Gelisim News

According to the report of World Health Organization (WHO), almost 800 thousand people put an end to their lives every year. Showing the rate of male suicide is higher than that of women worldwide in the report, it is seen that 13.5 out of every 100 thousand men and 7.7 out of every 100 thousand women commit suicide. Also, the suicide rate in Turkey is 11.3 for men and 3.2 for women in every 100 thousand people. Stating that the leading causes of suicide are mental illnesses, economic problems, unemployment, familial problems and the increasing use of drugs today, Psychiatrist Onur Okan Demirci from Istanbul Gelisim University said that one can be recognized before s/he comes to the threshold of suicidal behavior.

Onur Okan Demirci, stating that there are some clues that can enable a suicidal person to be recognized, said: “The first of these is to observe small changes in one's life. At that point, the biggest responsibility is on families and social environment.”

Demirci, giving some warnings, said: “Suicidal people begin to reveal themselves. They get introverted, withdrawing themselves from the social environment, regressing in their work, and even sometimes they mention committing suicide saying that ‘they are tired of life, they are now helpless’. In particular, the message of desperation is an indication that the person can no longer be unable to work things out. It is very important to get these messages. Here, the biggest responsibility is on families and the social environment. It is important to be able to follow, observe and be close to the suicidal person. The further you are away from the individual in terms of emotional communication, the more likely you are to miss these symptoms. The closer you are, the higher your chances of understanding these symptoms. As soon as you recognize one, you can save the person from suicide. Social support is also important to save the person. It is necessary to help the desperation in one's life. Besides, it is absolutely necessary to get the support of an expert. The moment we catch these symptoms, we have a great chance to help the person. Unfortunately, when we are late, it results with these figures.”

Psychiatrist Demirci explaining the reason why these figures on suicide is more in men rather than in women is the responsibilities is too much to carry for men, and said:

“The higher rates in male stem from the social pressure imposes on men. This happens in countries with middle and low income or with a low socio-cultural level. ‘A man has to work, he has to take care of his family, a man has to be strong…’ and so on. When the individual thinks that this power is diminished and he cannot take care of his family enough, he is more likely to be driven to such a path. But this is not the case in developed countries.”

Psychiatrist Demirci also stated that it is need to take precautions on suicidal tendencies in society and it can only be solved with social and state support.