Can winning the lottery promote suicidal tendencies?

The idea of anyone committing suicide mystifies our societal logic, yet for someone who has received such wealth that can change many lives for the better is dumbfounding. Many do not understand the reasons why such ‘lucky people’ -normally first associated with fast cars, and friends from the pages of Hello! Would want decide to take their own lives, as winning the lottery enables so many possibilities, what could cause someone to such a final act? Suicide eventually enters all of our lives, either directly or indirectly. However, the situation becomes more cruel and unfair when someone commits suicide after a life-changing event such as winning the lottery. We cannot help but think of the opportunities and potential lost so swiftly for one who had such potential for bettering not just ones life but of many. Although suicide is a current crisis in today’s society, many different groups of people for all of history and in all cultures have resorted to this ultimate form of self-destruction. Suicide rates in Britain are lower than that of other European countries, as our youth for example are able to cope and able to successfully find the kind of help they need to help themselves throw counselling or anonymous phone services. However those who have won the lottery are in a group totally different from others. The results are tragic and unnecessary. The newly rich take their own lives for a plethora of reasons, although none of these reasons should actually constitute an attempt at suicide. What is it then, that brings a new millionaire to commit suicide? What factors lead to suicidal tendencies on the part of the lottery winner?

The enigma of lottery winner suicide is multidimensional. The major theories on suicide can be categorised into three fundamental causes. Lottery winners suicide is the result of one, or a combination of an individual’s sociology, psychology and biology. Sociology is the study of human social behaviour, especially the study of the origins, organisation, institutions, and development of human society. It is therefore important to look to sociology for answers concerning suicide. Sociological theories of suicide emphasise the role that society and culture play in this kind of self-destructive behaviour. Such theories generally focus on either social structures or social situations. The first sociologist to theorise on suicide and its sociological interpretations was Emile Durkheim. Durkheim worked during the late 1800’s identifying social structures as the key determinant in self-destructive behaviour. In his work Suicide: A study in Sociology, Durkheim stated, “suicide rates increase when a society’s value system breaks down.” Durkheim believed that the shared values of a society and the mechanisms in place that ensure that its members adhere to these values, is interpreted as a person’s “social structure.” Durkheim suggested two basic factors in social structure that heavily influence the incidence of suicide. These are regulation and integration. He believed that an individual needs to become part of, and find direction in his own society. Without these factors in place, suicide becomes a common substitute. These new millions are often anxious about fitting in to their society (especially among old friends who don’t have the same new-found wealth) so it is clear that integration is essential. Durkheim also suggested that it is these two factors that define the relationship of the individual to society. Furthermore, it is precisely this relationship that stands as the underlying cause of suicide. Beyond these factors are two more typically studied characteristic forms of suicide. Again, it is either too much or too little social integration that tends to result in suicidal tendencies. Winning the lottery enables the winner to literally transform their lives from the ordered regimented lives, which would tend to produce “fatalistic” suicides among members of society. Many suicidal people feel trapped while under excessive constraints of family pressure and the need to feed the family. On the other hand are “anomic” suicides. These relate more to those who have won the lottery as they have difficulty adjusting to changes within society and family organization. Other factors for example could include divorce and death within a family which tends to be a significant variable. Although those who win the lottery come from all economic backgrounds there is a trend of among the economically deprived to commit suicide.

Durkheim’s work has been criticised. He used statistics for his study and these were taken from the 19th century. At that time the cause of death was not as clear as it would be today, the coroner would have done a small amount of guesswork. Also the validity of statistics come into question as some families may have wanted to cover up the causes of death, for example religious purposes. Roman Catholics cannot be buried on consecrated grounds if he or she commits suicide, so the families of the deceased may cover up the suicide, or imply a different cause ...

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Durkheim played a large role in studying the sociological influences on suicides. Many other researchers have followed his approach and sought to connect suicide to general social factors like the disintegration of communities and families, as well as economic distresses. Some sociologists have suggested that it is a winner’s interpretation of his social situation, rather than the situation itself that ultimately contributes to the suicide. Other sociologists have also acknowledged that the individual’s personality may influence the interpretation of a given social situation as grounds for suicide. It is at this point that sociological theories begin to merge with psychological interpretations of this subject. Psychological theories view lottery winner’s suicide as both an internal and external matter, not just strictly the result of external social forces.

Sigmund Freud, the man known for founding the field of psychoanalysis, was also responsible for laying the groundwork for psychological thinking on self-destructive behaviour. Freud first came up with the idea that unconscious forces at work in the mind are behind human behavior. He suggested that a natural inclination toward self-destruction, or death instinct, is the primary cause of suicide. This inclination, or instinct located in the unconscious mind, is in constant conflict with the instinct for survival, or life instinct. Freud believed that suicide was similar to murder, only it’s opposite. He claimed that suicide was “murder in reverse.” By this he meant that when an individual kills himself, he is turning inward to the hostility he feels toward an outside subject.

Further, Freud saw a strong co-relation between the initiation of self-murder and the mourning process. Another psychologist Fenichel, gives a thesis that states, “nobody kills himself who had not intended to kill somebody else…” There have been many suicidal winners reported to have experienced large amounts of pressure from both the family and society as a whole. Often winners turn to suicide in an attempt to release feelings of anger or the pressures of knowing they truly didn’t deserve the new found wealth.

Later psychological theories expanded on this idea of self-blame, as well as theories of self-abuse. The role of aggression in the winner’s suicidal act has been extensively studied. For example when one wins the lottery a guilt complex starts to develop whereby the winner feels they don’t deserve the winnings and starts to blame themselves for being selfish by buying lavish new items.

Research has looked at the idea of provoking one’s own murder. Other studies have indicated that accident- prone and excessive risk-taking reflects underlying self-destructive tendencies. Freud was among the first psychologists to understand that suicide could be connected with melancholy or depression. Numerous studies to date have established a direct link between depression and self-destructive behaviour.

There is in fact, no single explanation for suicide among lottery winners, however statistics do show a large proportion of winner’s do commit suicide, as winning the lottery can cause isolation and depression. In recent years the sociological, psychological and biological investigations into suicide have become increasingly interconnected. Current research and theories on suicide have moved toward a multi-faceted approach. This approach recognizes that this issue involves a complex interaction of the three mentioned factors herein. Suicide is therefore a multidimensional disorder and each of these factors must be taken into consideration when attempting to help today’s deprived winner’s with suicidal notions.