Suicide methods
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2008-07-17T01:53:45Z
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/* Self-immolation */
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{{Refimprove|date=March 2008}}
{{Suicide}}
A '''suicide method''' is any means by which a person purposely kills himself or herself. Examples of methods that have been used to commit [[suicide]] are listed below. Though individuals with [[Suicidal ideation|suicidal feelings]] may consider these methods, most eventually do not act on them.<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Gliatto
| first = Michael F.
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Rai, Anil K.
| year = 1999
| month = March
| title = Evaluation and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Ideation
| journal = [[American Family Physician]]
| volume = 59
| issue = 6
| pages =
| id =
| url = http://www.aafp.org/afp/990315ap/1500.html
| accessdate = 2008-03-14
}}</ref>
==Beheading==
A device capable of [[beheading]] the user (a [[guillotine]] for instance) can be used for suicidal purposes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Guillotine death was suicide |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/wear/2974083.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2003-04-24 |accessdate=2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Police Find Man's Body, Guillotine In Wooded Area |url=http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/14099445/detail.html |publisher=[http://www.clickondetroit.com ClickOnDetroit] |date=2007-09-13 |accessdate=2008-01-25 }}</ref> Results of the cutting action of the device depend mainly on what nerves and blood veins the device cuts. The more arteries supplying blood to the brain are cut, the sooner the death comes. Cutting nerves which transfer control signals for vital body functions, like breathing, is also irrecoverable and lethal.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
==Bleeding==
[[Exsanguination]] is a method of death which is caused by [[blood loss]]. It is usually the result of damage inflicted on [[arteries]]. The [[External carotid artery|carotid]], [[radial artery|radial]], [[ulnar artery|ulnar]] or [[femoral artery|femoral]] arteries may be targeted.
====Cutting wrists====
This entails cutting through the wrists with the aim of tearing open the [[radial artery]] and may damage the [[tendons]], [[ulnar nerve|ulnar]] and [[median nerve|median]] nerves which control the muscles of the hand, which can result in temporary or permanent reduction in sensory and motor ability.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Bukhari | first =AJ | coauthors =Saleem M, Bhutta AR, Khan AZ, Abid KJ. | title = Spaghetti wrist: management and outcome | journal = J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. | volume = 14 | issue =(10) | pages = 608–11 |date=2004 Oct | pmid = 15456551}}</ref>
====Cutting the carotid artery====
Cutting through the [[throat]] is one method of exsanguination. Damage is inflicted to the [[External carotid artery|carotid artery]] which carries blood to the [[brain]], and it takes no longer than a few minutes to lose enough blood for death to occur,{{Fact|date=May 2008}} although death could also be caused by blood clogging the [[Vertebrate trachea|trachea]]. People who do this often cut the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the nerve that goes up to the voicebox and larynx, and lose their voices.
It was also practiced as a ritual suicide method in [[Japan]] called ''[[jigai]]'', by noble women for the same purposes as [[seppuku]] was used by men.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
==Drowning==
[[Image:Street Girl's End.jpg|thumb|A homeless girl contemplates drowning herself.]]
Suicide by [[drowning]] is the act of deliberately submerging oneself in [[water]] or other liquid and staying there long enough to prevent [[breath]]ing and [[asphyxia|deprive the brain of oxygen]]. Due to the body's natural tendency to come up for air, drowning attempts often involve a heavy object, to circumvent this reflex. If the drowning is stopped before death, [[oxygen]] deprivation can cause [[brain damage]].
==Suffocation==
Suicide by [[suffocation]] is the act of inhibiting one's ability to breathe, causing [[asphyxia]]. This may involve a plastic bag tightly sealed over the head, or confinement in an enclosed space without oxygen. These attempts usually involve using depressants to make the user pass out, preventing any escape instinct. The method common in terminally ill or sincere "want-to-die" candidates is to use a gas, such as [[nitrogen]] or [[helium]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
==Electrocution==
Suicide by electrocution involves using a lethal [[electric shock]] to kill oneself. A high enough [[voltage]] can overcome the high [[Electrical resistance|resistance]] of the skin and pass a sizeable [[Electric current|current]] through the body. A large [[alternating current]] through the body can seriously disrupt [[nerve|nerve signals]] and can cause the [[heart]] to go into [[fibrillation]].
