Why we need to stop using the phrase: “Committed suicide”

“Committing suicide” – let’s unpack this phrase:

What other phrases do we associate with the term “committing”? People “commit” crimes. People “commit” sins. People “commit” murder. What does this imply for our subconscious understanding of the phrase “committing suicide”?

“Committing suicide” implies a level of guilt and blame. The phrase reflects a not-so-distant time in the past when suicide was considered a crime: It wasn’t until 1961 that it was decriminalised in the UK. As we have left the criminalisation of the fatal results of mental illness in the past, so should we leave this dated and frankly insulting phrase.

Not only does the phrase imply guilt, it also implies a level of choice. To “commit” literally means to perpetrate, or to carry out. People choose to “commit” crimes, sins and so on. Suicide is not a choice. Suicide is the only option a person is left with when no other avenue is open. It is the last and only avenue. In this respect, it is not only insensitive to refer to suicide as something that is “committed”; it is also illogical and unsympathetic to the reality of mental illness.

“Committed suicide” also further increases the disconnect between mental and physical illness. People do not “commit” suicide in the same way they do not “commit” cancer or heart attacks. People that die by suicide have usually suffered from some form of underlying illness, just like any other affliction. Suicide is the fatal outcome of uncured mental illness and should be regarded as such.

What are some better ways to refer to suicide? 

This is an important question because we must make sure we do not create a new area of stigma in our conversations about mental health. We need to encourage, not stifle this dialogue.

One better way of referring to suicide is to say “death by suicide” – “they died by suicide”. This both removes blame from the victim and helps to associate suicide with deaths by other illnesses: “death by heart attack”, for example. Suicide is not “committed” by a perpetrator; it is caused by an illness – “death by suicide” emphasises this.

I am not alone in holding this view. Mental health charities and media organisations have issued guidelines against using the phrase, especially in reporting. However, in a year of rising suicide rates and increased focus on the issue in the media, I find myself compelled to repeat this advice due to the staggering frequency with which the phrase continues to be used. Just google the phrase “committed suicide” and you’ll find dozens of articles from prominent liberal news outlets casually using the phrase; in a 30-second scan of the results I found the New York Times, The Independent and NPR.

This article is not intended as an attack on those who have used the phrase, nor is it intended to initiate another debate around political correctness. I myself will admit that the deeper meaning behind the phrase hadn’t really crossed my mind until relatively recently. But in our present context, with suicide having been the leading cause of death among young adults in the UK for over 20 years, we simply must do better.

Changing the way we refer to suicide is just one of many steps we as individuals and as a society need to take in order to tackle the suicide epidemic.

As well as this, and something that unfortunately often goes unmentioned in the media: Changing the way we talk about suicide helps us better respect those we have loved and lost. They deserve our every sympathy and respect for fighting their illnesses as long as they were able; they do not deserve blame for ultimately losing that fight.

Picture above sourced from: https://tosavealife.com/suicide/please-stop-saying-committed-suicide/

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