There are
many solutions to suicide, one being medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. According
to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “Research shows that teaching health
care professionals to recognize and treat depression is an effective way to
reduce suicide rates. Because that is a proven fact, we focus here on how
depression can be treated, both with medications and with psychotherapy” (American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention). Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental disorder through psychological
means rather than medication. There are many medications for mental
illnesses like
depression. A few medications for depression include Zoloft, Zyrtec, lithium
and rexulti.
Being a victim of suicide twice, once in 2008 and once again in 2018.
In 2008, after being evaluated
and sent to a psychiatric hospital there was and diagnose of mental illness
of depression, which lead to
attempt of suicide. In the psychiatric hospital, medication for depression was prescribed. A few months later
medication was discontinued due to being uninsured. Treatment was not followed up and
unfortunately, there was still a risk for suicide. In 2018, suicide was attempted once again,
but this time there was health insurance and a follow up with a psychiatrist
and a therapist. The psychiatrist prescribed me plenty of medication until we
found the correct dosage and milligram; “At this time, there is only one medication, clozapine,
approved by the FDA for suicide risk reduction in patients with schizophrenia.
There is one study of mood disorder patients that shows that treatment with
antidepressants, atypical antipsychotics, and lithium reduced death by suicide”
(“Treatment”).
Another solution for suicide is prevention.
For instance, some people commit suicide when they overdose. That can be
prevented by not doing drugs or mixing anti-depressant medications with what is
prescribed. There is a national day to prevent suicide, which is
stated as:
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day and as such, we've
pulled together the suicide rates of a selection of countries, by gender. Of
the 25 looked at here, the World Health Organization estimates Russia to
have by far the highest rate among men, at 48.3 cases per 100,000 populations
in 2016. For women, India has the highest rate, with 14.5 cases. On the whole,
more men than women commit suicide however there are some
exceptions. In China, the rate for women is 8.3 while for men it is 7.9.
(Armstrong)
There is also a National
Suicide Prevention Hotline to call when feeling down so you can speak to
someone if you are feeling alone and feel like committing suicide.
Suicide can be prevented by not having suicidal thoughts.
One way to not have suicidal thoughts
is to shift your way of
thinking. As Juliette Lewis stated, “The bravest thing I ever
did was continuing my life when I wanted to die” (Lewis). Think
about the family and friends who love and care about you and how hurt they
would be if you succeeded in killing yourself. Finally,
spread hope and a positive outlook on life.
Emotional
support is another solution for suicide. Having a therapist or
even just someone to talk or a support system, such as friends and family, will
help. There are also support
groups through National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an
organization that is dedicated to build better lives for millions of Americans
who are being affected by mental
illness. According to National Alliance of Mental Illness, “Let them
know that mental health professionals are trained to help people understand
their feelings and improve mental wellness and resiliency” (NAMI).
Prayer is
another solution for suicide. Prayer only works if you believe in the greater
power. There is also a prayer for suicide prevention. Your faith must be strong
with God. According to Drew, “For those thinking about suicide prayers help but
are not enough” (Drew). In certain instances, some people need more than prayer
to overcome suicide. Prayer does not work because suicide is a
mental illness that is usually only cured through medication. In addition, according
to Thomas, “They deserve us reminding them
that seeking professional help is not a sin against God” (Thomas).
Albert Camus was a philosopher and a French novelist. Albert Camus’ beliefs relate to the
topic of suicide because he thought that life was worth living. Camus would
never consider suicide or would want anyone to commit suicide, because that
would be “judg[ing] life [as]
not worth living” (Aronson). Albert Camus would think about the outcome
and result of this epidemic topic. Albert Camus would think that the suicide
epidemic was absurd. Absurd is lacking sense, illogical and inappropriate. Camus
believed that suicide was a poor choice,
and he also thought it
was a serious philosophical problem (Aronson). According
to Camus, life was absurd in various ways: life had
no meaning; everyone was going to die, and cyclical mundanity (Mcguire; Maden).
The topic
of suicide epidemic is very important because the world is at risk. Many close
friends or family members can be suicidal and succeed in snuffing out their lives. The average daily suicide is 123, and this makes the epidemic the tenth
leading cause of death (“Treatment”).
Suicide can be prevented, and it continues to rise. With
your help, the suicide epidemic can be stopped. Help be a part of the solution
to the suicide epidemic and encourage victims to seek out support systems, for
instance, prevention with prayer, medication, emotional support, and to avoiding
suicidal thoughts.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Martin. "Infographic:
Suicide Rates Around the World." Statista Infographics,
10 Sept. 2019, www.statista.com/chart/15390/global-suicide-rates/.
Aronson, Ronald.
"Albert Camus." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017,
plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus/.
Drew, Anne-Marie.
"For Those Thinking About Suicide, Prayers Help'but Are Not
Enough." America Magazine, 28 Dec. 2018,
www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/09/28/those-thinking-about-suicide-prayers-help-are-not-enough.
Lewis, Juliette.
"Suicidal Thoughts Quotes (98 Quotes)." Goodreads | Meet Your
Next Favorite Book, www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/suicidal-thoughts.
Macguire, Laura.
"Camus and Absurdity." Philosophy Talk,
27 Feb. 2015, www.philosophytalk.org/blog/camus-and-absurdity.
Maden, Jack. "Camus
on Coping with Life's Absurdity." Philosophy Break, Jan. 2019,
philosophybreak.com/articles/absurdity-with-camus/.
National Alliance of
Mental Illness. "Risk of Suicide." NAMI: National Alliance on
Mental Illness, www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/related-conditions/risk-of-suicide.
Thomas, Danyelle.
"If I'm Suicidal, Please Don't Tell Me to Pray – Unfit
Christian." Unfit Christian, 8 Feb. 2019, www.unfitchristian.com/if-im-suicidal/.
"Treatment." American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention. AFSP, 12 June 2018,
afsp.org/about-suicide/preventing-suicide/.
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