Suicides from depression tend to target specific populations, with defined at risk groups including elderly males, crashing manics, alcoholics and a growing number of depressed teenage victims.
The unpleasant reality of suicide becomes media headlines as murder-suicides, suicide pacts and copycat behavior among depressed teenage victims. Identifying the populations at risk, is the first step in understanding, intervention and prevention of unnecessary deaths.
Suicide has often been called a cry for help or a final and terminal solution to a problem that is often temporary. In teenage suicides, notes are often left which give explanations most often citing rejection, self loathing and demonstrate a lack of ability to put problems in perspective.
An overachieving straight A student may be crushed by a B, a child passed over for the Pep squad or drama club lead, or dropped by a fickle and transient love interest. Unable to realize these as minor setbacks or temporary problems, the teen may withdraw and end by taking their own life over something we might well see as trivial.
Another population at high risk are elderly males, retired and often at a loss in finding a meaningful identity as former bread winners, and newly put out to pasture beings. Often without activities to pass the time, men without hobbies or strong connections to their communities begin to wither on the vine.
This population often holds self esteem, and feelings of worth in direct correlation to their productiveness. Forgetting that there are suitable avenues, such as volunteerism and mentoring, to pursue, their reason for living dims and suicide becomes a way out.
When a spouse dies, or health problems become more prevalent, what was once just a thought to be toyed with soon becomes a very possible outlet for pain, both emotional and physical.
In the earliest stages of dementia, such as Alzheimer's, the patient is fully aware. Elderly males are more likely to kill themselves in these circumstances, and their means are also more likely to succeed. Guns are typically the choice of means.
A third population at high risk for suicide are the Bipolar II, or manic-depressive. After days or weeks on a cocaine-like high, there may be bills to pay, wrongs to right and a terribly black and hopeless depression that replaces the euphoria commonly experienced during the high phase. Drugs, and particularly alcohol may be used to numb the emotional pain.
In the depths of depression, further exacerbated by the poor judgement, and lack of inhibitation provided by alcohol, this population is ripe for feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. A brief impulse may be all it takes for a car to swerve off the road, (or into oncoming traffic), or a bottle of pills to becoming a final solution.
Through understanding risk factors and risk groups, it becomes easier to take that important next step, talking about suicide. Suicide has been thought to involve a single victim, but the reality of the situation is that suicide affects the survivors as well, creating yet another group at high risk for self destruction.
