Assisted Suicide - Research Paper Example

Assisted Suicide Introduction Assisted suicide is a leading communal health problem in different places over the world. Looking at the United States, thousands of people commit this crime, and so this is a public health predicament requiring attention. Evidently through different statistics, assisted suicide has been recorded as the third leading cause of death for teens between the ages of fifteen and twenty four. In order to examine assisted suicide accordingly, it will be worth taking a look at different theories such as differential association and self-derogation. By definition, differential association is a theory suggesting that through interaction, people discover techniques, attitudes, values, and motives for immoral behavior. In contrast, self-derogation is a theory predicting that low self-worth motivates the young to try out criminal behaviors that are meant at re-establishing sense of worth. This is a paper that critically examines assisted suicide through the use of differential association theory and self-derogation theory. Crime: Assisted Suicide Life can have different meanings and impressions on different people. Some people might see it as the need of having a continued well functioning of human body and the brain. Others might see it as the continued long term experience with the life of a human being (Miller 25). Many doctors have been able to perform some physician-assisted suicide, which sees a doctor sets up some machine and the patient ends up killing him or herself. On the hand, euthanasia also is an act which is done by the doctor to kill a patient. There have been two argumentation points on this grave issue. One of the sides has been on whether an individual should be permitted to bring his or her precious life to an end. The other one of questions has been on the person who is obliged to make the decision in ending one’s life. Such has brought much debate on the issues (Peterson & Otsuki 3). While there is the outstanding difference between what is known as assisted suicide with the euthanasia, the two conflicting arguments have always existed. Many people have always been opposed to this assisted suicide performances due to the fact that their own religious beliefs propose the opposite since such a practice violates human existence, and since God should decide the person who should die. However, some religious groups and faiths have always believed in this form of assisted suicide by physicians. Continued arguments have proposed that these assisted suicides on patients in pain might be legal in helping the people (Gunn & Maimon 309). This is so since such patients do live all their days wishing whether they could die and bring an end to their pain and suffering. Sigmund Freud was an example who ordered his physician to inject him with morphine and bring his life to an end. Such was an assisted suicide and an end to his pain. This places a great interest on this right to die or live which is on the person’s own decision. One the other hand, when it comes to the decision of ending the life of an individual and the right to death, there is a very difficult and hard decision which has to be considered by the people concerned. While the practice has been banned in some areas, most of the places and states have been in favor of the physician-assisted deaths and suicide in ending the pains on patients whose periods to live is less than six months. Suicide should hence be seen as a destruction of an individual’s own body (Miller 29). When the doctor does help an individual bring an end on the life of a given patient in some unending pain, then it is something which has been greatly argued on by majority of individuals. As well, many issues have been raised on the whether a patient should be allowed to decide for the kind of decision he or she is about to make towards ending his life, or whether it should be duty of the family to come up with such a decision. The decisions of the patient and the family might be varying, and thus the law should be proposed in giving solutions whenever such situations have been faced (Peterson & Otsuki 5). This has been the move since currently it is the family which has been given the mandate in determining the kind of decision to be arrived at. The question has thus dealt much with whether the patient should be granted this right to deciding on own death. Basically, whether such a right should be granted to the people to make such decisions, or whether this should be banned has brought opposing views on the matter, and the reason law interventions and legislations are necessary which shall govern future practices (Gunn & Maimon 313). In conclusion, I do feel it that the patient who has given up all hope on his health should be given the right in making a decision on his fate since pain is never shared When it comes to suicide, the statistics clearly prove that attempted suicide is a paramount concern as it relates to the adolescence. The causes behind adolescent suicide or attempted suicide are complex as research justifies. While suicide is comparatively uncommon among children, the pace of suicides and suicide attempts augments enormously at some point in adolescence. As well, suicide is the leading cause of fatality for young people as statistics justify. Despite the fact that adolescent suicide is not considered as a great deal, it is a terrifically true problem resulting to deaths of thousands of teens across the world each year (Gunn & Maimon 316). Adolescent suicide statistics shed light on the difficulty, and provide insights as to how the problem can be solved in the global viewpoint. Scores of teenagers have feelings of death. The deaths stem from an assortment of causes and result in real attempts on their personal lives. It is significant to take suicide attempts critically (Gunn & Maimon 319). Despite the fact that there is no means to consistently figure the accurate fraction of attempted suicides to finished suicides, the National Institute of Mental Health accepts as true that as many as twenty five cases of attempted suicides for each one that is finished. Theories Evidently through research, several theories have been used to explain the occurrence of crime and other violent behaviors. For instance, differential association is a good example of such theories. The basis of this theory is that through interaction, humans discover techniques, attitudes, values, and motives related to criminal behavior (Miller 32). Reflecting on this theory, it is reported that people have devised various methods of killing themselves through interaction with others. In that sense, it is a common idea that the occurrence of assisted suicide directly relates to the manner in which this theory is explained. Then again, self-derogation is a comparable theory that has been used to explain more about the occurrence of crimes, especially assisted suicide. Building on this theory, it is believed that low self-worth motivates people to practice criminal behaviors that are preordained at re-establishing self-esteem (Peterson & Otsuki 7). It is out of this practice where many people end up committing crimes they would not have imagined. Application Assisted suicide statistics and theories provide a look at the most possible cause of this crime. Some of the leading assisted suicide risk factors take account of the following: psychopathology, sexual orientation, stressful life events, immigrant experience, socio-economic status, and family history, and suicide contagion, access to deadly ways, preceding suicide attempts, and disruptive behavior. These are some of the most common risk factors, which are widespread at different societies over the globe as the theories justify (Gunn & Maimon 321). Towards shedding light to each risk factor, it is worth providing outstanding discussion and broad enlightenment through provision of examples where necessary. To begin with is psychopathology as a risk factor. Most of the people that have completed suicide have considerable psychiatric troubles, consisting of substance abuse and depressive disorders. Main depression has been the most widespread condition (Miller 42). The concentration of an individual’s suicidal intention is related with a record of despair and present pressure from a psychological disorder. A previous suicide attempt is the second risk factor contributing to increased assisted suicide in the global point of view. It is obvious that teen suicide victims make suicide attempts proceeding to their finished suicide. Worry decreases the probability of suicide attempts but augments the possibility of recurring suicide attempts. With every successful effort, the risk of finished suicide augments (Gunn & Maimon 322). Access to deadly methods is one more risk factor. Based on the fact that death by weapons is the most widespread method of teen suicide, it is not astonishing that the ease of access of weapons, specifically loaded guns, in the house augments the risk of adolescent suicide. Other tools that teens use to commit suicide with belong to this category of firearms. Another risk factor is stressful life events. Adolescents who finish suicide undergo several negative life occasions. In the event where negative life events outdo positive life occasions, chances of getting stress are usually high. As stated in research, some of the negative life events may have happened in early days during teen development (Miller 44). Some outstanding negative life occasions comprise the following: sexual abuse, separation, neglect, and prior suicide attempts. What is more, suicide contagion is another risk factor that augments the probability of teen suicide. The influence of suicide tales is highest among teens and is reduced deeply after the age of twenty four. The issue concerning family history is a comparable risk factor connected with increased chances of teenage suicide. Some studies points to genetic aspects to give an explanation between parental attributes and teen suicide. This implies that, teen suicide may occur for the reason that, in the family history people was used to go through suicide (Peterson & Otsuki 9). This has something to do with myths and cultures resulting to suicide in due course. Socio-economic status is another risk factor contributing to adolescent suicide. Evidently through studies, low socio-economic status increases suicide risk if it connected with barriers to psychological health treatment. This is as long as untreated despair and substance mistreatment disorders are main causes of teen suicide. Conclusion In conclusion, assisted suicide is a significant communal health subject. Over the years, the issue of health has been greatly discussed and causing a lot of conjecture, and especially when one has to be given the right for deciding when to die peacefully. This has led to wide opposing viewpoints on the issue of assisted suicide, euthanasia, and the right to die. Some experts and policy interventions have been arguing on the need of providing such rights while others proposition for such rights and decisions to be left in the hands of the family members or the people who have been entrusted with the living wills Works Cited Gunn, Browning & Maimon, Derrick. Collective efficacy, family attachment, and urban adolescent suicide attempts, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51.3(2008), 307-324. Miller, DN. Youth suicidal behavior: an introduction and overview, Journal of American Academy of Child and Development, 12.4(2010), 23-47. Peterson, Kim & Otsuki, Meshach. Risk factors and prevention of youth suicide in the United States, American Journal of Public Health, 12.2(2010), 1-10. Read More