By Tiago Zortea. As a PhD student carrying out research in suicidality, I am recurrently asked why people take their own lives. The thing is, there is not an obvious, quick, or complete answer. Suicide is a complex phenomenon, and it involves biological, psychological and social factors that interact with each other, and these interactions… Continue reading Suicide Prevention: From Illness and Risk Factors, to Thoughts and Actions
By Tiago Zortea. “Ah look at all the lonely people! All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?” The thought provoking, sad, and very reflective Beatles’ song, “Eleanor Rigby” shocked me when I listened to it for the first time many years ago. For… Continue reading Eleanor Rigby, Loneliness, and Suicide
By Tiago Zortea. This is an understandable concern. Suicide is a delicate issue since it involves suffering, emotional pain, and sometimes stigma for those who have lost loved ones through suicide or feel suicidal themselves [1]. In addition, there is a well-known phenomenon called the “Werther effect” (or copycat suicide) where a person bases a… Continue reading Is it dangerous to ask or talk about suicide?
By Tiago Zortea. Every year, the 10th of September marks world suicide prevention day, with thousands of people across the globe calling for action to reduce deaths by suicide and save lives [1]. Suicide prevention strategies can be implemented at several different levels with interventions including: (i) restricting individuals’ access to the means of suicide,… Continue reading Suicide prevention at the individual level: The role of empathy in saving lives
By Katerina Kavalidou. “No matter what you are going through, there is help out there; suicide is not the solution” The above is an important message from Professor Rory O’Connor, an expert on suicide research and prevention, regarding the recent airing of 13 Reasons Why, a TV series about a teenage girl’s suicide. Reading this,… Continue reading On 13 Reasons Why: Acknowledging those working in suicide prevention
By Emma Nielsen. We all say things that we don’t mean sometimes. Perhaps the time that you snapped at the end of a long day or said that deliberately hurtful comment in the heat of an argument. Sometimes these instances are easily recognisable (perhaps easily apologised for). However, often our language conveys more subtle messages… Continue reading Mind your ‘C’s and ‘S’s: The Language of Self-harm and Suicide (and why it matters)
By Emma Nielsen. Sometimes it feels like the world is full of a lot of rules: don’t walk on the grass, eat five portions of fruit and veg a day, double space after a period if (and only if) that full stop marks the end of the sentence in APA formatting. Sometimes this guidance feels… Continue reading Media Matters: The impact of media reporting of suicide
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