==Explosives==
Suicide by [[explosives]] involves setting off high explosives (HE) in close proximity to the body. A sufficient quantity of high explosives would cause death instantaneously by destroying the body so thoroughly that life would end instantly - indeed, before the nervous system could register the explosion. Shattered organs, broken bones and internal bleeding from the [[blast wave]] would be likely causes of death where insufficient HE was used. The use of low-powered or home-made explosives would be likely to cause severe burns rather than immediate death.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
When explosives are detonated with the intent of also harming others in close proximity it is commonly known as a [[suicide bombing]].
==Hanging==
{{main|Hanging}}
Hanging is the prevalent means of suicide in pre-industrial societies and is still more common in rural rather than urban areas.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Zi-xoFAPnPMC|title=Comprehensive Textbook of Suicidology|author=Ronald W. Maris, Alan L. Berman, Morton M. Silverman, Bruce Michael Bongar|isbn=157230541X|year=2000|publisher=Guildford Press|page=96}}</ref>
[[Image:Giotto - Scrovegni - -47- - Desperation.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Suicide by [[hanging]].]]
The traditional death penalty of hanging by [[gallows]] consists of a rope tied to a fixed object (i.e. the gallows), with one end tied into a [[hangman's noose]] and placed around the neck. The person falls through the release of a trap door (or leaps from a height, in the case of suicide), and death is instantaneous due to breaking of the neck.
==Vehicular impact==
Jumping in front of a fast-moving vehicle, especially a large one, such as a truck or train, can prove fatal. A classic example of suicide involves one tying oneself to railroad tracks in order to be run over by an oncoming train. This may be traumatizing to the driver of the vehicle. Failure would likely result in massive body damage including [[fractures]], [[brain damage]], organ bruising, or long-term to permanent disability.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
Jumping in front of an [[London Underground|underground train]] is a common form of suicide in London.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Where a deep drainage pit is present, this halves the likelihood of fatality.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Separation of the passengers from the track by means of a partition with sliding-doors is being introduced in some stations but this is expensive.<ref>{{citation|title=Effect of station design on death in the London Underground: observational study|url=http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7215/957|date=9 October 1999|author= J Coats, D P Walter|pmid=10514158}}</ref>
==Jumping== <!-- This section is linked from [[Stratosphere Las Vegas]] -->
{{see also|Defenestration}}
Jumping from a great height can shatter organs and tissues. If a person jumps from a tall bridge into water, the person may die by impact rather than by drowning. Such jumping off the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], of which there have been 1,300 incidents between 1937 and 2006, were depicted in the documentary film ''[[The Bridge (2006 film)|The Bridge]]''.
The 70 m (225 ft) plunge from the Golden Gate Bridge has proven to be fatal in 98% of cases. The jumper would hit the water at 120 km/h (about 75 mph).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050311.html|title=Could you jump off a tall building or bridge and survive the fall?|accessdate=2008-04-12|publisher=[[The Straight Dope]]}}</ref> Most die of internal bleeding due to broken ribs which pierce the heart, lungs, liver or spleen. Survivors, who generally have hit the water feet-first, have often had their [[femur]]s shattered.<ref>"The bridge of suicide", Catherine Philip, ''[[The Times]]'', [[February 28]], [[2007]].</ref>
Authorities have tried to prevent jumping suicides by building fences or other barriers in potential areas, such as high towers and bridges. In some areas authorities have also installed telephones which link directly to suicide prevention hot lines.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
"Defenestration" is a term that is applied specifically to falling from a window opening.
==Poisoning==
{{dablink|For more information on the historical use of poison for suicide, see [[History of poison]].}}
Suicide can be committed by using fast-acting [[poisons]], or substances which are known for their high levels of [[toxicity]] to humans. For example, most of the people of [[Jonestown]], in northwestern [[Guyana]], died when the leader of a [[religious sect]] organised a [[mass suicide]] by drinking a cocktail of [[diazepam]] and [[cyanide]] in [[1978]].<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/spot/jonestown1.html Ministry of Terror - The Jonestown Cult Massacre], Elissayelle Haney, Infoplease, 2006.</ref> Sufficient doses of some plants like the belladonna family, castor beans, and others, are also toxic.
===Drug overdosing===
Suicide by pharmaceuticals ("[[overdosing]]") is a method which involves taking [[medication]] in doses greater than the indicated levels, or in a combination which will enhance each drug's effect.
