What Causes Suicide?

by Valerie Jupe

  Suicide is often dismissed as if it were a simple subject. In reality, however, the idea of suicide is very complex and needs first to be defined before it can be analyzed or, most importantly, understood. For the purposes of this paper, the discussion of suicide will not deal with euthanasia or the terminally ill. The act of suicide will be evaluated regarding physically healthy, mentally competent individuals. The question, then, is why such seemingly “normal” people would choose to take their own lives. Unfortunately, the answer is not an easy one. There are many different views concerning the causes of suicide, most of which center around the sciences of sociology, psychology, and biochemistry. To obtain a clear concept of the ideas expressed in this essay, it is necessary to first understand the intentions or specifics of each science.

  Sociology is the scientific study of the development and structure of society and social relationships. Psychology is also a study of social sciences, but it deals more with the mind and behavior as they relate to the individual. Biochemistry differs greatly from the other two sciences as it is a type of chemistry dealing with chemical compounds and reactions occurring within a living organism. At first the sciences of sociology, psychology, and biochemistry may seem almost completely unrelated, but, when considering the subjectivity and complexity of human nature and individual reality, any attempt at a logical explanation of suicide would be lacking if it did not mark the interrelatedness of all three sciences which, only when viewed together, enable a comprehensive, educated look at humanity. To attempt any understanding of the individual or of society it is first necessary to try and view reality as being subjective to an individual’s consciousness.

  Everything viewed, experienced, rationalized, thought, read, believed, discounted, and debased, as well as all the people met and subsequently loved or hated since childhood, affects people individually. In respect to such unique occurrences, reality is not a general or universal thing and no two people share the exact same reality. Everything, similarly, is inputted through the five senses, which are, themselves, subjective, creating a highly complex, almost ambiguous meaning of “reality,” even for the individual who is experiencing it. A person’s self-view, as well as their perceptions of how others view them, has a key role in determining the relevancy or importance of the world and life in general.

  One's self-concept and world-view are psychological and social factors, but biochemical factors should not be overlooked. People can hold negative views on certain things, but the optimistic or salvageable aspects of life may be enough to avoid depression, and subsequently suicide, if the person’s overall emotional temperament or outlook is one of optimism and/or complaisance. People prone to passionate bouts of depression or violence may be more inclined to take their own lives. This is relevant to biochemistry when one acknowledges the growing theories that relate emotions to chemical reactions within the brain. If emotions are alterable chemical states, then depression may be clinically comparable to any other sickness which, with the right medication, can be treated or cured. Every factor is relevant when considering the importance and value of human life, and a synthesis of the three sciences and their theories is perhaps the best way to approach a query on the causation of suicide. Unfortunately, there seems to be such an incredible stigma surrounding the idea of death in general, and suicide in particular, that the general public is not well informed concerning the issue. Even more unfortunate than the reluctance to discuss suicide is how prominent self-destruction actually is in society today.

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