In Ep. 065: Honoring the Dead– Dia de los Muertos & the Challenge of Suicide, we discuss the stigma associated with suicide. For example, when a loved one has died by suicide, their survivors may deny that suicide was the cause of the death. It may be easier to claim someone had a “heart attack” instead of admitting that they killed themselves.
Denying Suicidal Thinking
Denial also occurs among persons who have made suicide attempts or who have thought of ending their lives. Research suggests that people may underreport the seriousness of potentially life threatening actions (e.g., self-inflicted wounds) or deny that their actions were intended to end their lives. (“I just took a few pills. I didn’t want to die.”) The stigma of being suicidal may prompt a person to minimize the dangerousness of their actions. Some people are unwilling to acknowledge that their behavior could have cost them their lives. They may describe their behavior as thrill or sensation-seeking, but to the outsider it may appear as a possible death wish.
Why We Deny
There are many reasons people don’t always admit they’ve become suicidal. For some, there may be a fear that greater restrictions could be placed upon them (e.g., hospitalization). Clinicians usually find that depressed persons are quick to deny that they are suicidal although they may readily admit to feeling badly. Mental health professionals depend on their patents to be honest reporters of their feelings and actions, but, in reality, not everyone is so candid. Furthermore, we humans can be self-deceiving, maybe not admitting even to ourselves that we were contemplating suicide.
The denial of a symptom that may be life threatening, like suicidal thinking is a dangerous thing. Imagine what may happen when a patient hides critical health news to their physician. For example, the presence of a potentially serious health problem such as chest pain or abnormal bleeding. Similarly, when a person does not admit feeling suicidal to a mental health professional, they may not receive adequate care, increasing their risk for self-harm. The reluctance to be honest about suicidal thinking is absolutely related to a greater risk of death.
In Conclusion…
People commonly ascribe deaths by suicide to some other cause. Similarly, individuals are often reluctant to accurately report their own suicidal thoughts or actions. They may minimize the seriousness of their thoughts, intents, or actions. Such denials make it hard for mental health professionals to accurately assess suicide risk and therefore prevent suicides.