Suicide
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Revision as of 22:17, 20 June 2009 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 20:19, 31 May 2011 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
{{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
- | :''[[Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide]]'' | + | |
'''Suicide''' ([[Latin]] ''sui caedere'', to [[kill]] one[[self]]) is the act of intentionally taking one's own life. The term "suicide" can also be used to refer to a person who has killed himself or herself. Suicide may be caused by psychological factors such as the difficulty of coping with [[clinical depression|depression]] or other [[mental illness|mental disorder]]s. It may also stem from social and cultural pressures. | '''Suicide''' ([[Latin]] ''sui caedere'', to [[kill]] one[[self]]) is the act of intentionally taking one's own life. The term "suicide" can also be used to refer to a person who has killed himself or herself. Suicide may be caused by psychological factors such as the difficulty of coping with [[clinical depression|depression]] or other [[mental illness|mental disorder]]s. It may also stem from social and cultural pressures. | ||
Nearly a million people worldwide commit suicide annually. While completed suicides are higher in men, women have higher rates for [[Parasuicide|suicide attempt]]s. Elderly males have the highest suicide rate, although rates for young adults have been increasing in recent years. | Nearly a million people worldwide commit suicide annually. While completed suicides are higher in men, women have higher rates for [[Parasuicide|suicide attempt]]s. Elderly males have the highest suicide rate, although rates for young adults have been increasing in recent years. |
Revision as of 20:19, 31 May 2011
Related e |
Featured: |
Suicide (Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally taking one's own life. The term "suicide" can also be used to refer to a person who has killed himself or herself. Suicide may be caused by psychological factors such as the difficulty of coping with depression or other mental disorders. It may also stem from social and cultural pressures. Nearly a million people worldwide commit suicide annually. While completed suicides are higher in men, women have higher rates for suicide attempts. Elderly males have the highest suicide rate, although rates for young adults have been increasing in recent years.
Views toward suicide have varied in history and society. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism generally condemn suicide as a dishonorable act and some countries have made it a crime to attempt to kill oneself. In some cultures committing suicide may be accepted under some circumstances, such as Japanese committing seppuku for honor, Islamic suicide attacks, or the self-immolation of Buddhist monks as a form of protest.
Studies show a high incidence of mental disorders in suicide victims at the time of their death with the total figure ranging from 98% to 87.3% with mood disorders and substance abuse being the two most common. A person diagnosed with schizophrenia may commit suicide for a number of reasons, including because of depression. Suicide among people suffering from bipolar disorder is often an impulse, which is due to the sufferer's extreme mood swings (one of the main symptoms of bipolar disorder), or also possibly an outcome of delusions occurring during an episode of mania or psychotic depression. Major depressive disorder is associated with a higher than average rate of suicide, especially in men.
Namesakes
See also