Suicide is the act by which an individual decides to intentionally end his life. There may be many causes that motivate such action, however the most common may be: despair (driven by suffering from a serious physical illness), mental disorders (depression, bipolarity, schizophrenia, etc.); alcoholism or the abuse of certain substances.
In the same way there are other factors that can influence such a decision, these can be financial problems or personal problems. In general, people who decide to kill themselves do so because they are tired of dealing with a situation that was impossible for them to control. According to studies, men are more likely to commit suicide than women; while women are more inclined to attempt suicide.
This universal human action has been present in all times of humanity and has been persecuted and condemned in some eras, while in others it has been tolerated. Where different civilizations have had to maintain immensely variable attitudes, which are based on their philosophical, religious and intellectual ideas.
The value that has been given to such action in the course of history has been variable:
Already in the biblical texts mention is made of this fact, as is the case of Judas, who upon learning that he betrayed Jesus, decides to take his life, hanging himself.
The Mayans, for their part, admired and honored Ixtab, who was the goddess of suicide and in turn was the wife of the god of death. According to Mayan customs, suicide represented a supremely honorable way of dying.
In Japanese civilization, suicide is directly associated with respect for customs. It commonly consisted of a self-imposed sanction, for the fact of having committed a fault, considered by society.
With the advent of Christianity, suicide is considered as an act that goes against God and therefore is considered as a sin or offense towards Him.
According to the sociologist Emile Durkheim, there are three types of suicide:
The egoistic suicide: this type of suicide is caused by the lack of approval or acceptance to a group, little religious faith, divorce, widowhood, needs, etc.
The altruistic suicide: is one that opposes the selfish. In this case, suicide arises from a strong attachment or sympathy for the ideologies of a group, whether political or religious. The feeling that drives such action is one of passion, it is the power to give one's life for the cause.
The anomic suicide: This action usually arise during crises extreme economic and social factors that come to transform the lifestyle of a person. Suicide is encouraged due to frustrations, loss of loved ones, etc.
