I have been wanting to write this post since Autumn last year, but I lacked a forum to air my thoughts until now. I may have told you about the American University graduate who wrote the world´s probably longest suicide note (1.904 pages), relating to everything from nihilism, to religion and history in September last year.
A few months later, in Sendai, Japan, a 24 year old man hanged himself live on a video streaming site: Man broadcasts own suicide live on video streaming site Unfortunately there may be a possible link between the Japanese suicide and a Swedish suicide one month earlier. The 11th of October a 21 year old man committed suicide live on a Swedish forum by hanging himself. The Japanese event may therefore be an phenomenon called copycat suicide. It was first observed in the early 1800s when many young men are believed to have killed themselves after reading the book "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Goethe, a book about man who shoots himself after a romantic rejection. Copycat suicide often occurs after a celebrity commits suicide or dies, the latest occurrence was after Michael Jackson died. Other types of suicides are mass suicides, where a group of people kill themselves for the same reason, or suicide pacts, where 2 or more people make a pact to kill themselves at the same time. Copycat suicides, mass suicides, and suicide pacts can be explained by social factors, such as social learning theory (imitation) and group pressure. As with all psychological phenomena, there may however also be other factors at play. An interesting factor of all the examples I just mentioned is that they occurred during Autumn, a fairly dark season for the northern hemisphere. It may also be noticed that all the suicides mentioned were committed by men. Men are also more likely to commit successful suicides. It is interesting that men are more likely to commit successful suicides, while more women than men are treated for depression. Depression is often mentioned as one of the main causes of suicide. It is therefore likely that many men go untreated for depression, maybe because of cultural norms, or maybe because men often have more difficulties in communicating their emotions than women. In the case of Michell Heisman, the man who left that 1.904 pages suicide note, it may have been a "philosophical" suicide. With this I mean that a person commits suicide out of the belief that it is the best thing to do. Our belief is therefore an additional cognitive factor of suicide, which of course may affect our emotion and view of life. It is however interesting to note that Mitchell Heisman was diagnosed with a mild form of Autism (Asperger´s syndrome) and I happen to know that the same was the cases of the Swedish internet suicide and the 13 year old boy who committed suicide after being bullied by a group of girls (which we watched recently in class). I lack supporting research for my speculations, but there well be that autism is a factor that is also related to suicide. If my speculations turn out to be correct, an additional question arises. If mildly autistic individuals are at risk for suicide, is it because of alienation or because of their social difficulties? Suicide, by the way is considered to be an act of violence according to the WHO, as it physically and psychologically harms others (besides the suicide also relatives and friends).
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AuthorThis is my class blog for IB Psychology. Here I will publish reflections on psychology, reviews of psychology books, recommended links, lecture notes, and information on psychology topics that are not covered by the syllabus. You are free to add comments or ask me questions. Archives
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