Suicide can have its roots in the biology of the brain which is a physical organ of the body and, as such, can get sick in a variety of ways just like any other organ. The most common mental illnesses which may result in suicide are major acute depression, manic depression or schizophrenia. It is generally believed that people do not kill themselves while in the deepest period of their illness. When they begin to recover they have the energy to kill themselves and they may do so then. Another cause of suicide may be genetic inheritance or a physiological reaction to loss and environmental factors.
Social factors can precipitate suicidal thoughts.
These social factors would include unjust structures, such as economic, political, social, cultural and religious oppressive structures that would impinge on individuals causing tension, suffering and disharmony. Research has shown that social factors play a major role in the rates of suicide. Studies carried out on data from sixty-two countries researched by the Suicide Information and Education Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, established that the faster the rate of population growth, the lower the suicide rate. The research also established that the suicide rate tends to increase as a society becomes modernised and the quality of life increases. Understanding the mind of the suicidal Great efforts have been made by professionals to discover what goes on in the minds of people about to take their own lives.