Reliability of this method highly depends on chosen drugs. Average fatality rate for overdoses in the US is estimated to be 1.8% <ref>Stone, Geo. ''[http://www.suicidemethods.net/ Suicide and Attempted Suicide: Methods and Consequences]''. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001. ISBN 0-7867-0940-5, p. 230</ref>. On the other hand, assisted suicide group Dignitas reported that there was no single failure among 840 cases where overdose of sleeping pill [[Nembutal]] was used<ref name="tagesspiegel_interview">[http://www.tagesspiegel.de/weltspiegel/Sterbehilfe-Dignitas-Minelli;art1117,2502357 Wenn Sie das trinken, gibt es kein Zurück] ''Tagesspiegel.de'' Retrieved [[2008-04-12]]</ref>.
However, typical drug overdose uses random prescription and [[over-the-counter substance]]s, death is uncertain, and an attempt may leave a person alive but with severe [[Organ (anatomy)|organ]] damage (which may prove eventually fatal itself). Drugs taken orally may also be [[Vomiting|vomited]] back out before being absorbed.
[[Analgesic]] overdose attempts are among the most common<ref> {{cite journal |last =Brock |first =Anita |coauthors = Sini Dominy, Clare Griffiths |date=6th |year = 2003 |month = Nov |title = Trends in suicide by method in England and Wales, 1979 to 2001 |journal = Health Statistics Quarterly |volume = 20 |pages = 7–18 |issn = 1465-1645 |url = http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/article.asp?ID=1538&Pos=4&ColRank=1&Rank=176 |accessdate = 2007-06-25 }}</ref> due to easy availability of [[over-the-counter substance]]s. Overdosing may also be performed by mixing medications in a cocktail with one another, or with alcohol or illegal drugs.
This method may leave confusion over whether the death was a suicide or accidental, especially when alcohol or other judgment-impairing substances are also involved and no [[suicide note]] was left behind.
===Carbon monoxide poisoning===
{{main|Carbon monoxide poisoning}}
A particular type of poisoning involves inhalation of high levels of carbon monoxide. Death usually occurs through [[hypoxia (medical)|hypoxia]]. In most cases [[carbon monoxide]] (CO) is used because it is easily available as a product of incomplete [[combustion]]; for example it may be released by [[car]]s and some types of [[heater]]s.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless [[gas]], so its presence cannot be detected by sight or smell. It is harmful to humans since the CO [[molecule]]s attach themselves to [[hemoglobin]] in the blood, displacing oxygen molecules and progressively lowering the body's [[oxygenation]], eventually resulting in death.
In the past, before [[Air Quality Index|air-quality]] regulations and [[catalytic converter]]s, suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning would often be achieved by running a car's engine in a closed space such as a garage, or by redirecting a running car's exhaust back inside the cabin with a hose. [[Exhaust gas|Motor car exhaust]] may have contained up to 25% carbon monoxide. However, catalytic converters can eliminate over 99% of carbon monoxide produced.<ref name="Chest1999-vossberg">{{cite journal | author=Vossberg B, Skolnick J. | title=The role of catalytic converters in automobile carbon monoxide poisoning: a case report | journal=Chest | year=1999 | pages=580–1 | volume=115 | issue=2 | pmid=10027464 | doi=10.1378/chest.115.2.580}}</ref>
The incidence of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning through [[charcoal-burning suicide|burning charcoal]], such as a [[barbecue]] in a sealed room, appears to have risen. This has been referred by some as "death by hibachi".<ref>[http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7387/498?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=suicide+hong+kong&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT#resp2 Media influence on suicide: Media's role is double edged], ''British Medical Journal (326:498)'', Chan ''et al.'', 2003.</ref>
===Detergent-related suicide===
Detergent-related suicide involves mixing [[household chemicals]] to produce [[hydrogen sulfide]] or other [[poison]]ous gasses.<ref>[http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iUkmoUiRV1bMiSqP0S0FUNTNn4dg Japanese girl commits suicide with detergent]</ref>
==Self-immolation==
[[Self-immolation]] usually refers to suicide by fire. It has been used as a protest tactic, most famously by [[Thich Quang Duc]] in 1963 to protest the South Vietnamese government; and by [[Malachi Ritscher]] in 2006 to protest the United States' involvement in the Iraq war. Tcehe latin root of 'immolate' means 'sacrifice', and is not restricted to the use of fire, though common media usage uses the term self-immolation to refer to suicide by fire.
