Evolutionary Psych-Class 13

Trends in suicide stats

•Suicide rates vary across time, gender, and geography.

•Males are generally at higher risk than females.

•Psychiatric disorders, especially depression and schizophrenia, are linked to higher suicide rates.

•Economic, social, and environmental factors also play key roles.

suicide risk, by gender

men more likely to die women more likely to attempt

what increases risk for suicide?

mood disorders, psychosis, and substance use

prior attempts are strong predictor for future attempts

access to lethal means

global suicide trends

•Suicide rates vary widely between countries.

•Higher rates in regions with economic hardship and social instability.

•Cultural and religious beliefs influence suicide acceptability.

•Some countries show decreasing trends due to prevention efforts.

The randomness of suicide

•Suicide risk assessment is largely ineffective.

•Predictive tools perform no better than chance.

•Suicide is an inherently unpredictable event.

Focus should shift from prediction to prevention

Evolutionary Basis of Suicide

•Suicide results from an evolutionary paradox.

•The brain evolved to escape pain, even via self-destruction.

•Cognitive abilities enable suicidal ideation.

•The 'pain-brain' model explains suicide as an unfortunate by-product.

suicide as an adaptive problem

suicide risk emerges in adolescence

• no other species exhibits deliberate self-harm at human rates

what is a prerequisite for suicide?

intellectual capability

evolved defences against suicide

•The brain has built-in anti-suicide mechanisms.

•These include emotional resilience and social bonding.

•Depression may function as a protective mechanism.

Psychotic delusions may also serve a survival function

limits of risk assessment

•No risk factor consistently predicts suicide.

•Combining multiple risk factors does not improve prediction.

•Suicide remains an 'aleatory' (random) event.

•Psychologists should focus on general well-being rather than individual prediction.

problem of suicide prediction

•More data does not improve predictive accuracy.

•AI and machine learning fail to outperform human intuition.

•High-risk individuals rarely die by suicide.

•Low-risk individuals sometimes do.

suicide as a stochastic process

•Predicting suicide is like predicting dice rolls.

•Evolution has already optimized the system.

•No additional information enhances prediction.

•Prevention efforts should focus on broader support systems.

challenges in suicide research

•Research methods have not improved predictive power.

•Suicide prevention efforts often lack empirical backing.

•Public and clinical discourse still assumes predictability.

•The field needs a paradigm shift.

risk communication vs risk assessment

•Instead of assessing risk, psychologists should communicate it.

•Every human carries a small, non-zero suicide risk.

•Individuals benefit from reassurance rather than categorization.

•Suicide prevention should be universal rather than targeted.

the role of psychological care

•Psychologists often overestimate their ability to assess risk.

•Risk assessment is mandated but ineffective.

•Clinical intuition does not improve predictions.

•The focus should be on patient-centred care.

Problems with traditional approaches

•Suicide risk scales offer false precision.

•Checklists and scoring systems do not work.

•Psychiatric hospitalization does not always reduce risk.

•Overreliance on risk assessments may lead to unnecessary interventions.

rethinking suicide prevention

•Prevention efforts should focus on social support.

•Addressing economic and social determinants reduces suicide rates.

•Interventions should be inclusive rather than selective.

•Reducing stigma encourages help-seeking behaviours.

the need for a new model

•Suicide should be framed as a universal risk.

•Every individual deserves support, not just high-risk ones.

•Mental health professionals should shift from risk assessment to resilience building.

•Public health measures should focus on reducing societal risk factors.

Alternative Suicide prevention strategies

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•Emphasizing community support and engagement.

•Encouraging open dialogue about mental health.

•Implementing school-based and workplace mental health initiatives.

•Expanding accessibility to crisis resources