Suicide In Our Society :: essays research papers

Suicide In Our Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once every minute someone tries to commit suicide. Sixty or seventy times a day these attempts succeed.( Earl A. Grollman, Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, Postvention, Boston: Beacon Press, 1988, p.4) Unlike what many want to believe, suicide can happen to anyone regardless of race, age or sex. News reports, books and the internet all point in the same direction. We are undergoing a breakdown in our social roles, and suicide is the result.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first ever recorded talk of suicide was in 2000 B.C., when a man says that his life is filled with pain and suffering and he is contemplating taking his own life. Although attitudes toward suicide have changed over the years, it has not ceased to happen. The first suicide prevention Centre didn't come until almost 4000 years later. In 1774, England created the first Centre to try to prevent attempted suicides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suicide prevention isn't happening until it's too late. One high school, in a small town in Quebec, had four suicides in seven weeks. After these had happened, the school invited parents in to discuss suicide prevention. (CTV News 11:00 p.m. January 6, 1997.) These might have been able to be prevented if communities would assume their roles and discuss it on a regular basis and not have suicide be a word that is whispered but never spoken.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The myth that those who talk about suicide will never actually go through with it is completely false. Most people who do kill themselves give some sort of clue before doing so. It may be something very subtle such as â€Å"I wonder where my father keeps his gun† or they might just come right out and say â€Å" I would rather die then go on living this way.† What ever it is everyone should know how to recognize when someone is feeling suicidal and get help to them right away. Suicide can be prevented if noticed at an early enough stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suicidal feelings can be brought upon someone by many different situations. Someone with a terminal illness may not see a reason to continue a short life of pain, when they think they'll die soon anyway. Economical stress hurts more then just your wallet, someone may feel that they are a failure and that may bring suicidal feelings. The death of a loved one or the breakdown of a family can also cause these feelings. Because someone may fall in to one of these categories doesn't mean that they are suicidal, but all hints should be taken seriously. A cry for help needs help from a professional helper.