Suicide: The tragic taboo - Part 2

Suicide: The tragic taboo - Part 2 In African cosmology, witchcraft is the common way of rationalisating suicide. So why, then, is suicide such a taboo?

1. Mental illness

Mental health is misunderstood, thus the link to suicide is also not made. However, research shows that most people who have either contemplated or attempted suicide report intense pain deep in their psyche, and that death is the only possible outlet of relief. Depression is a significant risk factor for suicide and individuals with mood disorders represent a particularly vulnerable group.

2. Feeling like a burden

A local newspaper reported that a centenarian committed suicide, while another reported a suicide case of a 10-year-old. What is puzzling about these age groups is the belief that a 100-year-old and a 10-year-old should not have problems - as it is assumed that they have care givers. Yet the reality is that when people are either too young or too old, they pose the most burden on their support system.

When there is a breakdown in family relations, it’s the young and old who suffer the consequences as no one is willing to take on the responsibility. People who have attempted or have committed suicide and left a note often state that their loved ones or the world, in general, would be better off without them. This may be due to the rigidity in thoughts, as they hold a strong belief that they are beyond any type of help.

3. Family history

Family history of suicidal behaviour represents a significant risk factor. This leaves the question whether suicide can be inherited? Mental health disorders, including mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depression, schizophrenia and substance use and abuse, and certain personality disorders, which run in families, increase the risk for suicidal behaviour. This does not imply that individuals with this family history will eventually commit suicide; it simply means that such persons may be more vulnerable and should take steps to reduce their risk, such as getting evaluation and treatment at the first sign of mental health.

There are many other causes of and risk factors for suicide, eg abuse; bereavement; the end of a relationship; chronic illness; life adjustment such as retirement, unemployment or retrenchment, and finally, financial problems.

Let’s talk about it

In conclusion, talking about suicide makes a lot of people uncomfortable because it requires us to either confront unresolved pain or end up being soothed by a vice as a way to cope. When trying to escape from repressed emotions, compensation is often the defence mechanism used. This is when feelings of inadequacy or incompetence in one area of life are disguised as excelling in another. For example: After the loss of a spouse, the surviving widow will over-spoil her children with material things so that they don't feel the void left by their father.

Lastly, it is worth noting that the intense cultural prohibition regarding suicide remains the greatest barrier to curbing irrational views held as "the law finds it a criminal offense, religion treats it as sin and society views it as insanity". Let’s talk about suicide. Silence is like a band aid on the psyche wound, it can only heal after the wound is exposed.

Ceaseria Matiti is a psychological counsellor.