SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder that affects the

way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and
relates to others. Though schizophrenia isn’t as common as other
major mental illnesses, it can be the most chronic and disabling.

People with schizophrenia often have problems doing well in

society, at work, at school, and in relationships. They might feel
frightened and withdrawn, and could appear to have lost touch
with reality. This lifelong disease can’t be cured but can be
controlled with proper treatment.

Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split or multiple

personality. Schizophrenia involves a psychosis, a type of mental
illness in which a person can’t tell what’s real from what’s imagined. At
times, people with psychotic disorders lose touch with reality. The
world may seem like a jumble of confusing thoughts, images, and
sounds. Their behavior may be very strange and even shocking. A
sudden change in personality and behavior, which happens when
people who have it lose touch with reality, is called a psychotic
episode.

How severe schizophrenia is varies from person to person. Some

people have only one psychotic episode, while others have many
episodes during a lifetime but lead relatively normal lives in between.
Still others may have more trouble functioning over time, with little
improvement between full-blown psychotic episodes.

Psychiatrists once referred to different types of schizophrenia, like

paranoid schizophrenia and catatonic schizophrenia. But the types
weren’t very useful in diagnosing or treating schizophrenia. Instead,
experts now view schizophrenia as a spectrum of conditions

Paranoia
Delusions are fixed beliefs that seem real to you, even when there's
strong evidence they aren't. Paranoid delusions, also called delusions
of persecution, reflect profound fear and anxiety along with the loss of
the ability to tell what's real and what's not real. They might make you
feel like:

A co-worker is trying to hurt you, like poisoning your food.

Your spouse or partner is cheating on you.
The government is spying on you.
People in your neighborhood are plotting to harass you.

SYMPTOMS:

Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

In this case, the word positive doesn’t mean good. It refers to added
thoughts or actions that aren’t based in reality. They’re sometimes
called psychotic symptoms and can include:

● Delusions: These are false, mixed, and sometimes strange

beliefs that aren’t based in reality and that the person refuses to
 give up, even when shown the facts. For example, a person with
delusions may believe that people can hear their thoughts, that
they are God or the devil, or that people are putting thoughts into
their head or plotting against them.
● Hallucinations: These involve sensations that aren't real. Hearing
voices is the most common hallucination in people with
schizophrenia. The voices may comment on the person's
behavior, insult them, or give commands. Less common types
include seeing things that aren't there, smelling strange odors,
having a funny taste in your mouth, and feeling sensations on
your skin even though nothing is touching your body.
● Catatonia: In this condition, the person may stop speaking, and
their body may be fixed in a single position for a very long time.

Disorganized Symptoms of Schizophrenia

These are positive symptoms that show that the person can’t think
clearly or respond as expected. Examples include:

● Talking in sentences that don’t make sense or using nonsense

words, making it difficult for the person to communicate or hold a
conversation
● Shifting quickly from one thought to the next without obvious or
logical connections between them
● Moving slowly
 ● Being unable to make decisions
● Writing excessively but without meaning
● Forgetting or losing things
● Repeating movements or gestures, like pacing or walking in
circles
● Having problems making sense of everyday sights, sounds, and
feelings

Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The person will have trouble:

● Understanding information and using it to make decisions (a

doctor might call this poor executive functioning)
● Focusing or paying attention
● Using their information immediately after learning it (this is called
working memory)
● Recognizing that they have any of these problems

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The word "negative" here doesn’t mean "bad." It notes the absence of
normal behaviors in people with schizophrenia. Negative symptoms of
schizophrenia include:

● Lack of emotion or a limited range of emotions

● Withdrawal from family, friends, and social activities
 ● Less energy
● Speaking less
● Lack of motivation
● Loss of pleasure or interest in life
● Poor hygiene and grooming habits

What Causes Schizophrenia?

The exact cause of schizophrenia isn’t known. But like cancer and
diabetes, schizophrenia is a real illness with a biological basis.
Researchers have uncovered a number of things that appear to make
someone more likely to get schizophrenia, including:

● Genetics (heredity): Schizophrenia can run in families, which

means a greater likelihood to have schizophrenia may be passed
on from parents to their children.
● Brain chemistry and circuits: People with schizophrenia may
not be able to regulate brain chemicals called neurotransmitters
that control certain pathways, or "circuits," of nerve cells that
affect thinking and behavior.
● Brain abnormality: Research has found abnormal brain
structure in people with schizophrenia. But this doesn’t apply to
all people with schizophrenia. It can affect people without the
disease.
 ● Environment: Things like viral infections, (Prenatal and
perinatal infections may affect the immune reaction or neuronal
development and result in schizophrenia in genetically
susceptible individuals. ) exposure to toxins like marijuana, or
highly stressful situations may trigger schizophrenia in
people whose genes make them more likely to get the
disorder. Schizophrenia more often surfaces when the body is
having hormonal and physical changes, like those that happen
during the teen and young adult years.

