Bipolar Disorder and Suicide
Manic Depressive Cycles, Suicidal Symptoms, and How to Help
“Studies have shown that 25 to 50 percent of people with bipolar disorder (manic depression) attempt suicide,” says Kevin Caruso of Suicide.org. Furthermore, up to 20% of those with bipolar disorder will commit suicide, ending their life by their own hand.
What does this mean? Imagine a room with 10 bipolar (sometimes written "bi polar") sufferers. Picture their faces, their smiles. Five of those individuals will attempt suicide. Two of them will succeed.
How Does Bipolar Disorder Increase Suicide Risk?
According to the National Institute of Health (Nih.gov) “Suicide is a very real risk during both mania and depression.” Incidents occurring between cycles are very rare, but hard to trace suicide can have very subtle warning signs without being accompanied by other cyclic warning signs.
The National Institute of Mental Health (N.I.M.H.) reports that suicidal thoughts are most likely to occur during a depressive cycle and are also a common symptom of major depression. The crushing feelings of loneliness and emptiness that accompany a depressive cycle are powerful enough to override a living being’s instinct to survive.
However, someone with bipolar syndrome is also at risk during a manic cycle. The N.I.M.H. says that some of the more serious symptoms of a manic phase include poor judgment, impulsive behavior, and taking part in high-risk behaviors. Any of these can cause death if taken to extremes, as one only needs to act on a single suicidal impulse to do the deed. Often, drugs and alcohol are included, which make the symptoms worse.
What Are the Warning Signs of Suicidal Behavior?
As mentioned above, the signs that someone is at risk of suicide can be very subtle. Dr. Nemade and Dr. Bombeck, writing for Mentalhelp.net, say that traits someone should look out for include:
- Talk about suicide or death
- Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
- Feeling like a burden to family and friends
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Putting their affairs in order, such as writing a will, giving items away, giving away internet passwords in case of “emergency”
- Writing a suicide note
- Engaging in unnecessarily risky behaviors, what some might call a “death wish”
As social networking has become very popular in recent years, people should be very mindful of what a bipolar sufferer writes on his webpage, Facebook page, or Twitter; They may hold clues to the disease sufferers’ mood that they may not discuss.
What To Do If Someone Is Suicidal
If someone with bipolar disorder is showing suicidal tendencies, there may be little time to act. Never forget that this person is sick, he is not lazy or a hypochondriac, he has a disease as serious as any other — if one was to find a tumor on himself, that person would not hesitate to seek help — a bipolar sufferer should be treated the same way.
According to Caruso, the actions one to take to help a suicidal person are the following:
- Stay Calm – The person is already distressed, panicking will only make the situation worse. “If the person is at a high risk for suicide, call 911 immediately.”
- Get Help Immediately – “Call 911, 1-800-SUICIDE, or 1-800-273-TALK.” Treat it as a heart attack and call for help right away. The suicidal person needs professional help.
- Listen and Comfort the Person Until Help Arrives – The bipolar sufferer needs to know how concerned the helper is. “A suicidal person is highly vulnerable and needs to feel that concern,” says Caruso. Be careful not to say anything to accuse or invalidate the person though, just listen and empathize, as cliché as it sounds, talking about it helps, and can diffuse the situation.
- Stay With the Sufferer Until Help Arrives – Leaving a suicidal person alone for even a moment — even a bathroom break — is incredibly dangerous.
Lower the Risk of Suicide For Bipolar Disorder Sufferers
The best way to lower the risk of suicide for bipolar disorder is to treat the disease. There are several medications that can help the symptoms of bipolar disease. The N.I.M.H mentions medications such as:
- Lithium
- Depakote
- Topomax
- Lamictal
Additionally, psychotherapy is often effective when combined with medicine. Electroconvulsive therapy is sometimes used “For cases in which medication and/or psychotherapy does not work (N.I.M.H.).”
Bipolar disorder is a very dangerous disease. Bipolar has no cure, and treatments do not always work. Many people with bipolar syndrome spend life in group homes or hospitals, never able to live independently.
Many bipolar disease sufferers function well enough to survive in society, but not well enough to completely integrate. Instead, these sufferers lead painful half-lives, aware of their differences with “normal“ members of society, constantly vigilant for manic and depressive cycles, and looking through the window at the rest of society, knowing that they may never "belong." Is it any wonder why, to so many, suicide seems like the only way out?
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