Say someone wants to die by suicide so badly that they go to the Golden Gate Bridge to jump off. But then they are stopped from jumping. What happens to them afterward?
You might think that, once freed from the authority figures who prevented their suicide on the bridge, they still went on to by suicide. After all, they were intent on dying. It would be logical to assume that being prevented from jumping merely delayed their death.
Such an assumption would be wrong. In the 1970s, a researcher named Richard Seiden wanted to find out what happened to 515 people who came to the Golden Gate Bridge to die within the previous 35 years, but who were stopped by California Highway Patrol officers. He published the results in an article titled “Where Are They Now?: A Follow-up Study of Suicide Attempters from the Golden Gate Bridge.”
What Dr. Seiden found is a remarkable testament to the fact that a suicidal crisis is often – very often – temporary.
Of the 515 people whose attempt was interrupted, only 35 later died by suicide in the years to come. Taking into account suicides that might have been missed by researchers, Dr. Seiden stated that 90% of people who tried to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge did not go on to die by suicide.
Living After a Suicide Attempt: Other Research Findings
This research, though 35 years old, still holds true. Even though a prior suicide attempt dramatically increases the risk for future suicide, studies have demonstrated that most people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide:
- In a study out of Finland of 224 people who attempted suicide and were treated at a health care facility, 8% died by suicide within 12 years.
- Researchers in Sweden followed 34,219 people who were hospitalized following an act of intentional self-harm. During 3 to 9 years of follow-up, 3.5% died by suicide.
- One study followed 100 people who had survived a suicide attempt by overdose. At the end of the 37-year follow up, 13% had died by suicide. (This study’s mortality rate is higher than others, almost certainly because of the long follow-up period and the serious nature of the attempt, which warranted admission to a hospital.)
- Overall, a recent review of 177 research studies around the world found that 4% of people who survived intentionally hurting or poisoning themselves went on to die by suicide within 5 years.
Why Do Suicide Attempt Survivors Stay Alive?
There are different possible reasons why people who attempt suicide, or try to make such an attempt, might choose afterward to stay alive. The most intuitive reason is that suicidal crises are, by their nature, temporary. More often than not, the crisis passes.
Too, people who attempt suicide may receive the help they need afterwards. Friends and family may rally to their side. Therapists and doctors may help provide relief. The person’s reasons for dying may begin to fade.
Another possibility is that the instinct to live kicks in once someone comes close to dying. Until then, that instinct may have been obscured by depression, stress, hopelessness or despair.
The Instinct to Live after a Suicide Attempt
The story of Kevin Hines demonstrates the clarity that can finally appear when someone’s life is on the line. In 2000, he actually did jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. Precious few people survive such a fall; the water about 200 feet below acts the same as concrete when a person lands on it at high speed.
Although severe depression led him to jump off the bridge, Kevin Hines has stated:
“The very second I let go, I knew I had made a big mistake.”
For Kevin Hines, the will to live kicked in immediately. He managed to turn himself upright in the few seconds it took for him to hit the water; this way, he did not land on his head. After he was rescued, he continued to live, and lives still, serving as a suicide prevention advocate at the national level.
Life and Death After a Suicide Attempt
Obviously, the will to live does not reassert itself in everyone who has tried to die. We cannot overlook that 10% of people who survive a suicide attempt do go on to die by suicide. And half of people who die by suicide had attempted suicide at least once previously.
The tragedy of suicide is indisputable. The ongoing survival of people who attempt suicide is not (always) inevitable.
Yet it gives me great hope that the vast majority of suicide attempt survivors remain just that – survivors. This is perhaps the best argument for preventing suicide. It is true that suicide sometimes defies even the best efforts to thwart it. But overall, the evidence is that prevention is not simply a temporary delay of death.
Suicide prevention can save lives. And for most of those whose lives were saved, life goes on for many more years to come.
© Copyright 2013 Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, All Rights Reserved. Written for www.speakingofsuicide.com. Photos purchased from Fotolia.com
Edited on April 26, 2017.
YEAH?
Well living isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Everything says “Get help”. But what if you dont want help? And its been a long term plan, for 35 years, but become refined in that time. Perfectly so. In Mental Health circles there is a saying , that “Sometimes suicide is inevitable”. Ive worked in Mental health, Ive lost a family member through suicide. We will never recover from it. Both my son and I said we woud never consider it again, after that.
But I have. And now I have the means to do it. Tears ago, when my children were younger, I actually reached a point where I went beyond imagining the trauma and lifelong suffering, to my children; such was my pain. Somehow I survived.
But 10 years later, Im there again. And the children are adults now. I cant get beyond the pain. I just need time to tidy up affairs, belongings, finances, assemble the plan
Pandora,
I’m sorry you’re feeling so bad that your suicide seems, to you, to be inevitable. I address the myth of “inevitable suicide” in this post. I hope you will read it and take its words to heart.
