Thread: The threat of suicide

I am not sure if this is to trivialize the subject (after Robin Williams it seems anything but trivial) but I am just reading about the threat of suicide by Francois Hollande's partner .Apparently she grabbed a bag of sleeping pills after learning of his relationship with another woman.

BBC News - Trierweiler 'took pills' over Hollande split in France

Now I have no doubt that Hollande's behaviour was bad but was her behaviour far ,far worse? Was she using the threat of suicide as a lever to manipulate his behaviour to her liking? (obviously there is no answer to that in this particular instance if for no other reason than that common decency averts our eyes unless we are close friends of either party).

Is this kind of behavior widespread in cases of attempted suicide? Are there many cases of Russian Roulette types of attempted suicide where the aim is not so much to end their own life as to put pressure on partners or others?

I think this would be pretty odious behaviour (even when the target may have been "asking for it" )

I'd agree that it could be a way to manipulate others around you but it only lasts for so long then people see that the other person is only manipulating and not serious. That said we should always get help for those who are talking about suicide for it is far better to err on the side of caution rather than think it is only a ploy to gain attention.

Originally Posted by geordief

Is this kind of behavior widespread in cases of attempted suicide?

In cases of attempted suicide, manipulation is almost always the intent.
With suicide, death is the intent, and sometimes still manipulation.
Suicide attempts are a sign of mental illness, plain and simple.
Whatever the planned manipulation is, a healthy mind would reject using this approach.
Attempted suicides are sometimes a reality check, but more often are repeated over and over.

I would never give a person threatening suicide a loaded handgun.
They might miss and injure an innocent bystander instead.

Speaking as a psych professional I would discourage assuming that anyone is "JUST BEING MANIPULTIVE" when they threaten suicide. A person who would make the threat might be crazy enough to carry out the act if their attempt at manipulation is confronted.