In this blog post, we will look at the causes and responsibilities of suicide from the perspectives of individuals and society, and explore solutions for prevention.
Suicide literally means the act of killing oneself. If we include the concept of “free will,” the meaning becomes clearer. In other words, even if it appears to be a suicide from the outside, the decision to commit suicide is made based on the presence or absence of free will. For example, consider the case of a court lady in the Joseon Dynasty who committed a serious crime and was forced to drink poison. Even though the court lady herself drank the poison, this cannot be considered suicide because it was a punishment imposed by coercion, not free will.
The causes of suicide can be broadly divided into social and personal factors. Social factors include alienation from society or overly close social relationships, while personal factors include economic difficulties, psychological stress, and depression. The important point is that social and personal factors are not completely separate.
For example, in the case of a famous person who chose death after being plagued by hateful comments, it was society that made him feel alienated, but in the end, it was he himself who chose death due to psychological stress. The same is true of a student who was contemplating suicide due to exam stress, who was swept up in a social atmosphere called the Werther effect and chose death. Although society created the atmosphere that led to the decision to commit suicide, the examinee himself chose death under the pressure of the College Scholastic Ability Test. As such, social factors have various effects on suicide, but in the end, the individual is the one who chooses to commit suicide. In other words, suicide is caused by a combination of social and personal factors. Therefore, efforts must be made in a balanced manner from both social and personal perspectives to prevent suicide. This is because suicide cannot be effectively prevented by focusing on only one aspect.
First, in order to prevent suicide from a social perspective, the entire society must create an atmosphere that does not downplay life and widely publicize the seriousness and injustice of suicide. For example, when a celebrity commits suicide, the media pours out articles without filtering, from the cause of the suicide to the means and methods of suicide. Such articles are written without considering the impact on society, which can have serious consequences, such as causing copycat suicides. Therefore, the media should be cautious when writing articles related to suicide. While paying tribute to the deceased who committed suicide, it should be made clear that suicide is an incorrect act that does not value life and cannot be a fundamental solution to real-life problems.
In addition, society needs to establish an effective suicide prevention system. To do so, practical policies need to be put in place, not abstract policies. An example of this is the suicide prevention structure installed on Dongjak Bridge a few years ago. As more and more people attempted suicide by climbing the steel structure above Dongjak Bridge, the steel structure was coated with oil to prevent people from climbing up and committing suicide.
On the other hand, in order to prevent suicide from a personal perspective, one must first and foremost have a mind that values the life given to oneself. Life is something that cannot be exchanged for anything else. Therefore, one must recognize that suicide is an unethical act and that the act of taking one’s own life can be a great hurt to not only one’s family but also to those around them.
In addition, no matter how difficult the situation is, you should have an attitude of trying to solve it in a positive way. The temptation to commit suicide begins with the thought that there is no longer any hope. At this point, positive thinking can change a pessimistic attitude and lead to an optimistic life. It is important to remind yourself that suicide is never a fundamental solution. Finally, when suffering from mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder, you should not be afraid to ask for help from those around you and resist the temptation to commit suicide.
