Suicide Among Elders Psychology Writing Assignment (Essay Sample)

Suicide among Elders
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Suicide among elders
Introduction
Suicide can be defined as the act of taking one’s own life. It is a common phenomenon occurring in society today as a result of the victim suffering from psychological issues, which overwhelm them and they result to killing themselves. The elderly have not been spared either and there has been a steady increase in the number of suicides among the elderly. A great deal can be attributed to their current elderly state and possession of the means to do so such as firearms, medication among others (Slater, 2005).
There are a number of reasons that lead the elderly to committing suicide but a lot of the reasons can be attributed to their psychological view and perceptions they have of themselves and that which they perceive society has towards them. Even though the suicides occur at an elderly age, the causes start at very young age. Hope is vital and necessary when it comes to one choosing to continue living or not. Being hopeful for a better tomorrow motivates one become more appreciative of life. However, when if at a young age the individual is raised under conditions which undermine their hope, the negative impacts remain with them and as they grow, they become less hopeful of life and the general aspect of living. This is leads to suicide once the person reaches an older age since they have nothing more to live for, before they were going with the flow of life, but when they reach an age where not much is happening, they tend to take their own lives (McLeod, 2008).
Another reason that has its roots deep since childhood is the will to live. It can be said that the sheer will or desire to live makes one more conscious of their own lives. However, when the will to live is challenged by low self-esteem and shame, an individual lives life like a lost soul who has nothing to wake up to every single day of their lives. As time progress, one acquires a family and they become their reason for living again. But when the children grow up and leave the person as they age, they result to their previous state. This leads to many of them committing suicide (McCoy, 2008).
Guilt also leads to suicide as it tends to overwhelm an individual, painting them as the cause of something, which was not accepted or had devastating impacts. Guilt is a silent issue that many suffer from in their life time; however our ability to cope with it defines the actions we take. Since childhood as one begins to explore and develop, they encounter a lot of new ideas and ways of doing things. But as time goes by, they begin to engage in activities, which unintentionally lead to harm and hurt of another person. Knowledge of this creates guilt and without proper counselling and conflict resolution, it leads to creation and harbouring of guilt. At an elderly age one may see it better to take their lives since the guilt they may have accumulated finally may overwhelm them.
Inferiority is another factor that leads to an elderly individual committing suicide. It of developed at a young age and from there grows in on the individual throughout their life time. It begins with an individual not being able to perform and develop skills that are demanded by the society. Failure to do so leads them to viewing themselves and feeling inferior to the society. Even though they may be able to learn the skills with time, the notion of them being inferior has already settled in their minds. As they age and become more aware, they start having strong feelings of inferiority towards themselves. They avoid engaging in activities and become very conservative. As they enter into old age they view themselves as weak people who do not deserve to live. As these emotions and feelings run high they see themselves not fit for this world and they commit suicide (Therapy, 2016).
Another cause of suicides among the elderly is role confusion. As much as it may sound ridiculous, it is a very grave matter, which develops during adolescence and stays permanently with the individual. It can also be regarded as lack of identity. During adolescence, the body undergoes changes and one experiences different emotions with regard to themselves. A number of people do not feel comfortable in the body they have transformed to, thus making develop a hate for how they look. Confidence has a big impact on an individual especially when they focus on themselves. As they age they become depressed about their own appearance and physical looks, especially now that their bodies are former shells of their more energetic ones. They slowly start contemplating how to free themselves from their bodies and suicide is what they turn to as a channel to rid themselves from their own physical bondage (McLeod, 2008).
From the age of 18 years and above people start socialising with each other as they come into contact with different people through the course of the lifetime. They become more intimate with their chosen partners, leading to long term relationships. The story changes for those who are rejected or face seclusion from the public mainly due to their inability to socialise. They isolate themselves and live a lonely life up until their elderly age. This makes them lack the need to continue living thus they commit suicide in order to end their lonely lives.
As individuals reach 40 plus years they raise their families as well as h...