Suicide by jumping from height

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As a suicide prevention initiative, signs on the Golden Gate Bridge promote special telephones that connect to a crisis hotline, as well as a 24/7 crisis text line.

Jumping from a dangerous location, such as from a high window, balcony, or roof, or from a cliff, dam, or bridge, is a common suicide method. The 2023 ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for jumping from a high place is X80*, and this method of suicide is also known clinically as autokabalesis. [1] Many countries have noted suicide bridges such as the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. Other well known suicide sites for jumping include the Eiffel Tower and Niagara Falls. [2]

Contents

Nonfatal attempts in these situations can have severe consequences including paralysis, organ damage, broken bones and lifelong pain. [3] [4] People have survived falls from buildings as high as 47 floors (500-feet/152.4 metres). [5] Most think that jumping will lead to an instant death. However, in many cases, death is not instant. [4]

Jumping is the most common method of suicide in Hong Kong, accounting for 52.1% of all reported suicide cases in 2006 and similar rates for the years before that. [6] The Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of the University of Hong Kong believes that it may be due to the abundance of easily accessible high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. [7]

In the United States, jumping is among the least common methods of suicide (less than 2% of all reported suicides in 2005). [8] However, in a 75-year period to 2012, there had been around 1,400 suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge. In New Zealand, secure fencing at the Grafton Bridge substantially reduced the rate of suicides. [9]

Suicide method

Survivors of falls from hazardous heights are often left with major injuries and permanent disabilities from the impact-related injuries. [10] A frequent scenario is that the jumper will sit on an elevated highway or building-ledge as police attempt to talk them down. Observers sometimes encourage potential jumpers to jump, an effect known as "suicide baiting". [11] Almost all falls from beyond about 10 stories are fatal, [12] although people have survived much higher falls than this, even onto hard surfaces. For example, one suicidal jumper has survived a fall from the 39th story of a building, [13] as has a non-suicidal window washer who accidentally fell from the 47th floor. [5] Suicidal jumpers have sometimes injured or even killed people on the ground on whom they land. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

There is limited information surrounding the demographics of those who die by jumping. However, some studies find differences between those who jump from high-rise residential buildings and those who jump from a suicide bridge. There is some evidence to suggest that younger males are overrepresented in those who jump from bridges, while age is not a notable factor in suicides from high-rise residential buildings. [19] However, other studies have not found the same patterns. [20]

The highest documented suicide jump was by skydiver Charles "Nish" Bruce, [21] who killed himself by leaping without a parachute from an airplane, at an altitude of over 5,000 feet (1,500 m). [22]

Jumping out of a window

Autodefenestration (or self-defenestration ) is the term used for the act of jumping, propelling oneself, or causing oneself to fall, out of a window. This phenomenon played a notable role in such events as the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911, the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and other disasters. It is also a method of suicide. In the United States, self-defenestration is among the least common methods of dying by suicide (less than 2% of all reported suicides in the United States for 2005). [8]

There is an urban legend in the US that many Wall Street investors autodefenestrated during the 1929 stock market crash. [23] After the stock market collapse of 2008 this was alluded to by protestors brandishing a sign on Wall Street which said: "Jump, you fuckers!" [24]

Prevalence

Jumping only makes up 3% of suicides in the US and Europe, which is a much smaller percentage than is generally perceived by the public. Jumping is surprisingly infrequent because tall buildings are often condo or office buildings not accessible to the general public, and because open-air areas of high buildings (i.e., rooftop restaurants or pools) are often surrounded by high walls that are built precisely to prevent suicides.[ citation needed ] Jumping makes up 20% of suicides in New York City due to the prevalence of publicly accessible skyscrapers. [25]

In Hong Kong, jumping (from any location) is the most common method of dying by suicide, accounting for 52% of all reported suicide cases in 2006, and similar rates for the years prior to that. [26] The Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of the University of Hong Kong believes that it may be due to the abundance of easily accessible high-rise buildings in Hong Kong (implying that much of the jumping is out of windows or from roof tops). [27]

Prevention strategies

Multiple intervention strategies have been applied for these types of suicides. Some of these strategies take physical forms, such as installing barriers to restrict access at suicide sites or by adding a safety net. [28] In 1996, safety barriers were removed from the Grafton Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand. After their removal, there was a five-fold increase in the number of suicides from the bridge. [29] Other sites have installed signs containing telephone hotline numbers or incorporated surveillance measures such as patrols and trained gatekeepers. [28]

