The University of Texas at San Antonio community was shocked by the deaths of two students in what appear to be suicides during the past six months.
However, we shouldn’t be so surprised or assume young people today just can’t cope. Suicide is the 11th-leading cause of death in this country, and about 1.6 million people attempt suicide each year. Older white males have the highest rates of suicide.
Clearly, we need to do more to prevent people from making such a drastic choice, but that is easier said than done.
While roughly two-thirds of people who commit suicide are depressed, there are other causes. Some people take their own lives to make ideological points or because they can no longer cope with a painful or debilitating illness.
The use of substances and alcohol, which disrupt impulse control, and mental conditions that affect one’s perceptions of reality can also result in suicide. In some cases, people do not intend to die but engage in dangerous behavior as a cry for help.
While references to suicide appear in ancient Greek and Egyptian texts and the Bible, it is concerning that after thousands of years of growth, people are still choosing to shorten their lives. Technology has enabled us to change the human condition, but it also has created new sources of stress.
Knowing more about the world, adjusting to a constantly changing economic and social framework, and coping with the expectation that we all need to be productive to justify our existence can be exhausting. The mobility of modern life, reduced levels of in-person social interactions and ease of access to dysfunctional coping strategies, such as drinking, all play a role.
Suicide affects many other people when social and cultural factors also come into play. Many religions forbid suicide, which can trigger moral and ethical dilemmas in survivors. This can result in anger toward people who have died, those around them who didn’t prevent their deaths, or a social system that caused them distress or failed to provide the support they needed.
When we become obsessed with analyzing our actions and imagining outcomes that didn’t occur, it is referred to as counterfactual regret. Dwelling on what might have been impedes our ability to move forward and is often based on false assumptions regarding the control we have over life’s circumstances.
Is there an easy way to reduce suicide? Unfortunately, no.
As a society, we need to overcome our reluctance to talk about mental health, to acknowledge and deal with negative feelings, and to reassess our preoccupation with measuring our self-worth in terms of accomplishments.
Asking someone whether they are having thoughts of suicide can feel risky, but doing so does not increase the risk of them harming themselves and can show them that people care. Encouraging people to ask for help and reaching out to those who appear lonely or socially awkward can also make a difference.
While we may never be able to predict or prevent every suicide, we can strive to create a world in which people have other options when life feels overwhelming.
Those of us affected by the premature loss of our UTSA community members must increase our knowledge about preventing suicide and commit ourselves to promoting compassion and support on and off campus.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Mary McNaughton-Cassill is a professor of psychology at The University of Texas at San Antonio and is a fellow of the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
A version of this op-ed appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.
