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SALT LAKE CITY — Recent research out of Norway is casting an alarming light on the issue of suicide. Researchers say some young men take their lives without showing any of the traditional warning signs. In fact, some show no signs at all.
Researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health spoke with relatives and close friends of 10 men who unexpectedly killed themselves. They say these young men seemed to be exaggerating their own success to compensate for their low self-esteem. They also report the research contradicts past findings showing mental illness is an important risk factor in suicide.
But some counselors in Utah believe mental health, depression and brain injuries are still major factors in suicide.
“It’s always a possibility that someone has suffered an injury of some sort. It may have been years prior to the suicide, but damage to the brain is something that would have to be ruled out,” said Salt Lake City psychologist Don St. John, Ph.D.
He agrees that some men have figured out how to hide their emotional pain.
“Some people are pretty adept in keeping everything just tucked away. There’s a suffering underneath,” he said.
Related:
Breaking the Silence on Suicide
Find news, stories and resources related to suicide prevention in KSL's special section, Breaking the Silence on Suicide.That’s not to say there aren’t cracks in the façade young men may put up to mask what St. John calls the "devastated self.”
"There could be impulsive actions or occasional outbreaks of intense temper,” he said.
St. John said people like that may form shallow relationships with other people. Someone may spend an entire afternoon with that person and come away feeling like they still don’t know anything about them.
“With people like that, you often get a sense that they’re kind of far away,” he said.
But he said an attentive spouse should be able to spot the problems and notice if their loved one isn’t emotionally available.
Recovery for someone dealing with this “devastated self” could take a long time. St. John said recovering from any kind of emotional trauma is usually a lengthy process.
