The AP changed its style book recently to discourage the use of the phrase “committed suicide.” Instead, it recommends alternative terms like “killed himself,” “took her life,” and “died by suicide.” The Associated Press dictates the standards for appropriate language in most mainstream newspapers and magazines (but not academic journals). Why not just say “suicide,” then? More about the Term “Died by Suicide” Subsequent completed suicide = subsequent suicide.Ĭompleted suicide is suicide. Risk of completed suicide = risk of suicide. Those examples actually bring me to a different complaint about the term “completed suicide.” When “completed” is used as an adjective for suicide (instead of a verb), it is redundant.Ĭharacteristics of completed suicides = characteristics of suicides. “Suicidal Ideation and Subsequent Completed Suicide in Both Psychiatric and Non-Psychiatric Populations: A Meta-Analysis,” in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences.“Risk of Completed Suicide in 89,049 Young Males Assessed by a Mental Health Professional,” in European Neuropsychopharmacology.“Characteristics of Completed Suicides,” in the Psychiatric Times.A search on Google Scholar yields 470 articles where “completed suicide” is used in the title. The term “completed suicide” is especially popular among academics. The State of Maine’s Suicide Prevention Program, for example, states on its website, “Both terms (committed and completed) perpetuate the stigma associated with suicide and are strongly discouraged.” Some suicide prevention advocates use the term “completed suicide” because they view it as an acceptable alternative to “committed suicide.” Not all suicide prevention advocates agree, of course. In fact, at universities, if a student receives an “incomplete” in a class and doesn’t complete their remaining requirements on time, the “I” converts to an “F.” To complete something conveys success to leave something incomplete conveys failure. Then think of the disappointment you feel when you don’t.Ĭompletion is good. Think of the sense of accomplishment you feel when you complete a big project. What’s Wrong with the Term “Completed Suicide” I explained my objections to the term in this post, and they bear repeating. I urge people not to use the term “completed” suicide. Some people advocate for using the term “completed suicide” instead. With that said, I prefer the term “died by suicide” because it avoids the judgmental connotations of “committed suicide.” If changing our language can help suicidal people to feel safer asking for help, then changing language can save lives. Some will deride this discussion of suicide terminology as political correctness gone awry. I love language, and I also love discussing its intricacies. We now live in a time when we seek to understand people who experience suicidal ideation, behaviours and attempts, and to treat them with compassion rather than condemn them.” “Completed Suicide” vs. “Suicide is not a sin and is no longer a crime, so we should stop saying that people ‘commit’ suicide. This stigma, in turn, can deter people from seeking help from friends, family, and professionals.Īs Susan Beaton and colleagues note in their article, “Suicide and Language: Why We Shouldn’t Use the ‘C’ Word”: To portray suicide as a crime or sin stigmatizes those who experience suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide. Rather, the act of suicide almost always is the product of mental illness, intolerable stress, pain, or trauma. Suicide itself might be bad, yes, but the person who dies by suicide is not committing a crime or sin. Someone commits burglary, or murder, or rape, or perjury, or adultery, or crime – or something else bad.
People in the suicide prevention field discourage the use of the term “committed suicide.” The verb “commit” (when followed by an act) is generally reserved for actions that many people view as sinful or immoral.
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