Again an increase in the number of suicide attempts in Poland. What is the reason?

KGP data shows that in 2022 there were more than 5% more suicide attempts than the year before. The reason is still most often undetermined. Last year, this was found to be the case in 5.7 thousand cases, and the year before - in 5.5 thousand. In turn, among the known causes, mental illness and mental disorders are mostly indicated. The place where such an act is committed is usually an apartment or home. Most people attempt to take their own lives on Mondays. Experts commenting on the data raise the alarm that still too little is known about the causes of such dramas. They also remind of the deteriorating mental health of Poles and the lack of sufficient budgetary resources to minimize the phenomenon.

Little-known reasons

According to data released by the National Police Headquarters (KGP), the total number of suicide attacks in 2022 was 14.5 thousand. This is 5.2% more than in 2021, when there were 13.8 thousand. The data also shed some light on the most common causes of suicide attacks among Poles. However, according to experts, the information collected is still not exhaustive. At the same time, the details of a specific person may include several items. On top of this, last year's list is headed by an undetermined reason - 5.7 thousand (in 2021 - 5.5 thousand).

- A suicide attack is rarely caused by one factor alone. A person who decides to take such a step is most often living in a long-term crisis and, from his perspective, sees no way out of it. This, of course, does not mean that there is none. On the other hand, based on police data alone, we are not able to reconstruct the full situation of a particular person. This cannot be seen in statistics," argues sociologist Monika Frąckowiak-Sochańska, a professor at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

The most common established reason for a suicide attempt includes mental illness and mental disorders - 4.1 thousand last year (3.6 thousand the year before). - Mental disorders can lead to strong feelings of hopelessness, loneliness and negative beliefs about oneself or others. These are what can actually drive a person to commit suicide, explains psychologist Michal Murgrabia of the ePsycholodzy.pl platform.

Further down in the KGP's compilation one can see, among others, love disappointment - 1.5 thousand last year (1.4 thousand in 2021), family misunderstandings or domestic violence - 1.3 thousand (1.3 thousand), and a reason other than those listed in the statistics - 860 (840). - The police do not keep extensive statistical categories in the record-keeping system about the reasons for the decision to bargain with one's own life. It does not collect comprehensive information on victims if there is no indication of third-party involvement. Psychiatrists, psychologists and others involved in helping people at risk of suicidal crisis have long raised alarms about the deteriorating mental health of Poles and the lack of sufficient budgetary resources to minimize the phenomenon, stresses Andrzej Mroczek, a security expert from SWPS University.

Place, manner and day

Police statistics also distinguish the locations of suicide attacks. In 2022, the highest number was in apartments or houses - 8.8 thousand (2021 - 8.3 thousand). Further down the list is another place - 1.2 thousand (1.2 thousand the year before), a garage, basement or attic - 922 (988), outbuildings - 866 (869), and a road, street or sidewalk - 843 (729). Psychologist Michal Murgrabia believes that the decisive factor is the availability of a place for the person making such an attempt.

- For the most part, this is the victim's immediate surroundings. The choice of other places may be based on a desire not to expose loved ones to the shock of finding a corpse. Public spaces, on the other hand, take on a demonstrative form and may be intended by the victim as a kind of message. In some cases, it is a place associated with memories, for example. My practical professional experience shows a kind of relationship between the place and the methods and means that the victim chooses," explains Andrzej Mroczek.

Looking at last year's statistics, one can see that the most common way of committing a suicide attempt was hanging oneself - 5.6 thousand (in 2021 - 5.7 thousand). Further you can see the use of other drugs - 2.1 thousand (the year before - 1.7 thousand), superficial self-harm - 1.9 thousand (previously 1.6 thousand), and the use of sleeping pills or psychotropic drugs - 1.8 thousand (1.5 thousand).

- A person's preferences, experience and whether this is the first time he or she has attempted suicide can influence how it is accomplished. The least painful method is not always the most important. Sometimes what matters most is the sense of control over the situation and effectiveness. There is also a group of people for whom - due to the enormity of suffering and exhaustion - the method is not important. Its availability also affects what a person decides to do. For example, in the United States, where it is easy to obtain a firearms permit, victims may be more likely to try to shoot themselves, adds psychologist Murgrabia.

In addition, police statistics show on which days of the week in the past two years suicide attacks were most common. In 2022, 2.3 thousand committed them on Mondays (2.1 thousand in 2022), 2.1 thousand on Saturdays (1.9 thousand), and just under 2.1 thousand on Tuesdays (1.9 thousand). In contrast, the fewest such acts were committed on Thursdays - nearly 2 thousand (1.9 thousand).

- Assuming that a suicide attempt is preceded by an accumulation of negative psychological experiences that the person can no longer cope with, it can be assumed that the weekend is paradoxically not the time when someone living in a long-term crisis effectively gets rid of stress. Tensions intensify, especially in the private sphere, followed by a deterioration of well-being to the point where one no longer has the strength to survive another week. Monday is therefore a critical moment," concludes Prof. Frąckowiak-Sochańska.

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