In addition to these measures, there has been a push to more closely monitor media coverage of suicide, especially suicides from well known sites, which typically involve suicide by jumping. [28] Numerous studies have researched the impact of media coverage on suicide rates. [30] Guidelines for media sources on how to cover the topic, such as the "Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide" (developed in collaboration with organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Institute of Mental Health, and several schools of journalism) attempt to reduce the risk of suicide contagion via responsible reporting, informing on the complexities of suicide, and publicizing resources and stories of hope. [31]

Constructing barriers is not the only option, and it can be expensive. [32] Other method-specific prevention actions include making staff members visible in high-risk areas, using closed-circuit television cameras to identify people in inappropriate places or behaving abnormally (e.g., lingering in a place that people normally spend little time in), and installing awnings and soft-looking landscaping, which deters suicide attempts by making the place look ineffective. [32]

Another factor in reducing jumping deaths is to avoid suggesting in news articles, signs, or other communication that a high-risk place is a common, appropriate, or effective place for dying by jumping from. [32] The efficacy of signage is uncertain, and may depend on whether the wording is simple and appropriate. [32]

Terminology

In the United States, jumper is a term used by the police and media organizations for a person who plans to fall or jump (or already has fallen or jumped) from a potentially deadly height, sometimes with the intention to die by suicide, at other times to escape conditions inside (e.g. a burning building). [33] It includes all those who jump, regardless of motivation or consequences. That is, it includes people making sincere suicide attempts, those making parasuicidal gestures, people BASE jumping from a building illegally, and those attempting to escape conditions that they perceive as posing greater risk than would the fall from a jump, and it applies whether or not the fall is fatal.[ citation needed ]

The term was brought to prominence in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, in which two hijacked airliners―American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175―were deliberately crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, trapping hundreds in the upper floors of both buildings and setting the impacted floors ablaze. As a direct consequence, more than 200 people plummeted to their deaths from the burning skyscrapers, primarily from the North Tower with only 3 spotted from the South. [34] Most of these people―especially those in the North Tower―deliberately made the decision to die by jumping as a quicker alternative to burning alive or dying from smoke inhalation; however, a small percentage of these deaths were not jumpers but people who accidentally fell. [34] Many of these victims were inadvertently captured on both television and amateur footage, even though television networks reporting on the tragedy attempted to avoid showing people falling to avoid further traumatizing viewers. [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copycat suicide</span> Emulation of another suicide

A copycat suicide is defined as an emulation of another suicide that the person attempting suicide knows about either from local knowledge or due to accounts or depictions of the original suicide on television and in other media. The publicized suicide serves as a trigger, in the absence of protective factors, for the next suicide by a susceptible or suggestible person. This is referred to as suicide contagion.

According to a 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14, and the third leading cause of death for those between 15 and 25

A suicide method is any means by which a person may choose to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a non-fatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, or brain damage.

A suicide bridge is a bridge used frequently by people to end their lives, most typically by jumping off and into the water or ground below. A fall from the height of a tall bridge into water may be fatal, although some people have survived jumps from high bridges such as the Golden Gate Bridge. However, significant injury or death is far from certain; numerous studies report minimally injured persons who died from drowning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide prevention</span> Collective efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide

Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicidal ideation</span> Thoughts, ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of ending ones life

Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of completing suicide. It is not a diagnosis but is a symptom of some mental disorders, use of certain psychoactive drugs, and can also occur in response to adverse life circumstances without the presence of a mental disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide barrier</span> Barrier to prevent suicide from a tall structure

A suicide barrier is a structure intended to deter people from attempting suicide by deliberately jumping from a high place on a structure. Suicide barriers often consist of nets, metal screening, and fencing. Suicide barriers may be placed on tall bridges, observation decks, and other tall structures.

Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth suicide and attempted youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. Among youth, attempting suicide is more common among girls; however, boys are more likely to actually perform suicide. For example, in Australia suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as its leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 25.