How Is Schizophrenia Diagnosed?

If symptoms of schizophrenia are present, the doctor will perform a
complete medical history and sometimes a physical exam. While there
are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose schizophrenia, the
doctor may use various tests, and possibly blood tests or brain
imaging studies, to rule out another physical illness or intoxication
(substance-induced psychosis) as the cause of the symptoms.

A person is diagnosed with schizophrenia if they have at least two of

these symptoms for at least 6 months:

● Delusions
● Hallucinations
● Disorganized speech
● Disorganized or catatonic behavior
 ● Negative symptoms

One of the symptoms has to be

● Delusions
● Hallucinations
● Disorganized speech

During the 6 months, the person must have a month of active

symptoms. (It can be less with successful treatment.) Symptoms
should negatively affect them socially or at work, and can’t be caused
by any other condition.

How Is Schizophrenia Treated?

The goal of schizophrenia treatment is to ease the symptoms and to
cut the chances of a relapse, or return of symptoms. Treatment for
schizophrenia may include:

● Medications: The primary medications used to treat

schizophrenia are called antipsychotics. These drugs don’t
cure schizophrenia but help relieve the most troubling symptoms,
including delusions, hallucinations, and thinking problems.
● Coordinated specialty care (CSC): This is a team approach
toward treating schizophrenia when the first symptoms appear. It
combines medicine and therapy with social services,
 employment, and educational interventions. The family is
involved as much as possible. Early treatment is key to helping
patients lead a normal life.
● Psychosocial therapy: While medication may help relieve
symptoms of schizophrenia, various psychosocial treatments can
help with the behavioral, psychological, social, and occupational
problems that go with the illness. Through therapy, patients
also can learn to manage their symptoms, identify early
warning signs of relapse, and come up with a relapse
prevention plan. Psychosocial therapies include:
○ Rehabilitation, which focuses on social skills and job
training to help people with schizophrenia function in the
community and live as independently as possible
○ Cognitive remediation, which involves learning
techniques to make up for problems with information
processing. It often uses drills, coaching, and
computer-based exercises to strengthen mental skills that
involve attention, memory, planning, and organization.
○ Individual psychotherapy, which can help the person
better understand their illness, and learn coping and
problem-solving skills
● Family therapy, which can help families deal with a loved one
who has schizophrenia, enabling them to better help their loved
one
● Group therapy/support groups, which can provide continuing
mutual support
● Hospitalization: Many people with schizophrenia may be treated
as outpatients. But hospitalization may be the best option for
people:
○ With severe symptoms
○ Who might harm themselves or others
○ Who can’t take care of themselves at home
● Electroconvulsive therapy(ECT): In this procedure, electrodes
are attached to the person's scalp. While they’re asleep under
general anesthesia, doctors send a small electric shock to the
brain. A course of ECT therapy usually involves 2-3 treatments
per week for several weeks. Each shock treatment causes a
controlled seizure. A series of treatments over time leads to
improvement in mood and thinking. Scientists don’t fully
understand exactly how ECT and the controlled seizures it
causes help, but some researchers think ECT-induced seizures
may affect the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. ECT is
less well-proven to help with schizophrenia than depression or
bipolar disorder, so it isn’t used very often when mood symptoms
 are absent. It can help when medications no longer work, or if
severe depression or catatonia makes treating the illness
difficult.
● Research: Researchers are looking at a procedure called deep
brain stimulation (DBS) to treat schizophrenia. Doctors surgically
implant electrodes that stimulate certain brain areas believed to
control thinking and perception. DBS is an established treatment
for severe Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, but it’s still
experimental for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
 PERSONALITY DISORDERS

PERSONALITY:

Personality describes the unique patterns of thoughts, feelings, and

behaviors that distinguish a person from others. A product of both
biology and environment, it remains fairly consistent throughout
life.

For instance, "She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist," or

"They are loyal and protective of their friends."

