Myth: All Suicides Can Be Prevented
Preventing death by suicide for all people is a worthy goal. We should try to prevent suicide and support more reasons for living, but a determined person will outmaneuver any barrier that we put in their place over the long term.
Fact: If People Want to Die by Suicide, We Can’t Stop Them
Maintaining absolute vigilance 24 hours a day 7 days a week isn’t possible in the long term. There will be a time when there is a means and an opportunity. To best protect people from suicide, we must find strategies that rely on removing access to means as much as possible, providing monitoring to the point possible, and working with the person to change their perspective on the value of life as compared with the value of their death.
Learn More
Just because not every suicide can be prevented, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. See Stacey Freedenthal’s post, “No, Suicide Isn’t Always Preventable,” for a more thorough exposition of the problems with claiming that suicide is preventable.
Evidence
The evidence says that there are still deaths inside of psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons where suicide precautions were in place. This clearly demonstrates that people can find a way to kill themselves if they’re determined enough.
In Support of the Myth
None identified.
To Refute the Myth
"Hospital-Based Suicides: Challenging Existing Myths" (2022)
Ten hospital-suicide related myths are debunked.
Suicide: Inside and Out (1977)
Describes attempts made while pretending to be a patient on a suicide watch at a psychiatric hospital.
Unclear or Mixed Support
None identified.
Learn more about suicide myths – and the truths behind them – by following the links below.