Inside the mind: How suicidal thoughts develop?

 

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” – Seneca

This emphasises that life, with all its struggles and challenges can be incredibly difficult. We feel emotional, mental or physical pain that makes our survival like an exhausting battle. But choosing to continue living despite the desire to escape that pain, becomes an act of bravery.

Cultural and Societal expectations

It’s true that we are burdened with the fear of rejection or judgement by the society. Societal pressure often forces an individual to make choices that they don’t want to. Peer pressure influences the human behaviour, we are bound to behave in a certain way. When individuals fail to meet these expectations, the resulting shame can drive them towards suicidal thoughts.

Trauma and abuse

Experiences that traumatize an individual forever such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse. PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as accident, physical or sexual assault, or the sudden death of a loved one. These events can lead to long lasting emotional scars that makes a person feel ashamed or worthless. A girl or boy who must have been a victim of sexual abuse, might view that there are always criminals lurking around the world. Rather than confiding in those around them, they may feel escaping is the only way out. The shame and fear tied to those traumatic experiences can silence the one, who need the help most.

Chronic Illness

Chronic illness and suicide are deeply interconnected issues. For many individuals living with a chronic illness can be overwhelming. For instance, a cancer diagnosis can feel immense emotional and physical burdens. The constant physical pain, dependency on medications can lead to a deep sense of frustration. In addition, it can also impact relationships with their loved ones. The individual feel like a burden to the people who care, fuelling guilt and self-blame. Social withdrawal is common in these cases, because people are unable to participate in the activities which once they enjoyed.

Work-life stressors add an extra layer of difficulty. Individuals with chronic depression and anxiety disorders are unstable because they struggle to maintain steady employment. This further contributes to financial instability. Even if they try to balance their work and health together, the colleagues might be insensitive towards them. Over time, this battle takes to an emotional toll, overshadowing any sense of normalcy or hope for the future.

Relationships breakdown and addiction

The attachment issue is a basic human nature. People fear that the person with whom they are genuinely attached would leave them. Sometimes this fear turns into reality. That feeling when you realise that the person left you and you are unable to accept that reality. So, you feel like now there’s nothing left. This is especially common among teenagers who bear emotional turmoil of breakups and patch-ups.

In order to heal from these breakdowns, teens often get trap in the cycle of substance abuse and addiction. Addiction can intensify the feelings of depression and anxiety, which can increase the risk of suicidal behaviour.

Cultural expectations, trauma, relationships breakdown and chronic illness are the battles that people fight silently. As we explore the complexities surrounding suicidal thoughts, it’s essential to understand the influence of media on this. The next blog will analyse the media’s role on suicidal thoughts.