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Suicide methods


Suicide methods are the different methods people have chosen to commit suicide.

Contents

Burning oneself (Self-immolation)

Often practiced as a form of protest against a government. It is a painful way to die and very noticeable in public places, making it an effective way to gain publicity and attention for your cause. It takes a few minutes for the body to burn to death and if it is done publicly, the person might be stopped by people nearby. However, this method leaves the person the least chance of being able to continue a normal life if they are rescued, because fire greatly damages the body before actually killing it. Some sort of catalyzer (an easily burning material, e.g. gasoline) is frequently used to make the death quicker. After setting oneself alight using a catalyzer, there is also almost no possibility to avert death.

Famous people who have chosen this way to die: Romas Kalanta, in protest against Soviet Union occupying his homeland Lithuania

Car "accident"

Suicide by deliberately driving a car into something. Usually this is done impulsively, or when willing to cover the suicide as an accident. Whether it would be lethal or what the consequences would be greatly depends on type of car, what thing it is crashed at and speed at the time of crash. Other types of transport are also used for this type of suicide (e.g. planes), though it is rarer due to the fact that cars are the most widely used form of transport.

Driving a car into water is covered in Drowning section of this article.

Drowning

Suicide by drowning is purposefully getting into water and staying there for long enough for water to fill the breathing channels. This might be done by walking into water (usually attaching heavy things to oneself so it would be impossible to get out), more frequently by driving into water or getting off a ship or boat. It isn't an easy way to die, but it is easier to stage as an accident if it is needed for some reason. It also might be an impulsive decision. If the water is cold, a death of hypothermia might occur too. It takes a few minutes to die by drowning, about similar time to die of hypothermia, however hypothermia happens despite the person being able to swim and breathing. This method risks permanent brain damage if rescue arrives after the brain has been deprived of oxygen for several minutes.

If a car is driven into water, it would stay afloat for some time, and then sink - at that time it wouldn't be possible to open the door because of differences of pressure inside and outside of car.

Suicide by drowning could also be done by jumping from a bridge, see Jumping down section.

Famous people who have chosen this way to die: Ludwig II, the king of Bavaria, when he was removed from power on charges of insanity. (It is unknown whether he committed suicide or was killed)

Electrocution

Suicide by electricity. The flow of electricity through the body has a potential to seriously disrupt nerve signals , which will cause death if the electric current is strong enough and affects a sufficiently large area of the body.

Water is often involved, as water is a good conductor. A common method is to sit in a bathtub full of water and throw in an electric device (plugged into an outlet); this way the electricity reaches all parts of body through the water. Fuses installed in the electrical device can potentially thwart this method when the short-circuit occurs.

It is chosen because it is seen as being an easy way out - it can be done at home without getting any additional things.

Hanging

Hanging can be done in three ways:

1. Drop hanging. The neck can be broken by dropping from a height with a rope around one's neck tied at the other end to some fixed thing. Of the three ways, this proves most fatal.

2. Vertical position. The idea is to strangle yourself using your own weight. It takes more time than the previous method, but is more private and may be easier to prepare for. It is usually performed by standing on chair or some other light and easily movable object, putting a rope around one's neck and attaching its other end to some place above (a lamp, for example), and then kicking the object away.

3. Horizontal position. This is usually done when conditions do not allow other means. The person puts a rope around their neck and attaches the other end to something that sticks out (e.g. a doorknob or water tap), and then uses their own force to push away from it or estabilishes themself in a position where common forces (e.g. gravitation) can assist. This method of hanging is the least fatal and takes the longest time. Due to the length of time require, blood may pool in the eyes before death.

Jumping

Usually done by jumping from a tall building or from a bridge. There is no single cause of death associated with this method - there could be various injuries leading to death. However, depending on the height of the fall, landing surface and orientation of the body at impact, injuries sustained may not be lethal.

If a person jumps from a bridge into water, it frequently happens that the person isn't killed by hitting the water and dies by drowning instead (especially if the bridge is lower). People attempting this method sometimes attach stones or other weights to themselves or tie their hands and legs beforehand to make it impossible to swim to safety should they panic.

This method is sometimes used as a cry for help, with undecided people standing "on edge" long enough for somebody to notice. However, that does not mean everybody who is about to jump is not for real - as in all cases with suicidal people, these must be taken seriously.