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse are risk factors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in South Korea</span> Statistics and causes of suicide

South Korea has the fourth highest suicide rate in the world and the highest among OECD countries. The elderly in South Korea are at the highest risk of suicide, but deaths from teen suicide have been rising since 2010. In 2022 suicide caused more than half of all deaths among South Koreans in their twenties. It is the leading cause of death for those between the age of 10 and 39, in line with most OECD countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender differences in suicide</span>

Gender differences in suicide rates have been shown to be significant. There are different rates of suicides and suicidal behavior between males and females. While females more often have suicidal thoughts, males die by suicide more frequently. This discrepancy is also known as the gender paradox in suicide.

A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is a successful or desirable outcome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide by hanging</span> Suicide via suspension from an anchor-point

Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself (suicide) via suspension from an anchor-point such as an overhead beam or hook, by a rope or cord or by jumping from a height with a noose around the neck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge</span>

Between 1937 and 2012, an estimated 1,400 bodies were recovered of people who had jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, located in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States.

In colleges and universities in the United States, suicide is one of the most common causes of death among students. Each year, approximately 24,000 college students attempt suicide while 1,100 attempts end up being fatal, making suicide the second-leading cause of death among U.S. college students. Roughly 12% of college students report the occurrence of suicide ideation during their first four years in college, with 2.6% percent reporting persistent suicide ideation. 65% of college students reported that they knew someone who has either attempted or died by suicide, showing that the majority of students on college campuses are exposed to suicide or suicidal attempts.

Suicide awareness is a proactive effort to raise awareness around suicidal behaviors. It is focused on reducing social stigmas and ambiguity by bringing attention to suicide statistically and sociologically, and by encouraging positive dialogue and engagement to prevent suicide. Suicide awareness is linked to suicide prevention as both address suicide education and the dissemination of information to ultimately decrease the rate of suicide. Awareness is the first stage that can ease the need for prevention. Awareness signifies a fundamental consciousness of the threat, while prevention focuses on stopping the act. Suicide awareness is not a medical engagement but a combination of medical, social, emotional and financial counseling. Suicide awareness in adolescents focuses on the age group between 10–24 years, beginning with the onset of puberty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in Hong Kong</span>

In 2017, the suicide rate in Hong Kong was around 12 deaths per 100,000 people and ranked 32 in the world standing, which was its lowest rate in four years. The suicide rate for males was nearly double that for females, as it was 16.2 deaths per 100,000 males, and 8.8 deaths per 100,000 females. Although it has decreased slightly compared to previous years, for those aged 19 or younger it has risen by 50%. The Samaritans Hong Kong charity has described the issues as worthy of attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail suicide</span> Deliberate death by means of a railway vehicle

Rail suicide is deliberate self-harm resulting in death by means of a moving rail vehicle. The suicide occurs when an approaching train hits a suicidal pedestrian jumping onto, lying down on, or wandering or standing on the tracks. Low friction on the tracks usually makes it impossible for the train to stop quickly enough. On urban mass transit rail systems that use a high-voltage electrified third rail, the suicide may also touch or be otherwise drawn into contact with it, adding electrocution to the cause of death.

