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Depression And Suicide Relationship

One of the major mood disorders is depression, which includes indecisiveness and disturbances in bodily activities like changes in sleeping patterns, significant changes in appetite and weight or a very notable loss of energy.

These factors go to a point that even the slightest activity or movement requires an overwhelming effort. An individual’s natural development can be greatly disturbed by external influences like maltreatment, long periods in prison, loss of jobs or of a beloved partner, lack of love etc.

These experiences can result in an individual withdrawing from life and it often involves loneliness. The problems of mood e.g. - exhaustion, indifference, hopelessness and that of drive such as inhibition, lack of initiative, restriction etc, are the uppermost.

This is often coupled with compulsion like worrying ; the feeling of the mind going round in circles ; and obsessive thoughts such as feeling of guilt, impoverishment, failure, worthlessness.

With such depressive illnesses, the risk of suicide is particularly high. Although the therapies include medication to lighten the mood of the individual and to increase his drive; psychotherapy has been found to treat the neurotic disposition effectively. Alternatively, the individual has to learn to deal with the upsets and unavoidable separations.

The depression can develop to the stage where the affected people can see no way out other than resorting to suicide. The characteristic of this condition is an increasingly narrow range of perception, thought and ability to act.

Generally depression has its origin from stressful state and anxiety disorder. Stress is a broad term that describes an environmental challenge, a stressor that leads an organism to try to cope, adapt or escape. Heat, extreme cold, hunger etc., are all physiological stressors. Whereas loss of esteem, death of someone we love are psychological stressors.

There are two types of stresses. Eustress refers to those events that may be good or pleasant but still need adjustment. For instance marriage and child birth may be a happy occasion but still they challenge our coping ability. Distress on the other hand is unpleasant stress, such as losing the job, underpaid job etc. The stressors have both long-term and short-term effects. When the stress is persistent, prolonged and severe it becomes harmful and one cannot cope with it. This usually leads to resistance of many types.

Anxiety on the other hand, is a generalized feeling of apprehension about a possible danger. Anxiety disorder includes high levels of negative effect, worry about possible threat or danger and a sense of being unable to predict threat or control on occurs.

In the cases of history of suicide attempts, more extensive help will be needed which can best be given by professional therapists, as the people around the individuals affected are found to be incapable of providing any help.

The suicidal tendency usually has a history of long-term unsolved problems and increasing isolation. Often medication and alcohol play a part in this process. The failures to find solutions and the sense of isolation together result in a feeling of being trapped to which suicide appears to be the only answer to them. A personal or family history of suicide or suicide attempts contribute to high incidence of suicide which is sub-consciously recognized as a way out of the condition of depression.

To conclude, depression and suicide relationship can be seen by elimination of depression which has its basic roots in anxiety and stress related conditions of human beings which have a direct and devastating relationship with suicidal tendencies in a modern society. These can be well prevented, as far as the public health is concerned, if the risk factors that contribute to the suicide occurrences are studied and analyzed by the healthcare professionals objectively.