Class Survey: How have you been personally affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts?

A Brief History of Suicide Attacks

A kamikaze attack struck the HMS Formidable in 1945;
along with the Japanese pilot, eight British sailors were
killed in the attack. | Source: Imperial War Museums

Throughout human history, it has been proven that some people are willing to die and kill others for a cause. This notorious method of attack is condemned by some as an abhorrent insult to the dignity of life, an utterly despicable act of terrorism; others consider self-sacrifice or martyrdom the most admirable and heroic of deaths. Opinions are ultimately determined by an individual's perspective, which, on this subject, vary greatly across time and culture. The motivation to commit a suicide attack can be religious or secular, political or personal. Depending on perspective, such attacks can be called warfare or terrorism.

The large-scale use of modern technology to attempt suicide attacks on enemy combatants came during the Second World War. Most famous was the Japanese tactic of kamikaze ("divine wind"), in which pilots would intentionally try to fly their planes into enemy warships. Although only a minority of individual kamikaze attacks ended with success, the strategy as a whole was highly effective in bringing terror and destruction to Allied navies. Nearly 4,000 Japanese kamikaze pilots were sacrificed in the course of the war, resulting in the death of 4,900 American sailors and 34 sunk warships. In 1944, the Ohka, a piloted rocket purpose-built to execute suicide attacks, was developed for the Japanese Imperial Navy; American sailors nicknamed the flyable bomb the Baka (Japanese for "idiot"). The German Luftwaffe implemented a similar project, called Selbstopfer ("self-sacrifice"), to a much smaller scale during the desperate final phase of the war.

As the course of the war turned against the Japanese, the success of kamikaze inspired the development of other methods of suicide attack. These specialized units, or tokkōtai, included suicide submarines (Kairyu), manned torpedoes (Kaiten), motorboats (Shin'yō), and divers (Fukuryu). However, only the Kaiten ("return to heaven") manned torpedoes saw action in combat.

Sana'a Mehaidli killed herself
and two Israeli soldiers in
1985; her's is the earliest
recorded case of a
female suicide bomber.

The prominence of suicide attacks as a military or terrorist tactic rose with the Lebanese Civil War (1975 – 1990), particularly since the bombing of the US Embassy and the bombings of the American and French peacekeeping headquarters in 1983. Each of these suicide bombings were perpetrated by the Islamic Jihad Organization, a Shia militant group that would later become Hezbollah. Although scholars have argued that suicide and murder are in violation of classical Islamic law, the idea of suicide attacks as a method of warfare has nonetheless become accepted within Islamic militant organizations. In the past 30 years, suicide attacks have occurred virtually everywhere conflict exists in the Muslim world. 

Although many or most suicide attacks in recent decades have been inspired by the idea of religious martyrdom, secular and nationalist motivations also enkindle suicide attacks. In 1985, Sana'a Mehaidli, an agent of the secular Syrian Social Nationalist Party, blew up her Peugeot near an Israeli military convoy in Jezzine, killing two soldiers and injuring a dozen others. This event is considered the first example of a suicide attack committed by a woman (although many have followed since). From 1987 to 2009, the nationalist Tamil Tigers, a militant group that advocated the secession of the Tamil people from Sri Lanka, perpetrated over 330 suicide attacks against Indian and Sri Lankan targets.

Some studies have found that suicide attackers can be identified with classic suicidal risk factors. Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama, found depression, PTSD, substance addictions, other mental health problems, severe physical injury or disability, and emotional or personal crises as common traits among suicide terrorists. Suicide attacks are most often committed by men, who are not uncommonly well educated. A study by psychologist Ariel Merari of Tel Aviv University confirmed these results, finding suicide bombers, unlike other terrorists, often displayed suicidal risk factors.

Have a question or comment for the author? Email Sam at essessnine97@gmail.com.

Fact for the Day: Suicide in Japan

 

Kongōbu-ji | Wikimedia Commons

Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates, with suicide being the leading cause of death among men age 20-44 and women age 15-34. Despite having a population of 126 million, over 30 thousand men and women in Japan commit suicide every year, almost 90 per day and nearly as many as the United States (a nation of 315 million). Suicide has become such a problem in the country that former prime minister Naoto Kan declared his main political goal is to "minimize unhapiness." In 2007, the national minister of agriculture, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, killed himself amidst a financial scandal; since then, the government has made attempts to change the cultural perception and treatment of suicide.

Unlike Western cultures, suicide is not associated with the Judeo-Christian concept of sin; in fact, in traditional Japanese culture there is a romantic notion of suicide as a noble or honorable death. During the feudal period, the samurai were obligated to perform seppuku, ritual self-disembowelment, to receive an honorable death, rather than face defeat or capture. Fighter pilots during the Second World War turned their planes into guided missiles to execute kamikaze ("divine wind") for the same reasons. Deemed inseki-jisatsu, some Japanese consider suicide a responsible way to relieve debt or restore personal and family honor.

