Cide Effects
TW: suicide
According to Samaritans, 1 in 5 individuals have had thoughts of ending their lives. In other words, a fleeting thought about ending one's life is something that most have experienced or may likely experience at some point. The reasons why people end their lives are numerous, complex, and ultimately not my focus. That being said, there is help available, and I have attached this list of helplines provided by the MIND Charity.
Earlier this year, I began examining whether the word 'suicide' influenced its stigma. Its etymology — coming from the Latin suicidium (sui - "of oneself" and caedere - "to kill") — replaced the more accusatory 'self-murder.' The term 'suicide' had become established in the English language by the mid-18th century, resonating with earlier terms like suicist and suicism which were rooted in notions of selfishness — a prejudice that persists today. Today, the term 'suicide' has false associations of despair and futility and failure with ending one’s life; I believe this stigma is perpetuated by the ‘S word' itself.
Catherine Ruff provides some useful perspectives on suicide during the Stoic era. At first glance, Stoicism appears at odds with suicide through its teachings of resilience, dignified endurance of hardships, and apatheia. Yet, Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, strangled himself to death. Similarly, historical literature has depicted self-inflicted deaths without stigma, and in some instances, as acts of heroism: from biblical Saul to Shakespeare's Ophelia. Similarly, Cato the Younger, Socrates, Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony's deaths were viewed as acts of martyrdom.
The way language shapes our understanding becomes clear when we consider how the '-cide' suffix in suicide aligns with words like homicide, infanticide, and genocide, which all denote murder rather than mere death. This perpetuation occurs through language transmission — the word's centuries-long evolution — and the sociological beliefs embedded within its generational use. Linguistic determinism suggests that the language used by a group influences their thoughts, perceptions, and worldview, ultimately shaping how individuals understand and experience reality. Many people falsely perceive suicide as 'giving up' or 'ending one's future' often while connoting that those ending their lives — or even contemplating ending their lives — are unable to find enjoyment and/or purpose.
Research has consistently revealed that effective support and prevention can be achieved without condescension or infantilising approaches, proving far more effective than well-intentioned but judgmental hyper-optimistic rhetoric. I suppose future prevention means replacing the outdated term; perhaps this may eradicate its stigma once and for all.