One theory suggests there are four types of personality. They are:

​ Type A: Perfectionist, impatient, competitive, work-obsessed,

achievement-oriented, aggressive, stressed
​ Type B: Low stress, even-tempered, flexible, creative, adaptable
to change, patient, tendency to procrastinate
​ Type C: Highly conscientious, perfectionist, struggles to reveal
emotions (positive and negative)
​ Type D: Worrying, sad, irritable, pessimistic, negative self-talk,
avoidance of social situations, lack of self-confidence, fear of
rejection, appears gloomy, hopeless

After taking a Myers-Briggs personality test, you are assigned one of

16 personality types. Examples of these personality types are:1
 ​ ISTJ: Introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging. People with this
personality type are logical and organized; they also tend to be
judgmental.
​ INFP: Introverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceiving. They tend to
be idealists and sensitive to their feelings.
​ ESTJ: Extroverted, sensing, thinking, and judging. They tend to
be assertive and concerned with following the rules.
​ ENFJ: Extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging. They are
known as "givers" for being warm and loyal; they may also be
overprotective.

What is a personality disorder?

Personality disorders are a group of mental health conditions that are

characterized by inflexible and atypical patterns of thinking, feeling,
and behaving. These inner experiences and behaviors often differ
from the expectations of the culture in which someone lives.

If you have a personality disorder, you may have a difficult time

relating to others and dealing with everyday problems in the ways that
are expected by your cultural group. You may not be fully aware of this
discrepancy between your thoughts and behaviors and those
accepted by society.

You may have a view of the world that’s quite different than that of
others. As a result, you could find it difficult to participate in social,
educational, and family activities.
These behaviors and attitudes often cause problems and limitations in
relationships, social encounters, and work or school settings. They
may also make people you feel isolated, which can contribute to
depression and anxiety.

Each is a distinct mental illness defined by personality traits that can

be troubling enough to create problems with relating to other people in
healthy ways, and can lead to significant distress or impairment in
important areas of functioning.

Personality disorders are conditions where an individual differs

significantly from an average person. This may be related to how they:

● think
● perceive
● feel
● relate to others

Changes in how a person feels and distorted beliefs about other

people can lead to odd behaviour. This can be distressing and may
upset others.
Personality disorders are treatable, however. Often a combination of
talk therapy and medication can go a long way in helping you live with
one of these conditions.

What are the different types of personality disorders?

Personality disorders include 10 diagnosable psychiatric conditions

that are recognized and described in the fifth and most recent version
of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

They’re grouped into three clusters based on similar characteristics

and symptoms. Some people may have signs and symptoms of
multiple personality disorders.

Cluster A: Suspicious

● Paranoid personality disorder. People with paranoid

personality disorder may be distrustful of others and suspicious
of their motives.
● Schizoid personality disorder. People with schizoid personality
disorder can display little interest in forming personal
relationships or partaking in social interactions. They can have
trouble interpreting social cues, causing them to seem
emotionally distant.
 ● Schizotypal personality disorder. People with schizotypal
personality disorder often believe that they can influence other
people or events with their thoughts. may have distorted views of
reality, superstitions and unusual behaviors.They may
misinterpret behaviors, leading to inappropriate emotional
responses. They may also avoid having intimate relationships.

Cluster B: Emotional and impulsive

● Antisocial personality disorder. People with antisocial personality

disorder tend to manipulate or treat others without expressing
remorse for their actions. They may engage in dishonest
behavior like lying and stealing, and they may be prone to heavy
alcohol and drug use.
● Borderline personality disorder. People with borderline
personality disorder often feel empty and abandoned, regardless
of family or community support. They may have difficulty dealing
with stressful events and have episodes of paranoia. They also
tend to engage in risky and impulsive behavior, such as binge
drinking and gambling.
● Histrionic personality disorder. People with histrionic personality
disorder frequently try to gain more attention by being dramatic
or provocative. They may be easily influenced by other people
and are sensitive to criticism or disapproval.
● Narcissistic personality disorder. People with narcissistic
personality disorder often believe that they’re more important
 than others. They tend to exaggerate their achievements and
may brag about their attractiveness or success. Other symptoms
include a deep need for admiration but lack empathy for other
people.

