Isolation and Suicide: Exploring the Worlds of Suicidal Individuals and Their Caregivers

Suicidal individuals and caregivers struggle with a wide range of complex emotions and psychological experiences. Isolation is just one of those emotions and experiences. This thesis explores specific psychological aspects of isolation that contribute to suicide. Isolation can occur internally within the individual or externally from the perceptions and reactions of friends, community, and society that further isolate the individual and caregiver. This thesis explores how isolation can be counteracted through connectedness and effective supportive measures for prevention and treatment. Hermeneutic methodology is used to analyze text-based data from books, magazines, published first-person accounts, and scientific articles to explore isolation and the role it can play in suicidal ideation and acts. This method is applied to an investigation of how caregivers can provide support as well.