Chapter V concerns itself with catastrophic thinking and how the ways in which people interpret calamitous events affect their longevity. Those who possessed a catastrophic outlook on life were found to die sooner than those who did not. This was reasoned that catastrophizers blamed themselves too much and as a result, their negative thinking spiraled many of them down a path of risky endevours. Furthermore, the chapter examines the men and women of Terman’s study who committed suicide. Men were shown to be more violent in ending their lives (e.g.: guns) while women were more prone to drug overdose. Unfortunately, the discrepancies between gender were not explained but it does make me reflect on my own life and the people I know. Many of my suicidal friends fit into these generalisations. Two female friends had at least one if not multiple attempts at drug overdose and more have expressed wishing to die in a similar manner. Meanwhile, my male friend has told me he wanted to kill himself using a gun.
More interestingly, it was found that it was rarely, if ever, a singular stressor that pushed these individuals to commit suicide. Rather, it was the amalgamation of every stressor in one’s life that can contribute to this ideation. I reflected on how suicidal ideation wasn’t just due to depression and anxiety, which was what I had initially attributed it to — it was also the compilation of school, friend, family, and other stressors present at the moment despite not being nearly as big a deal as the aforementioned issues.
I was also intrigued about the research on catastrophizing and suicide rates. I just want to mention, that I am very sorry about your friends and hope they can get the correct help, but I have also been in a similar situation with some of my friends. It is immensely important to be able to recognize and identify warning signs of suicide, which it seems you have been able to do. I also thought your contribution about how it is not typically a singular stressor that is pushing individuals to commit suicide, but rather the amalgamation of every stressor in that individual’s life. As we discussed in class, I also think is it just as important, but even harder to recognize someone who is struggling but doesn’t show the same warning signs. From personal experience, I have had a hard time with understanding one of my friend’s struggles, due to the fact that from the outside she seemed optimistic and “happy-go-lucky”. It’s important to build intimate and close relationships with your friends, to hopefully be able to differentiate warning signs and help them!