Is Suicide Changing?
By Bill Blackburn
[Dr. Bill Blackburn is pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville, Texas.]
In April of 1998, the U.S. Surgeon-General commissioned report on suicide in America. Dr. David Satcher declared to a meeting of the American Society of Suicidology, "I`m convinced that we can shape a different future for this country as it relates to mental health and as it relates to suicide."
In the summer of 1980 I began studying suicide intensively. My close friend from college days, Paul Malone, had taken his life at age thirty-three. After I spoke at Paul`s funeral, our Sunday School teacher from our senior year at Baylor, Jarrell McCracken, asked if I could write a book on Paul that would help others understand why someone would come to the place of taking his or her life. I could not do that book. It was both too personal and too painful.
I suggested instead that I write a book in memory of Paul on the prevention of suicide. That book, What You Should Know About Suicide, was published by Word Books in 1982 and republished in a revised form in 1990.
But now, almost two decades after Paul`s death, I find myself asking: "How has suicide changed in these ensuing years?"
What Has Remained the Same?
The overall rate for suicide in America has varied little. I There are still about 12.8 deaths by suicide per 100,000 population. The same western states and Florida have the highest rates of suicide. The same means are used: guns, pills, ropes, knives, cars, jumping, and a whole array of inventive methods.
The same reasons why persons take their lives are given or inferred:
To escape an intolerable situation
To punish the survivors
To gain attention
To manipulate others
To join a deceased loved one
To avoid punishment
To be punished
Io avoid becoming a "burden"
To avoid the effects of a dreaded disease
To pursue an irrational, impulsive whim
To seek martyrdom
To express love
And the devastation left behind has not changed. There are families and friends whose lives are changed forever. There are economic consequences to families, businesses, and communities. There is an increased chance that other family members may choose suicide. And there is the heartbreak of knowing that in most cases time would have brought a different perspective, new hope, and continued life.
What Has Changed?
The biggest change in these years since 1980 has been some growing social acceptance of suicide as an acceptable way to deal with problems. Some of this comes from popular psychological interpretations of motivation, so that we use the prime virtue of our culture, tolerance, and seek to understand suicide rather than face the devastation of suicide on our society.
This change of the acceptance of suicide as an alternative includes the whole debate of physician-assisted suicide. It is interesting to note, however, in a AMA poli, in spite of the fact that a slim majority of Americans favor legalizing physician-assisted suicide, most would choose other end-of-life options such as hospice care if they clearly understood their choices (American Medical News, January 13, 1997).
Among the other changes related to suicide are these:
The rise in suicide rates among Black youth. The suicide rate of African-Americans between the ages of 10 and 19 has increased by 114 percent since 1980, according to a report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Washington Post article, reported in the San Antonio Express-News, March 20, 1998).
The rise in suicide rates among the elderly. The suicide rate among persons 65 and older has shown a steady increase since 1980 after a half century decline (Harvard Mental Health Letter, May, 1994).
The rise in suicide rates of children 5-19. Suicides continue to rise in this age group according to a report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Journal of the American MedicalAssociation, February 21, 1996).
A Christian Response
The response of Christians to the phenomenon of suicide should be first a turning to God as the life-giver. A consistent Christian ethic on the issue of life includes a stance against suicide, capital punishment, and abortion.
A heightened sense of the power of Satan is needed in the face of suicide. Suicide is a spiritual battle between the forces of evil and death on the one hand and the forces of good and life on the other. Satan is the great deceiver. In a depressed or overwhelmed state, the Father of Lies can convince a person that there is no hope and no way out.
Christians should stand against the violence of our society. Suicide is a violent act, but in many avenues of popular culture, we are told that violence is the answer. The easy availability of handguns is an especially troubling issue as we see the rise of handguns in suicide deaths of the young, of women, and of the elderly.
While Christians stand against violence, we should also stand with professionals like the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher who are committed to mental health research that leads both to understanding and to prevention.
In our churches, we need to address a Christian life ethic from the pulpit, in Bible study, and study groups.
Christians should commit themselves seriously to pray for persons in depression, pain, or debilitating stress. Healing and restoration can follow a concert of prayer by brothers and sisters in Christ.
And Christian`s need to understand the pain suffered by someone who would take his or her life. Although for some, suicide may seem so far remote from their own experience and for others, too painful given their own history, the compassion of our Lord is the model. What does compassion mean? To suffer with. When we can identifr with the suffering of others, there is an empathy that can help lead a friend from the dark danger of suicide to the light and hope believers have in Christ.
Conclusion
In these last twenty years, I have talked to uncounted people who have lost a loved one to suicide. I have counseled many suicidal people. I have talked with numerous persons who have attempted suicide.
Suicide is a profound tragedy that leaves a lingering legacy of questions. Why? Could I have done something? Was I a part of the problem? How could she/he have done this? Didn`t they know how bad this would hurt?
Several years ago, I was talking to an eighty-four year old man who has since gone to be with the Lord. As we talked, we discovered that I had worked for the same publishing company his father had been president of earlier this century. He took me into his bedroom to show me a picture of his father. Holding the picture, he started crying.
Then he told me that when he was thirteen years old, his father committed suicide because of a downturn in the business. The old man said, "He didn`t talk to me. Maybe if he`d talked to me, I could have helped him." He set the picture down and cried some more.
His father had shot himself to death seventy-one years before and now his son, a retired successful businessman, was crying helplessly and wondering why.
Christians are called to stand for life and against death. And this stand comes down to a day to day faithfulness to the Lord in a multitude of varied relationships.
When by our discernment, our compassion, our prayers, and the hope and joy we have in the Lord, someone decides to live rather die, God is glorified..