Cluster C: Anxious

● Avoidant personality disorder. People with avoidant personality

disorder often experience feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, or
unattractiveness. They may dwell on criticism from others and
avoid participating in new activities or making new friends.
● Dependent personality disorder. People with dependent
personality disorder depend on other people to meet their
emotional and physical needs. They usually avoid being alone
and regularly need reassurance when making decisions. They
may also be more likely to tolerate physical and verbal abuse.
● Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. People with
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder have an
overwhelming need for order. They strongly adhere to rules and
regulations, and they feel extremely uncomfortable when
perfection isn’t achieved. They may even neglect personal
relationships to focus on making a project perfect.

Symptoms
Personality disorders tend to appear in adolescence or early
adulthood, continue over many years, and can cause a great deal of
distress. They can potentially cause enormous conflict with other
people, impacting relationships, social situations, and life goals.
People with personality disorders often don't recognize that they have
problems and are often confusing and frustrating to people around
them (including clinicians).

Certain symptoms of personality disorders can fall into two categories:

self-identity and interpersonal functioning.1

Self-identity problems include:

​ Unstable self-image
​ Inconsistencies in values, goals, and appearance

Interpersonal problems include:

​ Being insensitive to others (unable to empathize)

​ Difficulty knowing boundaries between themselves and others
​ Inconsistent, detached, overemotional, abusive, or irresponsible
styles of relating

What causes personality disorders?

The cause of personality disorders isn’t known. However, it’s believed

that they may be triggered by genetic and environmental influences,
most prominently childhood trauma.
Personality disorders tend to emerge in the teenage years or early
adulthood. The symptoms vary depending on the specific type of
personality disorder. For all of them, treatment typically includes talk
therapy and medication.

How is a personality disorder diagnosed?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth

Edition (DSM-5), is a reference that doctors and mental health
professionals use to help diagnose mental health conditions. Each
personality disorder has criteria that must be met for a diagnosis.

A primary care doctor or mental health professional will ask you

questions based on these criteria to determine the type of personality
disorder. In order for a diagnosis to be made, the behaviors and
feelings must be consistent across many life circumstances.

They should also cause significant distress and impairment in at least

two of the following areas:

● the way you perceive or interpret yourself and other people

● the way you act when dealing with other people
● the appropriateness of your emotional responses
● how well you can control your impulses
In some cases, your primary care doctor or mental health professional
may perform blood tests to determine whether a medical problem is
causing your symptoms. In some cases, they may order a screening
test for alcohol or drugs if they think substances are causing your
symptoms.

How is a personality disorder treated?

Treatment can vary depending on the type and severity of your

personality disorder. It may include psychotherapy and medications.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, may help in managing personality

disorders. During psychotherapy, you and a therapist can discuss your
condition, as well as your feelings and thoughts. This can provide you
with insight on how to manage your symptoms and behaviors that
interfere with your daily life.

There are many types of psychotherapy. Dialectical behavior therapy

can include group and individual sessions where people learn how to
tolerate stress and improve relationships. Cognitive behavioral therapy
aims to teach people how to change negative thinking patterns so they
can better cope with everyday challenges.

Medication
There aren’t any medications approved for the treatment of personality
disorders. However, certain types of prescription medications might be
helpful in reducing various personality disorder symptoms, such as:

● antidepressants, which can help improve a depressed mood,

anger, or impulsivity
● mood stabilizers, which prevent intense mood changes and
reduce irritability and aggression
● anti-anxiety medications, which can help relieve anxiety,
agitation, and insomnia
 SUICIDE

Suicide is the act of taking one's own life on purpose. Suicidal

behavior is any action that could cause a person to die, such as taking
a drug overdose or crashing a car on purpose.
A suicide attempt is when someone harms themselves with any intent
to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions.

Many factors can increase the risk for suicide or protect against it.
Suicide is connected to other forms of injury and violence. For
example, people who have experienced violence, including child
abuse, bullying, or sexual violence have a higher suicide risk. Being
connected to family and community support and having easy access
to healthcare can decrease suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts (ideating) of suicide or taking your

own life.

TYPES OF ATTEMPTS:

According to Emile Durkheim, the term suicide is applied to all cases

of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act
of the victim, which he/she knows will produce this result (Pickering &
Walford, 2011). Durkheim identifies four different types of suicide
which are egoistic suicide, altruistic suicide, anomic suicide and
fatalistic suicide.
Egoistic suicide is seen as stemming from the absence of social
integration. It is committed by individuals who are social outcast and
see themselves as being alone or an outsider. These individuals are
unable to find their own place in society and have problems adjusting
to groups. They received little and no social care. Suicide is seen as a
solution for them to free themselves from loneliness or excessive
individuation.