Thank you for contributing to the discussion. If you want to talk with someone immediately by phone, text, or chat, please check out the Resources page.
Pandora
My advice to you or to those considering suicide or attempted suicide, please THINK of your loved one, your family and friends. My husband killed himself 6 weeks ago at home to put a closure on our marital problem.
But he didn’t and will never know that what he had actually solved – only his own problem- feeling/depression.
His passing causes lots of pain, sadness and changed others’ lives entirely. Me and my children’s life broke into pieces and our life will never be the same. I am literally living day by day and full of guilt, regret and anger. If you really love someone, please open up to them, share your feelings and talk to someone, suicide will never be the solution to any problem but creating pain to your loved one.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. A little over four years ago I couldn’t see an end to the emotional pain and despair I felt and became obsessed with thoughts of killing myself: another failed marriage, another lost job, another lost home, my girlfriend left me and just as we seemed to be getting back together died of a stroke. Life really sucked and so did I. I blamed myself for everything that was wrong and then some. Not having the “courage” to fulfill my plan, I checked into treatment centers and each time I checked out I sank into suicidal depression again. But it was my final stay at a state mental hospital when I began reading a book that finally spoke to me: “Dying for a Drink”, and for the first time in my life I recognized the fact that I was an alcoholic and that I had been treating major depression with a depressant. Here I thought I just occasionally drank too much.
Key to my recovery was becoming realistic about my part in creating the calamity called my life, but also needed to recognize others’ responsibilities as well. For example, upon hearing me take total responsibility for the failure of my first marriage a gifted woman who is a counselor and pastor said, “I typically find that both parties share responsibility equally. There were probably signs that you had a drinking problem from the very beginning.” It was a startling revelation. I said, “Well, the night we met I got so drunk I passed out on the living room floor. And I got very drunk every time I drank after that, which was quite often.” She replied, “She probably figured she could fix you.” This was the beginning of my recognition of the fact that I wasn’t the horrible person I made myself out to be, in fact, my story is very much like a lot of alcoholics I’ve met.
The details of your life will, of course, be different but we have our humanness in common. We don’t like living in pain, and we look for ways of ending that pain and, being creatures of habit, we do it in old familiar ways because that’s “what we know”. It turns out that I had, and still have, many misconceptions about myself and the people in encounter. I used to believe my problems are so intractable that the only way out of my pain was suicide. That’s simply not true, but it took stepping outside my beliefs, becoming teachable and following the leads of others to find a life worth living.
You can find a life worth living, too, if you set your mind to finding solutions. But as long as your “solution” is to kill yourself , you won’t see them even if they’re right in front of you.
I understand completely. Sometimes, life just sucks and the pain of living is unbearable. Wishing you peace…
I am both, not realizing this until reading today My dad ended his life by his own hands , when I was 9. My brother did the same in 2002. i’ve suffered depression for Years, 2 suicide attempts in 2008. All theses years following, I did not feel good about myself, am reunited with my nephew, reading up on how to talk to him. About his dad’s suicide, your article helping me a lot to help. When I will be talking to him, also sure helps me to see I am suicide attempt survivor. I am a survivor as well of rape and spousal abuse, Am feeling empowered today, thanks to you. Bonnie
For me, the will to live kicked in. As well, though, I believe I may have accidentally given myself something like ECT. My overdose gave me seizures. When I woke up a day later, my depression had greatly improved. I once attributed that simply to having realized I wanted to live and (narrowly) surving my attempt. Now I wonder whether I also pressed reset on my brain.
I was driving toward the Hoover Dam bypass bridge from Memphis over 4 years ago to jump off. I was determined and had written a detailed letter with instructions for the police and family. As I entered Oklahoa, something –I like to think it was my Higher Power–inspired me to call my brother in Illinois and I ended up going in and out of treatment centers until I finally realized that I’m an alcoholic and that there was hope for me. I still think about suicide, although not as often. It seems to be an “if all else fails, I’ll just kill myself” attempt to cope that gives me short-term comfort but it–like alcohol–only provides temporary relief and I’m still left with my limited ability to cope with life. Any suggestions?
My son’s father committed suicide and in the moments he was alive after shooting himself he kept saying sorry I shouldn’t have never done this over and over. Let’s get real here life sucks and its hard but don’t give up. There’s people who love you and want you to keep pushing even if your soul reason is living to not put them through that heartache. God will come through for you but you have to make an attempt. Life.church has some really good online sermons I highly suggest that. Reach out to someone, anyone because I can tell you they have no idea how you feel. Be blunt and honest don’t sugar coat how you feel. If all else fails do something drastic. Take a trip somewhere I mean what do you have to lose, on your journey to wherever you may see life worth living make yourself do something. Suicide isn’t an option, keep telling yourself that. Praying for you. One desperate and hurt person to another. Keep pushing on.