Suicide Before and After - Essay Example

This paper submits that while these measures are important, and in fact, are supported by a great weight of scientific evidence, in dealing with the family and helping them cope after the suicide of their loved one, it is best to treat the person as a unique individual, rather than as a statistic to affirm previously-projected patterns. It is important to discuss my first-hand experience on this matter, as this will prove to be relevant to the abovementioned thesis statement. My brother shot himself to death recently.

He was married to his wife for 27 years and was the father of two boys. He was a quiet worker, albeit a bit quiet and not too comfortable in social functions. He decided to undergo therapy to cure his social disorder, and his sessions have largely been successful as was saw him become more relaxed, outgoing and openly affectionate. He then found out that his wife was having an affair, and the next day, he decided to end his life. Our family did not see it coming. We knew the revelation of his wife's affair had hurt him greatly, but we did not know that he was suicidal.

We saw no indicators of that. InIndeed, the problem of suicides is a serious one. In the United States, more people die because of suicide each year than because of HIV or homicide. (SPRC Internet). That is why there have been many studies conducted about the "type" of person who is more susceptible to commit suicide. In the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, it was stated that at least 90% of those who kill themselves have a diagnosable treatable psychiatric illness, such as major depression, schizophrenia, or are suffering from alcohol or drug abuse, or have an antisocial personality.

(AFSP Internet). Males are also three to five times more likely to commit suicide, and elderly Caucasian males have the highest suicide rates. (Ibid.) Hopelessness and pessimism are also an indicator of long-term suicidal risk. (Beck, et. al. 190). There are studies that have been conducted that state that family genetic history may be partially responsible for suicidal impulses of a human being. (Brent, at. al. 1) Of course, it is not difficult to conclude that a stormy family life - one riddled with conflicts and problems - can probably affect a person's coping mechanisms and make him more susceptible to suicide.

These studies are good in the sense that they can provide a macro picture of trends and patterns, so that solution on a more general level may be reached.However, on a micro level, when one is dealing with an individual with a name and a face, foisting stastistics and data might not work. In order to more effectively prevent a suicide, the intervention must be one that operates on the premise that the individual is precisely that - an individual with with a unique personality, a unique emotion, and yes, a unique patchwork of problems that desperately cry for resolution.

According to Edwin Schneidman, a clinical psychologist who is a leading authority on suicide, "Suicide is not a pointless or random act. To people who think about ending their own lives, suicide represents an answer