Usually the building chosen will be a known public buildings (e.g. school, hospital) or a building the person is familiar with (eg. a person's apartment block) as they are best known and approaches to their roofs or high floors are also well known. However this also increases the possibility of being stopped if the person doesn't jump immediately, as those are public places. One reason that people may choose this method is that they experience a massive thrill before jumping and death is (possibly) relatively quicker than other methods. When jumping in a public place the possibility of accidentally killing a bystander by falling on them should probably be considered (though if you're planning to jump it's probably not the first thing on your mind).

Jumping under a train or a car

As for the damage done, this type of suicide is similar to Jumping - where above it depends on height and type of landing, here it depends on the speed and type of the vehicle. New cars are made so that they would do as little damage to pedestrians as possible; trucks would do more. If the person is struck by the vehicle the damage will be much less than if the person goes under the vehicle's wheels. If the person falls under the wheels the chance of injuries being lethal is high, however it is possible that just an arm or a leg would get under the wheels (in which case the person may survive handicapped).

In the case of trains, suicidal individuals frequently just lie on the railroad rather than jumping in front of the train as this requires less willpower. Unlike automobiles, trains cannot be stopped quickly so even if an engineer notices someone on the tracks it may be too late. The chance of being spotted can be decreased by doing this at night.

Unlike with jumping from a height, this might be done in non-public places too because roads and railways pass through empty and forested areas. Still, many such suicides are done in cities or train stations. In Japan a law was issued forcing relatives of a suicide to cover the cost of stopping traffic due to the number of suicides by jumping under commuter trains. The idea was to encourage people to use methods less harmful to others.

Jumping in front of car or train can be either an impulsive or planned event. It is also sometimes used for group suicides.

Overdosing

Usage of this method has increased in recent years. It involves taking a large dose of medication, usually sleeping pills or antidepressants, in the hope it will overpower the body's ability to cope. However, due to the unpredictablity of dose requirements, death is not certain and an attempt may leave a person alive but with severe organ damage. Drugs taken orally may also be vomited back up before they have a chance to be absorbed. Overdosing may also be performed by mixing medication or mixing medications with alcohol or (illegal) drugs. This method may leave confusion over whether death was suicide or accidental.

Poisoning

Usage of known poisons. Effectively the same as overdosing, however the chance of success is higher (though the dosage required still varies from person to person). Because of low accessibility of poisons to normal public, this was traditionally used by people in power, e.g. politicians or military leaders.

Famous people who chose this way to die: Adolf Hitler after he saw that Germany would not win World War 2. He used potassium cyanide. Herman Goering after he was arrested and sentenced to hanging managed to get poison and die this way, which he saw as being a more honorable death.

Seppuku

(also known as harakiri)

Japanese ritual method of suicide, practicised mostly in medieval times, though some isolated cases appear in modern times. The most widely-known part of sepukku in western society is probably slashing the stomach, which indeed is part of the ritual - however ritual is far more complex than that. Dressed ceremonially, with his sword placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloths, the warrior would prepare for death by writing a death poem. With a selected attendant (kaishakunin , his second) standing by, he would open his kimono, take up his wakizashi (short sword), fan, or a tanto (knife) and plunge it into his abdomen, making first a left-to-right cut and then a second slightly upward stroke. On the second stroke, the Kaishakunin would perform daki-kubi , a ritual in which the warrior is all but decapitated (a slight band of flesh is left attaching the head to the body). In the case that a fan is used (usually when the person is very young or particularly evil) the kaishakunin would perform the daki-kubi the moment the fan touched the person's stomach.

Famous people who have chosen this way to die: Yukio Mishima after failed coup d'etat intended to restore full power to Japanese Emperor

Self Decapitation

This method of suicide is extremely rare, due to the amount of willpower and preparation needed to commit to it. The most often used method is to make a crude guillotine with a wooden frame, a sharp blade, and a rope to fasten the blade with. Once the head is placed under the blade, the rope is released, and the blade comes down onto the person's head. This method has been known to require the use of a helper to assist in releasing the blade. Other ways used range from attempting to rig a sword to fall on oneself to sticking ones head out of a moving vechicle and attempting to come in contact with a street sign or post. (This last method is not only rare, but very defective, often resulting in serious injury rather then death.) However, if done properly, death is supposted to be quick and painless. However, some have debated over how long this method actually takes to kill a person, and just how much pain is perceived while alive.


