Research shows that people attempt suicide because they don’t feel able to cope with the psychological pain they’re experiencing, and doubt that it will ever get better. Though it may sound intuitive, new studies show that this reasoning could be more accurate than it simply being a cry for help, as previous research has suggested. There were two motivations brought to the fore on this study, being the unbearable psychological pain and feelings of hopelessness that things would ever improve. The study was carried out by psychologists at the University of British Columbia in Canada. The findings of the study could be of extreme importance when it comes to identifying which patients are most at risk of suicide. Past research has focused more on the demographics or how genetics play a role in suicide risks, such as the theory that children with autism are at a higher risk of suicide. Depression has also been connected with suicide – however, such a broad generalisation could mean that researchers are overlooking the key factors which could help patients in the future.
Researchers need to gain a more in-depth understanding of what makes people attempt suicide, in order to improve treatments and diagnoses. To do this, researchers developed a questionnaire which helped experts clarify what motivations people tended towards when they attempted suicide. It was given to 120 people who had attempted suicide in the last three years in British Columbia. Over half of the people were from the general public and had an average age of 38. The other half of the group consisted of undergraduates with an average age of 21 – most had attempted suicide between one and three times, with one participant attempting suicide 15 times. Most people cited unbearable psychological distress and hopelessness as their reasoning for suicide – most had also claimed to have considered suicide for years.
The research shows that measures such as installing nets under bridges can help to prevent suicides because they provide enough time for one’s mental attitude to improve enough to get them out of the suicidal mindset. Over this time, their mental health incrementally improves until they can bear the pain long enough to seek help. There could also be some importance in separating those who think about suicide and those who act on it – studies suggest that people suffering with depression who don’t attempt suicide may be just as unhappy and hopeless, but simply more scared, than those who do.