Myth: Suicide Is an Easy Escape that Cowards Use
This myth was perhaps started by the Roman prohibition against suicide in cases of crime or military desertion. The current theories and research show that it’s difficult – not easy – to kill oneself.
Fact: It’s Quite Difficult, but Obviously Not Impossible, to Kill Oneself
Both Thomas Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide and Klonsky and May’s Three Step Theory of Suicide require capacity for self-harm as a part of a framework that allows people to attempt suicide. These theories and the research support that this is not something that most people are naturally capable of, and they may need to be “trained” or conditioned towards this capability.
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Overriding our instincts for self-protection and pain avoidance is difficult. This shows up in aborted suicide attempts, whether that’s failing to go through with the attempt or quickly calling for help after initiating the process.
Consider the person standing on the ledge of a building before turning around. Or the person who empties the bottle of medication onto the counter and fails to take it. These aborted attempts represent a reconsideration before the attempt. Consider the person who takes the medication on the counter but immediately calls 911 for help – or initiates vomiting. It’s a different class, but still an aborted attempt.
It’s practically impossible to separate a suicide attempt that is structured to be found and interrupted from a genuine attempt. Consider the death of Sylvia Plath, who attempted suicide by gas. She set up the gas sometime between 6AM, when she set out a plate of bread and butter and two mugs of milk for her children, and 9AM, when her punctual au pair was to arrive. Things went tragically wrong as the neighbor below Plath didn’t awake to the au pair’s knocking on the door. Was this a genuine suicide attempt or a cry for help? (See The Savage God for more.)
Evidence
The evidence soundly indicates that self-harm, and attempting suicide, is not an easy thing.
In Support of the Myth
None identified.
To Refute the Myth
"Aborted Suicide Attempts: A New Classification of Suicidal Behavior" (1998)
People with aborted suicide attempts are twice as likely to have a suicide attempt.
"Thresholds and Tolerance of Physical Pain in Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Adolescents" (1997)
Suicidal individuals have a higher pain tolerance. The inferred meaning is that greater pain tolerance enables greater suicidality.
"The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide" (2010)
The key factors identified are lack of belonging, perceived burdensomeness, and capacity to inflect self-harm.
Proposes that capability to harm yourself is the final step.
This myth is included in the book.
Fear of suicide is one of the categories of reasons why people don’t make an attempt.
Unclear or Mixed Support
None identified.
Learn more about suicide myths – and the truths behind them – by following the links below.