==Seppuku==
{{main|Seppuku}}
Seppuku (colloquially "harakiri") is a [[Japan]]ese [[ritual]] method of suicide, practised mostly in the [[Japan#Medieval era|medieval era]], though some isolated cases appear in modern times. For example, [[Yukio Mishima]] committed seppuku in [[1970]] after a failed [[coup d'etat]] intended to restore full power to the [[Japanese Emperor]].
Unlike other methods of suicide, this was regarded as a way of preserving one's honor. The ritual is part of [[bushido]], the code of the [[Samurai]].
Dressed ceremonially, with his [[sword]] placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloth, 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), [[Japanese war fan|fan]], or a [[tanto]] (knife) and plunge it into his [[Human abdomen|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]], when the warrior is all but [[Decapitation|decapitated]], leaving a slight band of flesh attaching the [[head]] to the [[body]], so as to not let the head fall off the body and roll on the floor/ground; which was considered dishonorable in feudal Japan.
==Shooting==
[[Image:Suicides by firearm 1999-2005.png|thumb|225px|Suicides by firearm in the United States, by gender and age, 1999–2005. Data from the CDC.]]
Shooting oneself in the head is one of the most common means of suicide for men in societies where firearms are widely available.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} Within nations with strict firearms control laws, it is generally confined to policemen and soldiers as a suicide method.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
==Apocarteresis (suicide by starvation)==
{{main|Starvation}}
Starvation has been used by [[Hindu]], [[Jain]] and [[Buddhist]] monks as a ritual method of suicide.
==Suicide attack==
{{main|Suicide attack}}
A suicide attack is an attack in which the attacker (''attacker'' being either an individual or a group) intends to kill others and intends to die in the process of doing so (Columbine, Virginia Tech.) In a suicide attack in the strict sense the attacker dies by the attack itself, for example in an explosion or crash caused by the attacker. The term is sometimes loosely applied to an incident in which the intention of the attacker is not clear though he is almost sure to die by the defence or retaliation of the attacked party. This can also be referred to as murder/suicide.
Such attacks are typically motivated by religious or political ideologies and have been carried out using numerous methods. For example, attackers might attach explosives directly to their bodies before detonating themselves close to their target, or they may use [[car bomb]]s or other machinery to cause maximum damage (e.g. Japanese [[kamikaze]] pilots during [[World War II]]).
[[Islamic terrorists|Islamic extremist terrorists]] have engaged in suicide attacks numerous times in the [[Arab-Israeli conflict]], and also against the West at other times. Perpetrators believe the gains to others, or to a religious, political or moral cause, outweigh their personal loss and/or that they will be rewarded in the [[afterlife]].
Additionally, teenage students (most often in the United States of America and recently in Finland) have committed several notable suicide attacks in recent years, in the form of school shooting massacres. Often, these suicide attacks involve guns or homemade bombs brought into high schools or college campuses. After the attack, the perpetrator will commit suicide before being captured by police.
==Indirect suicide==
Indirect suicide is the act of setting out on an obviously fatal course without directly committing the act upon oneself. Indirect suicide is differentiated from legally defined suicide by the fact that the actor does not pull the figurative (or literal) trigger. Examples of indirect suicide include a soldier enlisting in the army with the express intention and expectation of getting killed in combat. Another example would be provoking an armed officer into using lethal force against them. This is generally called [[suicide by cop]].
==Further reading==
* [[Derek Humphry|Humphry, Derek]]. ''[[Final Exit|Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying]]''. Dell. 1997.
* [[Philip Nitschke]]. ''[http://www.peacefulpillhandbook.com/ The Peaceful Pill Handbook]''. Exit International US, 2007. ISBN 0-9788-7882-5
* Stone, Geo. ''[http://www.suicidemethods.net/ Suicide and Attempted Suicide: Methods and Consequences]''. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001. ISBN 0-7867-0940-5
* Guide to a Humane Self-Chosen Death by Dr. Pieter Admiraal et al. WOZZ Foundation, Delft, The Netherlands. ISBN 9-0785-8101-8. 112 pages
* [[alt.suicide.holiday]]
* [[The Complete Manual of Suicide]]
==References==
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[[Category:Suicide]]
[[it:Metodi di suicidio]]
[[ru:Вскрытие кровеносных сосудов]]
[[sv:Självmordsmetoder]]
[[tr:İntihar yöntemleri]]