Suicide: Planning Versus Fantasizing

It is no doubt that there are both biological as well as environmental influences which impact a person's tendency to have thoughts of suicide. When seeking out psychological or medical advice, for suicidal ideation, one of the key aspects is to address whether the patient is experiencing suicidal fantasies or suicidal planning. While both extensions of suicidal ideation are important issues to be addressed, each will have its own extent of mental health complications and, therefore, its own treatment plan.

Within each of us there is a cognitive style of thinking which determines how we classify and process information we receive and, to some extent, determines how we progress through life, coupled with the way we view ourselves and view others. When there is a conflict or break in this cognitive process, a variety of emotional and psychological factors may be exhibited, including the risk of developing suicidal ideations.

Suicidal fantasies involve internal thoughts of the individual, often aimed at what outcome the suicide will have and, as a general rule, the suicidal thoughts do not focus upon the actual suicide process. Instead the individual will focus on the impact a suicide will have on others. In other words, individuals who fantasize about suicide, as a general rule, are fantasizing about how a particular outcome can be achieved with the absence of themselves from the picture or scene. Often, suicide fantasies are experienced in individuals who wish to elicit a degree of pain within another human being or in suicidal individuals who feel they are in an irreversible crisis and, therefore, suicide seems as the only method for getting out of the situation.

Suicidal planning, on the other hand, involves a much higher complex cognitive process. In suicide planning, usually a progression from suicide fantasy, the individual will begin to outline a plan to methodically take his or her life. Seeking out the advice of other individuals is quite common, but not to resolve the emotional conflict. Instead, individuals who are engaging in suicide planning will often seek out the advice and collaboration of other individuals who have planned suicides. Most commonly, these individuals will not be under a significant degree of distress at the time of suicide and they are most notable for the degree to which they prepare all of their personal financial matters before taking their own lives.

When caring for a loved one who appears distraught or confused over the dynamics of life, and comments on the intent to commit suicide, consultation with a mental health professional is always recommended. As most distraught individuals may fantasize about suicide, it is the much smaller group who actually engage in suicide planning that may require more extensive treatment.