Shooting

Using a firearm on oneself. Used more frequently in countries where firearms are easier to obtain. It is debatable however if that raises the number of suicides in general, it might be so that it just raises the number of people choosing this method. In countries where firearms are harder to obtain, this method is sometimes still used, especially by people who use arms in their work, e.g. soldiers or policemen.

The lethality of the method depends on where the shot is aimed. Usually it's the side of forehead or the mouth (both ways ultimately aimed at the brain). In some cases the heart is chosen as a target, but it is harder to do correctly. A shot to the stomach will cause a slower death, as the cause will then be loss of blood rather than organ trauma. Brain or heart damage kills a person more quickly, however the gun must be powerful enough for that to succeed.

Suicide by firearms is a common way to kill oneself after a gun murder or shootout because a firearm is readily available.

Slashing throat

Cutting through throat. Here death is caused by loss of blood or because blood clogs the trachea. It was also practicised as a ritual suicide method in Japan, used by noble women for the same purposes as Seppuku was used by men. This method cuts the major artery which leads to the brain and should take no longer than few minutes to lose enough blood for the wound to be fatal. It is almost impossible for someone to stop the person from dying, especially if it is done alone. However, it takes a great amount of willpower to do it.

Slashing wrists

Cutting through the wrists until the main veins are reached. People choosing this method die because of blood loss; however, most people who attempts this way of suicide are unable to cut deep enough to achieve their goal. This method is also frequently used as self-harm or a cry for help (because it is not an immediately lethal method), therefore not all people who slash their wrists intend suicide.

The best chance of death is achieved by slashing the wrist vertically along the vein (instead of horizontally) as this way a larger part of vein surface is cut through. Slashing wrists may damage tendons which could cause partial loss of the suicide's ability to control their hand. Usually razorblades are used as they are less painful than knives.

Starving to death

This type of suicide is practiced as the only legitimate suicide type by Jains. It is so because it cannot be done impulsively and therefore the person who is doing it has much time to think about it, to get closer to the gods and to say goodbye to those important to him. It takes a long time and also lots of willpower, and therefore is rare in western society. Also, when a person collapses due to starvation, in most cases it is still possible to save them by injecting nutrients intravenously, which is what would be done in western countries.

Stopping breathing

This type of suicide is allegedly practicised by Buddhist monks, who are (supposedly) able to stop breathing using just their willpower. It is reported that some arrested Buryat monks did this in Soviet prisons. It might also be induced by placing stamps over the mouth and nose, as depicted in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring.

Suffocation

Suffocation is done by inhaling enough of a gas which disrupts the body, usually through failure of the respiratory system. In most cases Carbon monoxide (CO)is used for this, as this gas is easily available (it is a product of combustion, eg. released by cars, some types of heaters, etc.). Carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless, so breathing it is almost unnoticeable. However, CO molecules attaches themselves to hemoglobin in blood, displacing oxygen molecules, and therefore denying parts of the body sufficient oxygen, eventually resulting in death. It is usually done by starting a car's engine (or using other CO-producing devices, like small coal ovens) in a closed space, (a garage, for example) and remaining there. This method is frequently used for group suicides as this way people die at about the same time. The time until death depends on the size of that closed space and the amount of CO issued.

There was a device for Euthanasia invented on this principle, where a person using it would have to breathe a few times out of it and then could die.

Suicide by cop

This started to be practiced on higher extent quite recently. Basically it entails the act of someone purposefully acting as if they would be dangerous in front of a law enforcement officer or other armed officers, so they would use their weapons to kill. Sometimes people uses toy weapons and other such things to appear as if they are a threat. Usually this is done by people who have no willpower to kill themselves by any other method, or because they do not want to kill themselves with their own hands because of some other reasons. This type of "suicide" also can influence cops who kill such people with psychological conditions.

Further reading

  • Stone, Geo: Suicide and Attempted Suicide. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001. ISBN 0-7867-0940-5

External links

Last updated: 05-07-2005 03:32:56
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04