For Fernando Mansilla Left. March 21, 2018
The mechanisms that suicides choose to commit suicide are varied and depends more on accessibility than consideration whether the method is lethal or not. The profile of suicide methods depends on the availability of the methods used, in particular on the availability of technical means. And the evidence indicates that restricting access to means of suicide is more urgent and technically feasible than ever (Ajdacic-Gross et al., 2007). In this Psychology-Online article, we want to emphasize the importance of studying the Suicidal behavior, its prevention and methods for suicide. In this way, prevent this problem from spreading in our society.
Among the methods used, among others, are: precipitation, hanging, suffocation with a plastic bag on the head, intoxication drugs, gas poisoning, poisoning with plants, fungi, metals, cleaning products and pesticides, starvation or prolonged fasting, suspending the prescribed medication, a traffic accident, throwing oneself into the path of vehicles (car, train, truck ...), shooting with a firearm, the bomb with explosive attached to the body, the setting fire to the bonzo, swallowing sharp or sharp objects and the stabbing or eventration (Maris, Berman and Silverman, 2000; Suicide Research, Prevention and Intervention Association, 2009).
It seems that the choice of the method for the suicidal act is related to the sociocultural and even geographical influence (sea, railroad, agricultural area - pesticides.) since the geographical area is related to access to tools that facilitate the suicidal act (Morales and Jiménez, 1996).
Pesticide suicide and suicide by firearm tend to replace traditional methods in many countries. Pesticide poisoning was common in many Asian countries and Latin America, while drug poisoning was common in the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom. Hanging was the preferred method of suicide in Eastern Europe, as were firearms in the United States. States and the leap into the void in cities and urban societies such as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
It has been differentiated between violent and non-violent methods, which would be related to the impulsiveness of the suicidal act, and that violent suicidal acts are predominant in spring and autumn (Miró García et al., 2006).
Lester (1971) has classified suicides into assets such as hanging, precipitation, firearms, knives; Y Passives like gases, drugs, poisons.
Along the same lines, Isometsa et al. (1994) consider suicides by hanging, shooting, cutting instruments, precipitation and railway run over as violent and suicides by submersion, use of gases, toxins, drugs or poisons such as non-violent.
Maes et al. (1994) add as violent the suicides by explosives and sharp instruments, and classify the immersion as violent, while Altamira and others (1999) consider the car accident within violent suicide and the ingestion of solid or liquid substances as non-violent methods.
Men often choose active methods (shooting or hanging), while women opt for passive methods (poisoning).
The establishment of the differentiation between violent and non-violent suicidal methods would be related to the impulsiveness of the suicidal act. Sometimes the suicide attempt occurs impulsively due to the crisis generated by some stressful life event.
The availability of information on the most frequent suicide methods is important to devise suicide prevention strategies and programs.
