When it's Darkest: Making Sense of Suicide with Prof Rory O'Connor

In this webinar, Professor O'Connor will draw from his new book "When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do To Prevent It". His aim is to get to the heart of this most tragic of human outcomes, challenging myths and misunderstandings as well as bringing together the personal and the professional.
Suicide and self-harm are major public health concerns with complex aetiologies. In this presentation, Rory will dispel some of the myths associated with suicide as well as describing the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model of Suicidal Behaviour as we try to make sense of suicide.
Learning Objectives:
1. Have an understanding of the myths surrounding suicide
2. Have an appreciation that the factors that lead to suicidal thoughts are different from those associated with suicidal acts
3. Have knowledge of the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behaviour
About Prof Rory O'Connor
Professor Rory O'Connor completed his PhD at Queen's University Belfast in 1997 and then moved to Scotland where he has been ever since. He joined the University of Glasgow in July 2013 where he is Professor of Health Psychology, Director of the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory and head of the Mental Health and Wellbeing group there. He is a registered health psychologist who is broadly interested in self-regulation processes and health outcomes. He is a Vice President of the International Assocation for Suicide Prevention, a Past President of the International Academy for Suicide Research and a member of the American Assocation of Suicidology. In 2014 he was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He also serves on the Scientific Review Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is Joint Chief-Editor of Archives of Suicide Research, an Associate Editor of Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior and Behavior Therapy. Professor O'Connor also serves on the editorial board of Crisis. He is a member of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology (and is an accredited Stage 2 health psychology supervisor) and the European Health Psychology Society. He is also Co-Chair of the Academic Advisory Group to the Scottish Government's Suicide Prevention Leadership Group.

[@christopherleubner6633]

One issue is that so much effort goes into prevention by mechanically stopping attempt opportunity but very little on actually treating the issues that are triggering the SI in the first place.😢

[@michaelshannon9169]

Prevention is one thing. Reasons to go on are another. Ppl want a life that is not premised on managing themselves, coping with their lives. Ppl want a life where they thrive, if this cant emerge then we are sustaining, supporting and complicit in someones pain and torture, which has its own ethical issues.

[@Anotherhumanexisting]

Yes, exactly this. It should be prevention of the desire for suicide in the first place, not just preventing people from doing the physical act…

[@followtruthwhereveritleads]

@@Anotherhumanexisting Thats not going to happen. Objective reality is just too evil, you don't understand that. The s word is THE FUTURE. Its an intrinsic part of humanity. There's so many situations I can list here where there's just no reasonable way out at all, and to exit is the most rational.

[@someone2021]

None of us choose to be here, therefore if we are dealt a crappy hand, we should be able to fold at a time of our choosing, without shame and guilt.

[@snookaisahtheotengahrepres5681]

why prevent steal something from a human you would grant a dog as mercy?

[@tamask]

Notes for myself
34:30 Factors that predict future suicide in the next 4 years. Internal entrapment and mental pain. Burdensomeness.
36:35 How do we assess entrapment. Questions to ask.
37:30 4 questions.
38:30 Role of loneliness.
42:25 Who might make the transition from thoughts to attempt. Volitional phase, model. 8 factors.
43:50 Data to support the volitional phase factors.
46:00 Cortisol, stress…
46:50 Childhood trauma vs suicidal thinking.
48:15 Daily stress vs suicidal thinking.

[@christopherleubner6633]

In short it is realization of the inevitable nature of death, combined with a situation that causes hopeless intractable frustatration. Death is seen as a permanent solution and escape from the unbearable 💔 torment regardless of the cause. It ranges from things that are shock stress like an enexoected break up to serous terminal illness with day in day out agony. The trick is to determine if there is a realistic solution where things could get better or not.

[@jacobpretorius2741]

I am retired and suddenly I experience lots of negative thoughts on a daily basis. It's like a train going through my head with all the negative stuff that happened in my live.

[@zayneclark3771]

All the energy that went into your job has been turned inward. Finding new ways to fill your time and keep your mind busy instead of being reflective on past mistakes or mishaps might help. Best of luck with retirement.

[@leanne123]

Sometimes recurring negative thoughts are a sign of depression. Retirement is a big change. It's the end of a stage of your life. You may have some grieving to do. Talk to your doctor so they can monitor your condition so it doesn't get worse. 💖🫂

[@johnmitchell8925]

Good luck with that😂

[@susie5254]

In my experience of decades of excruciating pain I see that those with suicidal ideation are completely ignored (by virtue of not being able to find a psychiatrist because they don't take new patients and insurance does not cover good psychiatrists). I have always wondered: if I was actually about to kill myself, would a mental health professional miraculously be available BEFORE I actually jump off a bridge. We can send men into space, but we cannot be there for those in enough pain to want to disappear.

[@jocelynharris-fx8ho]

Susie5254,I agree. A GOOD mental health professional is hard to find and it's made worse by the fact that mental illness is still stigmatized, even at some churches. People fail to realize, that the brain is an organ, just like the rest of the body and as such, is prone to illness and "malfunction". Several years ago, a pastor out in California, committed suicide. When you are perceived as " having it all together" but you're suffering with no one to talk to, that makes it worse. The stigma needs to be removed, so that people won't feel ostracized for revealing their pain and struggles. There needs to be more compassion.

[@whenpigsfly3271]

Worse still is being ignored by virtue of incompetence of the psychological field generally. One noticeable incompetence is (speaking as a patient) the practitioners tendency to over control the situation when confronted with a suicidal patient. A therapist tends to miss the fact that the currently prevailing part of your mind does NOT want to die. The next level of incompetence is to go straight for the drugs. Drugs aren't necessarily bad in acute cases, but dealing with anxiety in terms of adrenal fatigue is far more important to long-term success. It is chronic fatigue (mistaken for depression) that should be resolved first. Mainly because depression is a symptom of fatigue and anxiety, not the cause of suicide. Drugging the symptom always results in relapse. See the works of Stephen Porges and Peter Levine.

[@christopherleubner6633]

In my experience all they do after a serious attempt is mechanically try to prevent you from trying again until you tell them you are well. 😢

[@SarahBaca]

This was a great presentation, thank you for recording it!

[@UrsulaWhiteside]

Thank you Sarah

[@johnmitchell8925]

So 👍 true

[@kathleenriebeling8221]

Have you ever heard of a suicide "selfie"? That is what my brother left instead of a note.

[@stephanforster7186]

Introduction at 3:27
Starting lecture at 4:56

[@user-oi3mz8gs2c]

The world is overpopulated.