, thinking it is because of old age that they have to feel such pain. This makes them easily irritated, a situation which makes the mind unable to withstand life, and therefore they end up committing suicide.

Studies have revealed that some older adults commit suicide almost immediately after retirement (Sum, 2015). This is because they lack nothing to do with their lives, and thus, feelings of loneliness lead them into the suicidal act. This age is affected by the cognitive deficit. Most aged people may not be able to think and act as fast as they were young; this creates stress and affects their self-esteem leading to suicidal attempts.

Conclusion

Suicide is a global disorder, and anyone can be involved whether they have mental issues or not. This behavior manifests differently in people of different gender, ages, cultural groups, and geographic regions. These groups experience a variety of risk factors that contributes to the act. There may not be an accurate method of detecting suicide, but understanding and improving clinical practice, psychology, and sociology can help detect and prevent. Regular follow up on those who have attempted suicide before will help cub repetition.