Altruistic suicide occurs when social group involvement is too high.

Individuals are so well integrated into the group that they are willing to
sacrifice their own life in order to fulfil some obligation for the group.
Individuals kill themselves for the collective benefit of the group or for
the cause that the group believes in. An example is someone who
commits suicide for the sake of a religious or political cause, such as
the infamous Japanese Kamikaze pilots of World War II, or the
hijackers that crashed the airplanes into the World Trade Centre, the
Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania in 2001. During World War II,
Japanese Kamikaze pilots were willing to lay down their own lives for
their countries in the hope that they will win the war. These pilots
believed in their nation’s cause and were willing to sacrifice their lives.
Similarly, suicide bombers around the world were willing to give up
their lives in order to make a political or religious statement because
they firmly believed in their group’s cause.

Anomic suicide is caused by the lack of social regulation and it

occurs during high levels of stress and frustration. Anomic suicide
stems from sudden and unexpected changes in situations. For
example, when individuals suffer extreme financial loss, the
disappointment and stress that individuals face may drive them
towards committing suicide as a means of escape.
Fatalistic suicide occurs when individuals are kept under tight
regulation. These individuals are placed under extreme rules or high
expectations are set upon them, which removes a person’s sense of
self or individuality. Slavery and persecution are examples of fatalistic
suicide where individuals may feel that they are destined by fate to be
in such conditions and choose suicide as the only means of escaping
such conditions. In South Korea, celebrities are being put under strict
regulations. There was a case where, a singer committed suicide due
to exhaustion to keep up with society’s rules and regulations. In 2017,
celebrity Kim Jonghyun ended his life due to severe depression and
the pressure of being in the spotlight as he felt that he could not fulfil
the society’s expectations of his performance (Lee, 2018).

GENDER DIFFERENCES:

Gender differences in suicide rates have been shown to be significant.

Globally, death by suicide occurred about 1.8 times more often

among males than among females in 2008, and 1.7 times in 2015.
In the Western world, males die by suicide three to four times
more often than do females. This greater male frequency is
increased in those over the age of 65.
There are different rates of suicides and suicidal behavior between
males and females (among both adults and adolescents). While
females more often have suicidal thoughts, males die by suicide more
frequently. This discrepancy is also known as the gender paradox in
suicide.
Researchers have partly attributed the difference between suicide and
attempted suicide among the sexes to males using more lethal means
to end their lives.

Many researchers have attempted to find explanations for why gender is

such a significant indicator for suicide. A common explanation relies on

the social constructions of hegemonic masculinity and femininity.

According to literature on gender and suicide, male suicide rates are

explained in terms of traditional gender roles. Male gender roles tend to

emphasize risk-taking behavior, economic status, and individualism.

Reinforcement of this gender role often prevents males from seeking

help for suicidal feelings and depression.

Various other factors have been put forward as the cause of the gender

paradox. Part of the gap may be explained by heightened levels of stress

that result from traditional gender roles. For example, the death of a

spouse and divorce are risk factors for suicide in both genders, but the effect

is somewhat mitigated for females.In the Western world, females are more

likely to maintain social and familial connections that they can turn to

for support after losing their spouse. Another factor closely tied to

gender roles is male employment status.Males' vulnerability may be

heightened during times of unemployment because of societal

expectations that they should provide for themselves and their

families.

● Men: Men are more likely to die by suicide, often due to their
preference for more lethal means such as firearms.
● Women: Women are more likely to attempt suicide, but they tend
to choose less lethal methods such as overdosing on
medication. Women also have higher rates of depression and
mood disorders, which are significant risk factors for suicide.

RISK FACTORS

1.Mental Disorders:

Mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,

and substance abuse significantly increase the risk of suicide. Here's
a closer look at how each of these disorders can contribute:

​ Depression: Depression is one of the most well-established risk

factors for suicide. Individuals with depression often experience
intense feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and despair,
which can lead to suicidal ideation and behavior. The severity of
depression symptoms correlates with the risk of suicide.
​
​ Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder is characterized by periods of
depression alternating with periods of mania or hypomania.
During depressive episodes, individuals with bipolar disorder
may experience suicidal thoughts, while during manic episodes,
 impulsivity and reckless behavior can increase the risk of suicide
attempts.
​
​ Schizophrenia: Although suicide rates among individuals with
schizophrenia are lower compared to mood disorders, they
are still significantly elevated. Factors such as social isolation,
persistent psychotic symptoms, and co-occurring
depression contribute to the increased risk of suicide in
individuals with schizophrenia.
​
​ Substance Abuse: Substance abuse disorders, including
alcohol and drug abuse, are strongly associated with suicidal
behavior. Substance abuse can exagarrate underlying mental
health issues, impair judgment, and increase impulsivity, all
of which contribute to an elevated risk of suicide.

