Have you ever known of anyone, in your experience, who perhaps had thoughts of suicide in the back of their mind for a while, but then chose a day, time, place rather on the spur of the moment? I agree that the majority of folks would plan, decide and act as you have said, but is there a subset of folks who might not invest as much time in their planning, and just up and proceed one day? Ugh- I'm not making my question very clear... sorry 'bout that!
Thanks for the question. Yes, impulsive suicide attempts are common. An extreme triggering event on it's own can cause it in susceptible people. Responding in the moment.
Generally though, those people fall into a couple of categories from my observations. They're either drug/alcohol related, coupled with a triggering event, which after sobering up, they realize and regret the danger of their actions. Or they are acute psychotic breaks, loss of contact with reality, ( hearing voices, etc. )
They're very dangerous because the person can be dead without ever realizing the severity of their actions.
I'm convinced some of them are undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder, of which this can be one of the characteristics.
Many impulsive suicide attempts are not genuine attempts but are termed suicidal gestures by the medical profession. These are people who do NOT want to die, but are crying out for help. Those who call 911 to report they've overdosed when they've taken a couple extra antibiotic pills. Or those who say they've cut their wrists, yet only made scratches.
For them the medical response team is the equivalent of 'The Cavalry is Coming!' They're trying to let everyone know they really need help.
The people though most at risk from dying of suicide are the planners. The more detailed and specific the plan, the more lethal the results.
These people have a singular focus and purpose. They have made their decision, and often are more light-hearted as they await the unfolding because they know their pain will soon be over.
Those are the ones of whom I was referring. They make their plan, and leave nothing to chance. They do not have the attitude of, 'Well, if I can't do it today, maybe tomorrow will work out...'
Yes, they may end up doing it another day because of unforeseen circumstances, but once they have nailed down their plan, they are not easily deterred at all.
When their plans do get derailed, they are beyond irate. As you can imagine, they are incredibly enraged when they discover we have saved their lives. There is no fury like that of the rescued suicidal patient!
Our hope was that with treatment they would gain insight and eventually be grateful they had a second chance. But we learned to never expect appreciation.
Yet, we always realized it was the illness speaking.
With MC, his reported behavior does not raise a single red flag for me. There is nothing that I can spot and recognize as danger signals.
Yes, there were risk factors which have been enumerated by others. On paper they look daunting too.
But in my opinion, they don't translate over to suicidal behavior by MC.
My gut says he was killed by others...
JMO
