Young men and suicide
Youth suicide has long been a topic of concern. Indeed, suicide among high school students was the theme of the first meeting of the Viennese Psychoanalytic Society, attended by Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler in 1910. With the recent rise in suicide rates among young people, especially young men, it has become a major issue. A recent survey conducted in Ireland indicated that the suicide rate for men aged 15 and over in 1977 was 8.9/100 000 population (Swanwick & Clare, 1997). By 1996 this figure had risen to 17.38/100 000 (NWHB, 1998). This increase may partly be due to better recording of the relevant data, but better recording should affect data relating to both men and women of all ages. So the increased incidence appears to be real rather than artefactual. It affects most acutely men aged between 20 and 24 years. Apart from being male, other factors that appear to increase the risk of suicide include being unemployed, living alone or with parents (for young males), being married (for young females), rura l living (particularly for males) and underlying mental illness or personality disorders. Foster et al. (1997) conducted ‘psychological autopsies’ on 118 of 154 deaths due to suicide in Northern Ireland (July 1992 – July 1993) and ascribed DSM-III-R axis I and/or axis II diagnoses to 90 per cent of these deaths. Major DSM-III-R axis I diagnoses implicated were: alcohol dependence (37 per cent), unipolar depression (32 per cent) and anxiety disorders (10 per cent). Remember, though, that these diagnoses don’t necessarily indicate direct causality: for example, dependence on alcohol may be a reaction to a more fundamental problem, which itself causes both the alcohol dependency and the ultimate suicide. Using similar ‘psychological autopsy’ techniques, Lesage et al. (1994) compared 75 young men (aged 18–35) who had committed suicide with 75 living young men matched for age and socio-economic background. They found that 88 per cent of the suicide group, compared with only 37 per cent of the contr ls, were diagnosed with DSM-III-R axis I disorders. Furthermore, young people who have been psychiatric patients during childhood and adolescence are known to be at increased risk from suicide. Working with Men, a London-based organization, published a report in 1997 (Young Men and Mental Health Project) on work carried out by agencies dealing with young people. The report notes that young men aged 16–25 tend to approach these agencies seeking advice on practical issues rather than for personal counselling. Younger boys seem to prefer short visits and want immediate answers to problems. Men tend to come alone, delay help-seeking (48 per cent left their problems more than a month before tackling them) and have difficulty asking for help. The report recommends: working with young men on help-seeking, recognition of feelings, and relationships in school or youth club environments; developing public education initiatives targeted at young men; improving drop-in services, as self-referral to the agencies seems mos popular with young men; more information sharing among those working with young men in order to identify best practice.
Lesage, A.D. et al., 1994, ‘Suicide and mental disorders: A case control study of young men’, American Journal of Psychiatry, 151 (7), 1063–8.
[Aaron T. Beck (1921– ) graduated from Yale University in psychiatry in 1946 and completed formal training in psychoanalysis at the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute in 1956. He then began to conduct research to validate psychoanalytic theories. But when his research did not support his hypotheses, he rejected the psychoanalytic approach and developed a cognitive therapy for depression. His well-known tests to assess depression include the Beck Depression Inventory and the Scale for Suicide Ideation. Among his several influential books are Depression: Clinical, Experimental, and Theoretical Aspects (1967), Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders (1979) and Cognitive Therapy of Depression (1979, with Rush, Shaw and Emery).]
Youth suicide has long been a topic of concern. Indeed, suicide among high school students was the theme of the first meeting of the Viennese Psychoanalytic Society, attended by Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler in 1910. With the recent rise in suicide rates among young people, especially young men, it has become a major issue. A recent survey conducted in Ireland indicated that the suicide rate for men aged 15 and over in 1977 was 8.9/100 000 population (Swanwick & Clare, 1997). By 1996 this figure had risen to 17.38/100 000 (NWHB, 1998). This increase may partly be due to better recording of the relevant data, but better recording should affect data relating to both men and women of all ages. So the increased incidence appears to be real rather than artefactual. It affects most acutely men aged between 20 and 24 years. Apart from being male, other factors that appear to increase the risk of suicide include being unemployed, living alone or with parents (for young males), being married (for young females), rura l living (particularly for males) and underlying mental illness or personality disorders. Foster et al. (1997) conducted ‘psychological autopsies’ on 118 of 154 deaths due to suicide in Northern Ireland (July 1992 – July 1993) and ascribed DSM-III-R axis I and/or axis II diagnoses to 90 per cent of these deaths. Major DSM-III-R axis I diagnoses implicated were: alcohol dependence (37 per cent), unipolar depression (32 per cent) and anxiety disorders (10 per cent). Remember, though, that these diagnoses don’t necessarily indicate direct causality: for example, dependence on alcohol may be a reaction to a more fundamental problem, which itself causes both the alcohol dependency and the ultimate suicide. Using similar ‘psychological autopsy’ techniques, Lesage et al. (1994) compared 75 young men (aged 18–35) who had committed suicide with 75 living young men matched for age and socio-economic background. They found that 88 per cent of the suicide group, compared with only 37 per cent of the contr ls, were diagnosed with DSM-III-R axis I disorders. Furthermore, young people who have been psychiatric patients during childhood and adolescence are known to be at increased risk from suicide. Working with Men, a London-based organization, published a report in 1997 (Young Men and Mental Health Project) on work carried out by agencies dealing with young people. The report notes that young men aged 16–25 tend to approach these agencies seeking advice on practical issues rather than for personal counselling. Younger boys seem to prefer short visits and want immediate answers to problems. Men tend to come alone, delay help-seeking (48 per cent left their problems more than a month before tackling them) and have difficulty asking for help. The report recommends: working with young men on help-seeking, recognition of feelings, and relationships in school or youth club environments; developing public education initiatives targeted at young men; improving drop-in services, as self-referral to the agencies seems mos popular with young men; more information sharing among those working with young men in order to identify best practice.
Lesage, A.D. et al., 1994, ‘Suicide and mental disorders: A case control study of young men’, American Journal of Psychiatry, 151 (7), 1063–8.
[Aaron T. Beck (1921– ) graduated from Yale University in psychiatry in 1946 and completed formal training in psychoanalysis at the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute in 1956. He then began to conduct research to validate psychoanalytic theories. But when his research did not support his hypotheses, he rejected the psychoanalytic approach and developed a cognitive therapy for depression. His well-known tests to assess depression include the Beck Depression Inventory and the Scale for Suicide Ideation. Among his several influential books are Depression: Clinical, Experimental, and Theoretical Aspects (1967), Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders (1979) and Cognitive Therapy of Depression (1979, with Rush, Shaw and Emery).]
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