2023-06-06 07:55:50
Only in one third of the suicides that occur are notes or letters written by the person who has decided to take their own life.
The notes, mostly written by men (77%), reflect the diagnosis or worsening of a disease as one of the main causes of suicide.
These are data collected in a study carried out by Researchers from the University of Granada (UGR), the Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.Granada) and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital from Granada.
The objective is to know through the notes found in the suicides in the province of Granada, how the person felt before ending their life.
The investigation is based on the observations collected by the coroner on the circumstances and context of the death.
The analysis collected in the forensic history shows the relationship of death by suicide with life situations related to family, health or with the emotional state of loss, loneliness or sadness.
How was the investigation carried out?
This study is part of the doctoral thesis of Yolanda Mejías Martín, a mental health nurse and researcher at the University of Granada.
The information collected by forensics, the study’s main resource, is necessary to confirm that the person has died by suicide.
In order to access it, the researchers requested authorization from the Research Commission of the Institute of Legal Medicine.
The data collection lasted about 3 years, since he could only go when the coroner was in physical presence, says the researcher Yolanda Mejías.
The authors explored 743 histories of forensic reports where the expert result of the autopsy had determined death by suicide in the province of Granada, between the years 2007 and 2013.
Of these, the cases containing observations of the forensic examiner on the deceased and the circumstances of the suicide were selected, resulting in a total of 286 cases.
The most complicated thing has not been the amount of data, but the time it has taken us to have it all, adds the expert.
Who leaves the notes before the suicide?
Of the 286 cases studied, only 105 had left a note before they died.
According to the study, people who commit suicide and leave a note son usually men (77% of cases), with an age between 41 and 50 years.
The content of suicide notes
The notes usually they are brief. Yolanda Mejías explains that people write them in random places with what they have on hand such as a napkin, a piece of paper or a piece of notebook.
The presence of a note indicates that the person needs to communicate their thoughts or emotions and shows their connection with others at the time of writing it, reports the specialist.
Analyzing the content of each of the suicide notes, the researchers have found the following types of messages:
- Farewell notes or messages: messages where people link the memory with appeals to different family members.
- Notes explaining why: another high percentage of the notes are intended to explain the reasons for the act and justify the decision that has been made.
- Instructional Notes: those in which people leave their last will, how they want to be treated or how to proceed with the distribution of their assets.
- Notes of affection for someone special: are the least frequent.
Differences between men and women
One of the main objectives of the study was to discover the emotions, the feelings or even the motives that have led people to commit suicide.
From the analysis of the content of the notes it is observed that physical illnesses influence men much more and become one of the main reasons for suicide.
Thinking that they are a burden or losing certain faculties is real suffering for them, adds Yolanda Mejías.
However, suicides motivated by mental illness or psychological problems are just as common in men as in women.
Some of the study’s conclusions
The researcher Yolanda Mejías explains that the aim was not only to find out the reasons for suicide, but also to discover if the decision to die was related to recent events or emotions.
We have discovered that in many of the cases analyzed there is a direct relationship between the decision made and the emotional state of the person, the researcher analyzes.
Los recent traumatic events or the loss of relatives or loved ones are some of the most relevant reasons that the researchers have found in the study. The negative health diagnoses or the worsening of a disease become the key reasons.
In addition, the professional points out that in some cases the suicidal action is motivated by a previous suicide in the family or in the social environment.
In a smaller percentage of cases, theeconomic difficulties, judicial processes, breaks loving or family have been the triggers.
Regarding feelings, the research reveals from the notes above all the feeling of abandonment, loneliness, lack of affective affection or guilt.
With the information obtained, a narrative can be built in which the explanation or apology by his own suicide forgiveness, heartbreak, pain, illness, disability and the desire to avoid being a burden for everyone else.
Failures in the health system: prevent imminent suicides
A part of the cases analyzed had gone to the doctor the days before committing suicide with different demands. Many times, not with the specific idea of wanting to end their life, but with greater anxiety, sleep problems, or feelings of sadness and loneliness.
The expert advocates training primary care health workers to be able to detect and prevent suicidal thoughts in patients.
In addition, Yolanda Mejías argues that it is necessary to establish a specific care strategy for people who are at higher risk of suicide, such as the elderly or those who live alone.
Not all measures are valid for everyone. They depend on the age range or the characteristics of the people, adds the expert.
This study offers, among other aspects, information about life experience and distress that drives a person to suicide. which is useful for the design of preventive strategies.
The researchers point out that there is a need for a more focus on peopletaking into account their emotional, mental and physical state.
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