At+the+mercy+of+society

**Wiki Page Author:** Ryan Harris This artefact is a picture of someone with their hands tied. It represents the affect that society has on an individual’s decision to commit suicide. Throughout this paper the issue of suicide in Australia will be discussed. The role of age in risk factors, prevention and treatment will be observed in the literature that is available. It would appear that there are obvious areas within the issue of suicide that need to be researched. Durkheim’s theories on suicide and the interaction between individual and society will also be explored.
 * Student Number: **n7158742

Suicide can be described as someone taking their own life. In 2005 the Australian Bureau of statistics identified that 2101 people committed suicide. Males are clearly committing suicide more than women as almost 80 per cent of deaths caused by suicide were males. Within this the most common age for men to commit suicide is the 30-34 bracket where 27.5 per 100 000 inhabitants commit suicide. For adolescent males aged 15-19 the rate is much lower at 6.7 per 100 000. However the rate increases dramatically to 22 per 100 000 in young men aged 20-24. For elderly men 65-69 the rate is just over 10 per 100 000 but this increases to over 20 per 100 000 for men over the age of 75. For women the rates are not as high and we do not see any great differences between the ages. Again the highest incidences occurred within the middle aged with the rate for 35- 39 females being 6.9 per 100 000. For adolescent females the rate was also low at 3.6 per 100 000 inhabitants. The information above clearly shows that age plays a part in an individual’s tendency to commit suicide. With middle aged persons having the highest rates of suicide in males and females the question of why must be asked. Suzuki (2008) suggests in his study that the reason for higher suicide rates within middle aged people is because of uncertainty of income. He also goes on to explain why suicide rates are higher among men. Suzuki proposes that men see themselves as the main providers for their families and therefore they carry the mental burden of income. Through mechanisms such as a utility maximisation model and the stochastic process he presents the relationship between uncertainty of income and suicide. Within this study Suzuki does not explain why this is a particular problem for middle aged people alone. Uncertainty of income is an issue that has the potential to affect many age groups. Youth suicide rates are the lowest of all the age groups but are devastating and have a large impact on society. Plenty of research has been done on the prevalence of youth suicide and its risk factors. Beautrais (2000) states that these risk factors include substance use disorders, antisocial disorders and a history of psychopathology. Burns (2011) however suggests that too much focus has been placed upon traditional approaches such as school based programs and telephone hotlines. He elaborates by identifying that the focus should be on research evaluation and greater program development. With the focus on these areas Burns states that risks factors such as self harm, access to lethal means and protective factors will be better dealt with. The rate of suicides for men over the age of 75 was 20 per 100 000 inhabitants. This is an alarming statistic and begs the question of why are they choosing to commit suicide towards the end of their lives. Heisel (2005) in his study identifies the potential risk factors of suicide. He explains that suicidal thoughts and behaviour, mental illness and specifically of mood disorders, difficulties adjusting to life transitions and losses, personality vulnerability factors, and access to lethal implements are all risk factors of suicide for the elderly. Van Orden (2011) suggests that finding risk factors is productive but mechanisms must be put into place to improve the quality of life for the elderly. The mechanism that he reinforces throughout the article is connectedness. It states that through the promotion of connectedness there can be seen reduction in the incidence of late- life suicide. Antidepressants have been prescribed for many years however the argument of whether or not they are effective at preventing suicide is still very alive. The majority of evidence would suggest that antidepressants are an effective treatment for suicide as it can be seen that globally that as antidepressant prescription increased, suicide rates decreased. The most common type antidepressant that is prescribed is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Carlsten (2001) conducted a study that looked at the effect of SSRI’s on suicide rates in Sweden. The study looks this interaction from 1977- 1997. In this 20 year period a negative correlation occurred when the prescriptions rose dramatically and suicides decreased. In men there was an increase of 4.2 to 21.8 in prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants and a decrease of 48.2 to 33.3 in suicides per 100 000 inhabitants. In women there was an increase of 8.8 to 42.2 in prescriptions while there was a decrease of 20.3 to 13.4 in suicides. In England a similar study was conducted over a ten year period instead of a 20 year period. This study shows from 1993 to 2002 that there was a 250 per cent increase in SSRI prescription (22.4 to 53.2 per 100 inhabitants). Along with this increase in prescription came a decrease in the rate of suicides. Suicide rates fell from 98.2 to 84.3 per million inhabitants.