2.Negative Life Events:

Negative life events, such as the loss of a loved one, financial

difficulties, relationship problems, or experiences of abuse or
trauma, can contribute to suicidal ideation and behavior. These
events can create overwhelming stress and feelings of despair,
hopelessness, and helplessness, which may lead individuals to
contemplate suicide as a means of escape or relief from their pain.

3.Suicide Contagion:

Suicide contagion refers to the phenomenon whereby exposure to

suicide, either through media coverage or the suicide of a peer, can
increase the risk of suicidal behavior, particularly among vulnerable
individuals. Factors such as sensationalized media coverage,
glamorization of suicide, and social modeling can contribute to suicide
contagion. Adolescents and young adults are particularly susceptible
to the influence of suicide contagion.

4.Personality Factors:

Certain personality traits have been identified as risk factors for

suicide. These include:

​ Impulsivity: Impulsivity is characterized by acting on urges or

impulses without considering the consequences. Impulsive
individuals may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors,
including suicide attempts, without fully considering the potential
consequences.
​
​ Aggression: Aggressive behavior, including hostility and anger,
has been linked to an increased risk of suicide. Individuals who
exhibit aggressive tendencies may be more prone to
interpersonal conflicts and impulsive acts of self-harm.
​
​ Hopelessness: Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, and
despair are strongly associated with suicidal ideation and
behavior. Individuals who perceive their situation as hopeless
may see suicide as the only way to escape their suffering.

5.Cognitive Factors:

Distorted thinking patterns can contribute to suicidal ideation and

behavior. Examples of cognitive factors associated with suicide risk
include:

​ Black-and-White Thinking: Also known as dichotomous

thinking, this cognitive distortion involves viewing situations in
extremes, with no middle ground. Individuals who engage in
 black-and-white thinking may perceive their problems as
insurmountable and see suicide as the only solution.
​
​ Cognitive Rigidity: Cognitive rigidity refers to inflexible thinking
patterns characterized by an inability to adapt to new information
or perspectives. Individuals who are cognitively rigid may have
difficulty problem-solving and may feel trapped in their
circumstances, increasing their risk of suicidal ideation.

6.Biological Factors:

Biological factors, including genetics and neurobiological mechanisms,

play a role in predisposing individuals to suicidal behavior. While the
specific biological mechanisms underlying suicide risk are complex
and not fully understood, research suggests that genetic
predisposition, alterations in neurotransmitter systems (such as
serotonin), and abnormalities in brain structure and function may
contribute to vulnerability to suicide.

Understanding these risk factors is crucial for identifying individuals at

risk and developing targeted interventions to prevent suicide and
promote mental health and well-being. Effective suicide prevention
efforts often involve a multifaceted approach that addresses both
individual and societal factors contributing to suicide risk.

Prevention of Suicide:

Suicide prevention efforts aim to reduce risk factors and promote

protective factors. Key strategies include:

1. Cognitive Behavioural therapy

2. Medication
 ​ 3. Mental Health Awareness and Education: Providing
education about mental health, reducing stigma, and promoting
help-seeking behavior.
​
​ 4.Access to Mental Health Care: Improving access to mental
health services, including crisis hotlines, counseling, and
psychiatric treatment.
​
​ 5.Restricting Access to Lethal Means: Implementing
measures to limit access to firearms, medications, and other
lethal means of suicide.
​
​ 6.Crisis Intervention: Establishing crisis intervention services
and suicide hotlines to provide immediate support to individuals
in distress.
​
​ 7.Community Support: Building supportive communities and
social networks that foster resilience and provide emotional
support.
​ 8.Postvention: Providing support and resources for individuals
and communities affected by suicide to reduce the risk of further
suicides.

Overall, suicide prevention requires a comprehensive,

multi-disciplinary approach that addresses the complex interplay of

biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to suicidal

behavior.