Suicide is a very complex phenomenon , like practically everything related to death.

However, in this case part of this “interest” is not given by the act of suicide itself, but by the myths that circulate about this phenomenon.

The main myths about suicide

Next we’ll look at the most common myths about suicide and see why they’re based on falsehoods.

1. The discretion of the suicidal person

There is a myth according to which those who want to end their own lives do not say so, which leads to not paying attention to the subjects who in one way or another express their suicidal ideas or threaten to commit the act.

However, the reality is that of every ten people who commit the act of suicide, nine of them clearly and opportunely express their intentions ; the remaining subject let his or her intentions be known without the need to express them verbally.

2. He who warns is not serious

Another myth would be the following: the one who says it does not do it, only expresses it so that these warnings exercise as a form of emotional blackmail, manipulation, etc. In other words, they don’t want to die, they’re just showing off.

However, while it is true that not all those who attempt suicide wish to die, it is a serious mistake to label them as alarmists, since they are people whose useful mechanisms for adapting to life have failed and therefore they no longer find valid alternatives to continue, except to end their lives.

Almost everyone who commits suicide expressed it in words, gestures, or clear behavioral changes.

Thus, those therapists handling cases involving suicidal behavior should take every precaution possible when treating a person who talks about ideas, plans, or intentions to end his or her life. Any and all expressed threats of harm to oneself should be taken very seriously .

3. The myth of impulsivity

According to another myth, suicide is always impulsive and occurs without prior warning from the subject.

Beyond this preconceived idea, evidence shows that suicide may seem impulsive, but it has generally been considered for some time before it is consummated. Many of the accomplished suicides express some type of verbal or behavioral warning about their intentions .

4. A very firm decision

Many people believe that suicidal people really want to die or are willing to end their lives at any cost, since they have made an almost unchangeable decision.

However, it has been proven that most people with pronounced suicidal thoughts communicate their thoughts and/or plans to at least one person related to them just before attempting to take their own life, or call a crisis hotline or their family doctor, which is proof of ambivalence in the thoughts, not of an immovable intention to end their life .

5. The myth of “the safe zone”

Another misconception is that when a person shows signs of improvement or survives a suicide attempt, he or she is completely out of danger.

The reality is that one of the most dangerous moments is immediately after the crisis or when the subject is in the hospital after an attack.

The week after discharge from the hospital is when the person is particularly fragile and in serious danger of making another attempt on his life.

As past behaviour is a prognosis for future behaviour, the suicidal person remains at risk .

6. The Myth of Inheritance

According to another myth, suicidal behavior is hereditary.

What science really says, however, is that not all suicide can be solidly linked to hereditary factors, and studies on this subject are quite limited . On the other hand, family history of suicide is an important risk factor, particularly in families where depression is common.

7. Suicidal people have a mental disorder

People who try to commit suicide do not have to have a mental disorder . Suicidal behaviors have been known to be associated with depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. However, this association should not be overestimated since there are cases in which there was no obvious mental disorder.

8. If you challenge a suicide, you don’t dare to kill yourself

What science says is that challenging the suicidal person is a completely irresponsible act , since we are facing a highly vulnerable person in a crisis situation where his adaptation mechanisms have failed completely, thus the desire to end his life prevails.

9. Prompting Suicide with Ease

Another myth says that, if you talk about suicide with a person at risk, you can incite them to perform the act, even if they don’t want to.

Despite this, it has been widely demonstrated that talking about suicide with a person at risk, instead of inciting, provoking or introducing the idea in their mind, reduces the danger of committing it and on many occasions may be the only possibility of rescuing the subject.