Too strong? Barriers from getting support before a suicide attempt in Lithuania

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Suicide rates remain a significant public health concern globally.
• Help-seeking behaviors are critical in suicide prevention efforts.
• Lithuania has historically faced high suicide rates, necessitating research into local contributing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the patterns and underlying reasons for help-seeking avoidance among individuals in Lithuania prior to a suicide attempt.
• To identify specific barriers that prevent individuals from accessing support during suicidal crises.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving in-depth interviews.
• Analysis of data from 21 adult Lithuanian participants who had contemplated suicide.

Main Results:

• A prevalent tendency to avoid seeking help before a suicide attempt was observed.
• Key reasons for avoidance included: lack of trust, belief in self-reliance, reluctance to burden others, and perceiving emotional expression as weakness.

Conclusions:

• The findings highlight significant psychological and social barriers to help-seeking in the Lithuanian context.
• Addressing these barriers, particularly distrust and stoicism, is essential for developing targeted suicide prevention interventions.
• Cultural factors, potentially linked to historical experiences, may play a role in these avoidance tendencies.