References

  1. ↑ "2023 ICD-10-CM Codes X80*: Intentional self-harm by jumping from a high place". www.icd10data.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ↑ ""Jumping" and Suicide Prevention". Centre for Suicide Prevention.
  3. ↑ Koopman, John (November 2, 2005). "LETHAL BEAUTY / No easy death: Suicide by bridge is gruesome, and death is almost certain. The fourth in a seven-part series on the Golden Gate Bridge barrier debate". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Bondi, OnScene (2024-01-26). "The other side of suicide". OnScene ACT. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  5. 1 2 Parke, Caleb (April 22, 2019). "'Thank God for the miracle:' Man who survived 47-story fall from NYC skyscraper recounts story". Fox News.
  6. ↑ "Method Used in Completed Suicide". HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, University of Hong Kong. 2006. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  7. ↑ "遭家人責罵：掛住上網媾女唔讀書 成績跌出三甲 中四生跳樓亡". Apple Daily . 9 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  8. 1 2 "WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports". Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  9. ↑ Havârneanu, GM; Burkhardt, JM; Paran, F (August 2015). "A systematic review of the literature on safety measures to prevent railway suicides and trespassing accidents". Accident Analysis and Prevention. 81: 30–50. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2015.04.012. PMID   25939134.
  10. ↑ "Attempted Suicide Horrors". Suicide.org!. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  11. ↑ Mann, L. (1981). "The baiting crowd in episodes of threatened suicide". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 41 (4): 703–9. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.41.4.703. PMID   7288565.
  12. ↑ Weckbach, Sebastian; Flierl, Michael A; Blei, Michael; Burlew, Clay Cothren; Moore, Ernest E; Stahel, Philip F (October 25, 2011). "Survival following a vertical free fall from 300 feet: The crucial role of body position to impact surface". Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. 19: 63. doi: 10.1186/1757-7241-19-63 . PMC   3212924 . PMID   22027092.
  13. ↑ Thompson, Paul (September 1, 2010). "Man survives after 400ft jump by landing on car". Telegraph.
  14. ↑ "Teen Dies After Jumping From 7th Floor of Parking Structure at Americana, Landing on Father With Children: Glendale PD". KTLA. April 2, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Man who survived woman falling on him from 11th story LA hotel room talks about ordeal". ABC7 Los Angeles. May 19, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  16. ↑ "S. Korea 'suicide' jumper kills man on landing". Thestar.com.my. November 6, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Father killed after suicidal student lands on him" . The Independent . June 4, 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25.
  18. ↑ "Family Stunned by Boy's Suicide Attempt That Killed Driver". NBC Washington. 29 October 2017.
  19. ↑ "APA PsycNet" (PDF). psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  20. ↑ Gunnell, D.; Nowers, M. (July 1997). "Suicide by jumping". Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 96 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb09897.x. ISSN   0001-690X. PMID   9259217.
  21. ↑ Allison, Rebecca (21 June 2002). "Suicide Verdict – Depressed pilot leapt to death". The Guardian .
  22. ↑ "SAS Soldier dies in plane plunge". CNN World News. 10 January 2002. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "After the 1929 stock market crash, did investors really jump out of windows?". straightdope.com. 30 August 2002. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  24. ↑ Linda McQuaig, Neil Brooks (2012). Billionaires' Ball: Gluttony and Hubris in an Age of Epic Inequality. Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0807003404.
  25. ↑ "NYC #1 in Suicidal Building Jumping". Gothamist. September 7, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Method Used in Completed Suicide". HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, University of Hong Kong. 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  27. ↑ 周志鴻; 譚健文 (9 August 2009). "遭家人責罵：掛住上網媾女唔讀書 成績跌出三甲 中四生跳樓亡". Apple Daily . Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  28. 1 2 3 Beautrais, Annette (January 2007). "Suicide by Jumping: A Review of Research and Prevention Strategies". Crisis. 28 (S1): 58–63. doi:10.1027/0227-5910.28.S1.58. ISSN   0227-5910.
  29. ↑ Beautrais, Annette L.; Gibb, Sheree J.; Fergusson, David M.; Horwood, L. John; Larkin, Gregory Luke (June 2009). "Removing Bridge Barriers Stimulates Suicides: An Unfortunate Natural Experiment". Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 43 (6): 495–497. doi:10.1080/00048670902873714. ISSN   0004-8674. PMID   19440879.
  30. ↑ Stack, S. (2003-04-01). "Media coverage as a risk factor in suicide". Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. 57 (4): 238–240. doi:10.1136/jech.57.4.238. ISSN   0143-005X. PMC   1732435 . PMID   12646535.
  31. ↑ "Recommendations". Reporting on Suicide. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  32. 1 2 3 4 International Parking & Mobility Institute (2019), Suicide in Parking Facilities: Prevention, Response, and Recovery (PDF)
  33. ↑ Kemp, Joe (March 20, 2011). "Miracle mom who survived horrific 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire was 'one in a million'". New York Daily News.
  34. 1 2 Flynn, Kevin; Dwyer, Jim (2004-09-10). "Falling Bodies, a 9/11 Image Etched in Pain". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  35. ↑ Cauchon, Dennis and Martha Moore (September 2, 2002). "Desperation forced a horrific decision". USAToday. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  36. ↑ Koopman, John; Writer, Chronicle Staff (November 2, 2005). "LETHAL BEAUTY / No easy death: Suicide by bridge is gruesome, and death is almost certain. The fourth in a seven-part series on the Golden Gate Bridge barrier debate". SFGate.
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