Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/523863
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 JUNE 2015
12
News
MARTINA BORG
A recent report by the World
Health Organization revealed that
suicide has quietly crept up the lad-
der and become the leading killer
of teenage girls worldwide. The es-
timates, largely based on the WHO
mortality database (a global vital
registration and cause-of-death
registry that is created from data
provided by its member states), re-
veal data across 172 member states
for 2012.
Although the absolute number
of suicides has fallen by about 9%
around the world since 2000 –
despite an increase in the global
population – the figures glaringly
show that more girls aged between
15 and 19 die from self-harm than
from road accidents, diseases or
complications from pregnancy
around the world.
The difference might be a result
of the developments in medicines
and health services in many re-
gions of the world, which is result-
ing in less fatalities, but this drop
has finally shed light on one of the
greatest taboos of our time: teen
suicides.
Local experts who spoke to this
newspaper emphasised how a frank
and non-stigmaitising discussion
on suicide and its causes would be
the healthiest step forward, ensur-
ing that the many psychological
factors that lead to young suicides
are nipped in the bud, and placed
in the appropriate context.
Head of the crisis team at Mater
Dei University hospital Dr Mark
Xuereb pointed out that suicide
rates varied according to the loca-
tion in question, but that shock-
ingly suicide retained the top spot
as a killer for teenage girls even in
Europe. He explained that suicides
in teenage girls were more com-
mon in Asia, where women were
traditionally submissive to men.
"In these countries suicide is of-
ten a response to overwhelmingly
restricting changes that the girls
can't handle. Some girls are pushed
into marriages at a very young age,
or they suffer sexual and physical
abuse in complete and expected
silence," Xuereb said.
Self-harm and social media
Xuereb – a suicidology specialist
– pointed out that self-harm had
also become an almost 'in-trend'
thing to do for girls, whether it was
attempted to end life or not.
"Girls, who often tend to be more
reflective than boys, often suffer
in silence and find solace on social
media pages on Tumblr or Face-
book. Social media can sometimes
be helpful as people find like minds
to share their troubles with, but the
truth is there are also groups that
encourage things like self-harm,
saying it can be cathartic."
Xuereb added that related issues
like body image could also play a
part: the constant bombardment
of Photoshopped celebrities could
dent girls' self-esteem, while boys
are known to be cruel to girls that
don't necessarily conform to the
established beauty standard.
"There seems to be a sense of
universality and of group therapy
that seems to take over teenage
girls' virtual selves, which means
they look for help in the wrong
places," he stressed.
Chairman of Fondazzjoni ghal
Sahhtek and psychiatrist Dr Anton
Grech added that the role of the
media and social media could not
be forgotten.
"The copycat suicide phenom-
enon has become harder to con-
trol given user-controlled media,
like videos posted on-line that go
viral," he said explaining that some
news was spreading despite the
sensitivity employed by the media.
Xuereb explained that although
statistics for Malta showed that the
bulk of suicides locally were com-
mitted by males in the 36-59 age
group, self-harm among teenage
girls was becoming increasingly
common. According to police sta-
tistics, 74 suicides of the total of
128 between 2000 and 2014 had
been committed by men in the 36-
59 age group, as opposed to five
suicides for people under 18, in the
same period.
He also explained that self-harm
was not always intended as a way
to kill themselves and that on av-
erage, for every girl that commit-
ted suicide, an estimated 100 other
girls would resort to cutting them-
selves.
"Suicide can sometimes be ra-
tional; a response to bullying or
perhaps even some form of de-
pression," he said, adding that the
taboo surrounding psychologi-
cal problems often made matters
worse.
Breaking the taboo
Clinical psychologist and train-
ee sexologist Dr Nicholas Briffa
agreed that in Maltese society,
most people are uncomfortable
with the topic of suicide, especially
that of teen suicide.
"Too often, victims are blamed,
and their families and friends are
left stigmatized. As a result, people
do not communicate openly about
suicide," Briffa said adding that an
important public health problem is
therefore left shrouded in secrecy,
which limits the amount of infor-
mation available to those working
to prevent suicide.
Briffa added that an important
preventive factor for teen suicide
is that of stimulating the education
and discussions about suicide.
Xuereb further explained that all
too often, suicide, at whatever age,
was a result of self-disenchant-
ment.
"People sometimes feel like they
have run out of options, but that's
never the case, and Crisis Centres
are there for that reason," he said,
emphasising the role of private
lines like Crisis Resolution Malta.
"There are whole teams of people
who are ready to offer people other
options, and that's
something people
can only know if they
engage in an active
discussion of their
negative thoughts
or tendencies rather
than treating them
like a taboo," he said.
"Going by my expe-
rience as a psychia-
trist, many survivors
of suicide have ad-
mitted that they ulti-
mately decide to kill
themselves because they feel they
have run out of options."
Xuereb said that one of the ways
to battle this would be through a
nationwide effort both to identify
people suffering from depression
or other issues early, and to create
more groups where people with
suicidal tendencies feel safe, cit-
ing international examples such
as the particularly suicide-afflicted
Japan, where workplaces are come
equipped with suicide prevention
facilities.
Suicide triggers
Pointing out how the majority of
young people who commit suicide
are believed to have had a mental
disorder – such as depression –
which would have tragically gone
undiagnosed or untreated, Briffa
explained that three factors could
trigger serious suicidal attempt
among young people.
"The first is an acute event, such
as a disciplinary crisis. An exam-
ple would be a humiliating event
or breaking up with a girl- or boy-
friend. The second trigger is any
factor that alters the adolescent's
state of mind, which includes
marked hopelessness, an obses-
sion with looking good, rage, or
intoxication with drugs or alcohol.
The third proximate factor is the
opportunity for suicide."
Briffa also observed that the
method that young people use to
kill themselves varies according to
where they live, suggesting that it
is, in part, determined by practical
matters. Xuereb also made men-
tion of the latter fact, explaining
that the higher the means and ac-
cess to weaponry there is, the more
frequent suicides become. Howev-
er, he stressed that it's easy to talk
about numbers and forget the hu-
man beings behind it all.
"People who understand that
there is help at hand early on in
life would hopefully not resort to it
again later on in life," Xuereb said,
emphasizing that the best way
to tackle such a tragic issue was
creating a nationwide prevention
strategy.
mborg@mediatoday.com.mt
Suicide ain't painless: report
reveals the most effective
killer of European teens
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