Motosu-ko before Fuji-san | Wikimedia Commons

The despair that results from poverty, unemployment, and other personal financial crises are especially poignant in Japan. A strong patriarchal tradition still exists in Japan, and with it heavy expectations from family and society. Ever since the economic downturn of 1997, the Japanese economy has been particularly stagnant among the fully industrialized nations. As a result, many Japanese men have struggled with the insecurities and stigmas associated with job loss and unemployment.

Despite generally sophisticated health services, national authorities can certainly improve their approach to mental health. New anti-depressant drugs are restricted long after they have been accepted in other countries and national health insurance doesn't provide for counseling at private clinics. Japan's largest suicide helpline has struggled to garner funding and only receives 27 thousand calls per year. By comparison, the largest comparable utility in the United Kingdom (a country with half Japan's population) takes nearly 2.5 million.

Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future it seems suicide will remain an immense, entrenched problem in Japan. Suicide councilor Hiroshi Sakamoto concluded of his nation's struggle, "Until we stop denying the reality of the situation, I don't think Japanese society can overcome the crisis it is facing."

Have a question or comment for the author? Email Sam at essessnine97@gmail.com.

Fact for the Day: Age and Suicide

Sunset at Porto Covo, Portugal |
Source: Wikimedia Commons

According to data collected by the WHO, age is a significant correlate with the risk of committing suicide. In 2008, more than half of the worldwide deaths by suicide were among individuals between the ages of 15 and 44. However, the rate among this age group was about 17 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. With each successive age group (45-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80+) the suicide rate climbs dramatically, with the 80+ group having a suicide rate almost four times that of people aged 15-29.

So how do we explain the higher prevalence of suicide among the elderly? Compared to younger adults, when older adults are suicidal, they are likely to be more intent and less impulsive, to thoroughly develop a plan, and to utilize the most lethal means. In addition, suicide detection and prevention is prioritized less heavily with older men and women. Suicide among older people rarely attracts the attention of the media. Many people don't even consider the idea, let alone the possibility, of their parent or grandparent attempting suicide. Others accept suicide as a means to end a long and productive life.

Elderly people are at the highest risk of suffering from physical illness or feeling hopeless, helpless, futile, worthless, and depressed. Retirement or the loneliness of widows and widowers can cause depression directly. All of these factors can contribute significantly to suicidal ideation. It is especially important for older people to be socially engaged and be self-satisfied in their social role to avoid suffering from these factors.

Have a question or comment for the author? Email Sam at essessnine97@gmail.com.

Suicide and the Military

Sailor playing "Taps" during a Burial at Sea |
Released by U.S. Navy

Last year, more than 295 Americans died fighting in Afghanistan. However, this is surpassed by the number of servicemen, 349, who died by suicide (this includes those in active-duty and reserve). In fact, this was the highest total since the Pentagon began tracking suicides in 2001. Most of the men and women who took their own lives, 182, were active duty Army personnel. Among other active-duty troops, the Marines recorded 48 suicides, the Air Force had 59, and the Navy had 60. This has become such a problem in recent years that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reported it as an "epidemic" before a congressional committee.

David Rudd, a military suicide researcher and professor at the University of Utah, is pessimistic about the short-term trend of increasing suicides. He separates victims into two categories: combat veterans who suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress, or substance abuse and servicemen who have not gone to war but are troubled by personal, financial, or legal problems. The latter accounts for about a third of military suicide victims. As a retired Army general noted, "stress, guns and alcohol constitute a dangerous mixture. In the wrong proportions, they tend to blow out the lamp of the mind and cause irrational acts." 

The Pentagon goes to great lengths to analyze the circumstances around suicide cases and found that most tended to involve enlisted men under the age of 25 and without a college education. Divorced service members were also found to be at an enhanced risk. Most suicides involved the use of firearms and many involved personnel with a personal history of behavioral problems.

Source: Flikr

Since suicides began escalating around 2009, the military has made a concerted effort to elevate suicide prevention and awareness. Despite this, a stigma remains in the difficulty for service members to find counseling, both while in active-duty and after they've begun the transition back into civilian life. Most are afraid that asking for help will be detrimental to their career, or simply won't admit to having a problem. In order to help this, Senator Patty Murray of Washington has pushed for measures to improve the military's mental health programs, education for chaplains and medics, and peer counseling that would match veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq with fellow combat veterans. Veterans may find their peers more accessible than professional counselors.

Listen to the interview of NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, reporting at npr.org.

If you are a service member or a family member that needs help, contact the Military Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255. If you're a family member who is suffering from the loss of a loved one and fallen service member, call the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, at 800-959-8277.

Have a question or comment for the author? Email Sam at essessnine97@gmail.com.