Suicide: A Suicidological Definition

Suicidology combines knowledge and methods of inquiry from several fields such as psychology, psychiatry, physiology and sociology for the research, treatment and prevention of suicide. Naturally, suicidologists have their own definition of suicide.

What is important to understand about suicidological definitions of suicide is the context in which they are made. The context is that suicide should be prevented, and the first step in preventing suicide is by understanding its causes. Naturally, a suicidological definition of suicide would be concerned mostly with the causes of suicide, and not such much by which instances of death qualify as a suicide.

One very detailed definition of suicide is given by Edwin Shneidman, a central figure in the field of suicidology. The definition is as follows [1]:

"Currently in the Western world, suicide is a conscious act of self-induced annihilation, best understood as a multidimensional malaise in a needful individual who defines an issue for which the suicide is perceived as the best solution."

Shneidman then proceeds (in 17 pages) to explain this definition in detail, devoting a subsection to every word of it. We are not going to go over every word, but we will expand upon specific words of interest, also devoting a subsection to each such word.

Currently

Shneidman notes that the definition is dependent upon time and culture: "I believe that the definition of suicide offered in this book would become out of date in time".

Act

Shneidman is opposed to the use of the terms "suicidal attempt" or "suicidal threat", since these are often used in a judgemental way, casting doubt on the seriousness of the personal crises which caused the act. Instead, Shneidman prefers to classify such events, in the same way as a suicide where the person died: they are both suicide acts. The difference among these different acts is in their degree of lethality, which can be rated as the probability that death is a result of that act.

Emphasizing suicide as an act, a behavior that leads to do death, simplifies the term.

Malaise

Malaise is a sense of physical ill-being. Shneidman notes other states of malaise such as delinquency, prostitution and craziness.

Individual

Shneidman rejects the notion of sacrificial or institutional suicide. Even when social or group pressure exist, suicide is always an individual act.

REFERENCES

[1] Edwin Shneidman, "Suicide as Psychache: a Clinical Approach to Self-Destructive Behavior", 1993.