Why do some social groups have a high rate of suicides? What can they do to prevent it?
I have had occasions to wonder about this. For instance, I had a cousin who did it. He was in a mental institution for murdering his wife and children. He says he had a dream that told him to kill them. What make him crack the first time? What made him decide to take his own life? I have speculations, but no answers, for my questions about him.
Being somewhat of an academic I “hit the books.” And am happy to share my list with you. One thing is troubling. They start with guessing that someone is already thinking about “ending it all.” But if we wait until then we are already in a losing battle. Why not start with doing things to make sure our children, friends, and relatives “suicide proof?” We do things for our loved ones like teach them to swim and have then wear flotation aids to “drown proof” them. What can we do to “suicide proof” them? At the end of this series we will give some suggestions.
The simple answer is to love them. However, there are those who are “loved” who still take their own lives. So there is more to it than that. I wonder if some take their own lives so that those who love them avoid shame when the public learns of some “crime” they have committed. A suicide in the family they think will bring sympathy to the family, while having your name in “Guilty in the Courts” will bring shame. However, both bring shame to the family. People will wonder why the family did not see the suicide coming and work to prevent it; or did not help the person stay out of trouble.
Each family and each community needs to discover their own ways of preventing suicide. I am looking for good examples. However every community and family without a recent suicide is a good example.
Part 2 looks at the stories involving suicide in the Bible. We will look for what drove these people to do it.
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