Durkheim (1897) provided many theories on how society interacts with the individual. A theme that often featured in Durkheim’s theories is the concept of connectedness. He stated that how connected one is to society can have an effect of their actions. A clear example of this is in the issue of suicide amongst the elderly. Van Orden (2011) affirms this in his research into late life suicide and explains that a major risk factor is disconnectedness. This disconnectedness is a case of what Durkheim named egoism. Egoism is when an individual becomes overly detached from society and as a result commits suicide. While Durkheim has helped shape the way that people view and approach suicide it is still undecided whether or not over connectedness or disconnectedness causes destructive behaviour like suicide. Kushner (2005) disagrees with Durkheim’s belief that suicide occurs as a result of detachment from society. Kushner claims that suicide occurs rather in instances where there are high levels of social integration.

The artefact that I have chosen is an image of someone sitting on a chair with their hands tied behind their back. It represents the influence and power that society has over people’s action in relation to suicide. Based on Durkheim’s theory that suicide is a socially produced act, I believe that the image displays how individuals are at the mercy of society. According to Durkheim’s theory an individual’s “hands are tied” as to whether or not they will be able to combat suicide. The image affected me personally as I had a friend in high school who committed suicide a year after leaving school. This friend of mine was unable to deal with the pressures of life after school and felt overwhelmed by society’s interpretations of success. This interpretation of success involves how one is to look and what they are to acquire. From this piece of assessment I have learnt that when reviewing literature that you must have a mindset of reviewing the issue as a whole. Reviewing the issue as a whole helps to recognise the gaps within the literature.


 * Comments**

Alcohol Drinking Badass

I really enjoyed what you said about life's problems. I have experienced this in same realization in my life. However it is a very hard path to take, that is to constantly be looking at how we can better improve our lives and they way we view life. I am a christian and i believe that God uses some difficulties in my life to grow and challenge me for a greater purpose. Clamydia, MTV and Pornography I like this topic, it particularly interests me because it is extremely relevant to me and my peers. It would seem that this fast "have it now" lifestyle that gen Y has created is finding its way into the way we conduct our relationships. Traditionally sex is something that is worked towards in a relationship and is built upon trust and intimacy. Sex is again changing with such blatant advertising that objectifies a woman. Thanks for your choice of artifact and pointing out the sometimes obvious degradation our society produces. Good Work __References __ 3309.0 - Suicides, Australia, 2005. (n.d.). //Australian Bureau of Statistics//. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/3309.0/ Beautrais, A. (2000). Risk factors for suicide and attempted suicide among young people.. //Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry//, //34//(3), 420. Burns. (2000). Preventive interventions for youth suicide: a risk factor-based approach.. //Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry//, //34//(3), 388-407. Carlsten, A. (2001). Antidepressant medication and suicide in Sweden. //Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety//, //10//(6), 525-530. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/10.1002/pds.618/abstract;jsessionid=4F156CED70FC567403553DEF132F4C84.d01t02 Hall, W. (2003). Association between antidepressant prescribing and suicide in Australia, 1991-2000: trend analysis. //British Medical Journal//, //326//. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://www.bmj.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/326/7397/1008 Kushner, H. (2005). The Limit of social capital: Durkheim, suicide and social cohesian. //American Journal of Public Health//, //95//(7), 1139-1143. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=95a8a0cf-9bd7-4765-92c0-d3717d938a58%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=tfh&AN=17453533 Proof of the pill: cutting out the guesswork in prescribing antidepressants. (n.d.). //The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.//. Retrieved October 9, 2011, from http://theconversation.edu.au/proof-of-the-pill-cutting-out-the-guesswork-in-prescribing-antidepressants-2962 Sondergard, L. (2006). Do antidepressants prevent suicide?. //Web of Science//, //21//(4), 211-218. Retrieved October 9, 2011, from http://apps.webofknowledge.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/InboundService.do?SID=X1EJGa46BpLbgfAa9C4&product=WOS&UT=000238030800003&SrcApp=Summon&DestFail=http%3A%2F%2Faccess.isiproducts.com%2Fcustom_images%2Fwok5_failed_auth.html&Init=Yes&action=retrieve&Sr Suicide rates plunge as anti-depressant prescribing soars. (n.d.). //Health reference center//. Retrieved October 7, 2011, from find.galegroup.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2CUS%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ti%2CNone%2C57%29Suicide+rates+plunge+as+anti+depressant+prescribing+soars%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28da%2CNon Suzuki, T. (2008). ECONOMIC MODELLING OF SUICIDE UNDER INCOME UNCERTAINTY: FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF MIDDLE-AGED SUICIDE. //Australian Economic Papers//, //47//(3), 296-310. The hidden side of antidepressants: are they putting young lives at risk?. (n.d.). //The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.//. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://theconversation.edu.au/the-hidden-side-of-antidepressants-are-they-putting-young-lives-at-risk-3081 Orden, K. V. (2011). The interpersonal theory of suicide.. //Psychological Review//, //117//(2), 575-600. = = = = **Student:** Ryan Harris
 * Student Number: **n7158742