How to die

“Psychogenic death is real,” says University of Portsmouth researcher John Leach The condition may have everything to do with the inner workings of the brain, particularly changes that occur within a person’s anterior cingulate circuit, which is the area that controls motivation. When a person struggles to feel motivation, coping with life becomes more difficult and apathy can set in. If a person experiences severe trauma, it’s entirely possible that the event could trigger a malfunction in that circuit. Once the malfunction occurs, Leach explains, five distinct stages typically precede death: • Social withdrawal. When someone experiences severe trauma, one of the first signs is that they show a lack of emotion, and a listlessness that indicates an indifference toward life. This is actually a coping mechanism, an attempt to pull back from outward emotional engagement as a means to realign emotion stability. But if left unchecked, it can morph into full-on withdrawal. This has been seen in prisoners of war, who have described this state as feeling vegetative and passive. • Apathy. In some ways, apathy is symbolic death. It’s a deep sense of melancholy that can indicate a person no longer strives for self-preservation. For people in this stage, Leach says, the smallest tasks can feel like the mightiest of efforts. • Aboulia. This is the stage where physical activity starts to drop off. A person might stop cleaning themselves or even speaking to others. They withdraw even dee...

• Foundation of America. • Hospice Foundation of America. • Skulason B, Hauksdottir A, Ahcic K, Helgason AR. BMC Palliative Care. 2014;13(1). doi:10.1186/1472-684x-13-8 • Hartogh GD. Med Health Care Philos. 2017;20(3):413-424. doi:10.1007/s11019-017-9764-3 • Department of Health, Victoria Government. • Wholihan D. Nurs Clin North Am. 2016;51(3):489-500. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2016.05.005 • Marie Curie Foundation. • Blundon EG, Gallagher RE, Ward LM. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):10336. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67234-9 Additional Reading

Nature Has A Formula That Tells Us When It's Time To Die : Krulwich Wonders... What if I told you that there's a mathematical formula buried deep in living things that tells us — all of us, dandelions, gorillas, sea grasses, elm trees, buttercups — when it's time to die. Scientists think there is such rule. It has to do with size. Credit: Courtesy of Yunfun Tan Every living thing is a pulse. We quicken, then we fade. There is a deep beauty in this, but deeper down, inside every plant, every leaf, inside every living thing (us included) sits a secret. Below the pulse, which you see here, elegantly captured by Shanghai photographer/designer Yunfan Tan, is a life/death cycle, a pattern that shows up in the teeniest of plants, (phytoplankton, algae, moss), also in the bigger plants, (shrubs, bushes, little trees) — and even in the biggest, the needle bearing giant sequoias. Credit: Courtesy of Yunfun Tan Life is short for small creatures, longer in big ones. So algae die sooner than oak trees; elephants live longer than mayflies, but you know that. Here's the surprise: There is a mathematical formula which says if you tell me how big something is, I can tell you — with some variation, but not a lot — how long it will live. This doesn't apply to individuals, only to groups, to species. The formula is a simple quarter-power exercise: You take the mass of a plant or an animal, and its metabolic rate is equal to its mass taken to the three-fourths power. I'll explain how this work...

Death is a subject many people do not like to discuss, but it’s a part of life that we will all have to face. Sometimes the more you know about a certain subject, the less frightening it becomes. Here are 10 things you may not know about dying. 1. Dying is often a process. There are numerous causes of death, many of which are instant. For people who know death is approaching — whether from “In general, in the time leading up to death, usually the person will become pale because of a 2. When breathing slows, death is likely near. Dr. Palace explains that there may be gaps in between breaths where it looks like the person stopped breathing for 15 to 20 seconds. He says families often worry at this point, but he assures them that it’s a normal part of the dying process. 3. There are two stages of death. The first stage, known as clinical death, occurs when a person’s heart stops beating. About four to six minutes later, brain cells start to die from the loss of oxygen and biological death occurs. 4. Resuscitation may be possible during clinical death. But it’s not possible during biological death. However, doctors may be able to delay biological death by cooling the body, thus extending the window for possible resuscitation. Palace also points out that drowning victims or people in a colder environment may also delay biological death. “The colder the body is, the slower the metabolic rate,” he explains, “so you’re using oxygen up slower and that window may be longer.” 5. Hear...

When life does not seem worth living anymore, it may seem that the only way to find relief is through suicide. When you're feeling this way, it may be hard to believe that you have other options. Take a moment to step back and separate your emotions from your actions. When you feel depressed and think there's no hope, it's much harder to make reasonable decisions. But problems that bring on suicidal feelings can be treated. If you think you may hurt yourself or take your life, get help right away by taking one of these actions: • Call a mental health specialist. • Contact a suicide hotline. • In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the • U.S. veterans or service members who are in crisis can call 988 and then press "1" for the • The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish-language phone line at 1-888-628-9454 (toll-free). Do not try to manage suicidal thoughts or behavior on your own. You need professional help and support to overcome the problems linked to thoughts about taking your life. Your doctor or mental health professional can help you learn different ways to cope and solve problems. Consider talking about these coping strategies with people who know you well, such as family members or trusted friends. Create a written plan of action or a "safety plan" with your mental health professional. You can refer to this plan when you're thinking about suicide or are in a crisis. A safety plan includes what makes you think about suicide and how you can cope with t...

“It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die,” wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). He counseled readers to “study death always,” and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca’s remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker and dazzling writer who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out. Seneca believed that life is only a journey toward death and that one must rehearse for death throughout life. Here, he tells us how to practice for death, how to die well, and how to understand the role of a good death in a good life. He stresses the universality of death, its importance as life’s final rite of passage, and its ability to liberate us from pain, slavery, or political oppression. Featuring beautifully rendered new translations, How to Die also includes an enlightening introduction, notes, the original Latin texts, and an epilogue presenting Tacitus's description of Seneca's grim suicide. Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide ...

Information presented in this article may be triggering to some people. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the 988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911. For more mental health resources, see our Strictly speaking, suicidal ideation means wanting to take your own life or thinking about suicide. However, there are two kinds of suicidal ideation: passive and active. Passive suicidal ideation occurs when you wish you were dead or that you could die, but you do not formulate a plan to die by suicide. For people with mental health disorders, the rate is significantly higher. The exact numbers are unclear, but since suicidal ideation is a symptom of mental health disorders like major depression and bipolar disorder, the problem exists at a far greater percentage in these populations. Suicide is on the rise, with half of the states in the United States reporting more than a 30% increase since 1999 and nearly all the rest reporting increased rates since then, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). • Isolating yourself from your loved ones • Feeling hopeless or trapped • • Giving away possessions • An increase in substance use or misuse • Increased mood swings, anger, rage, and/or irritability • Engaging in risk-taking behavior like using drugs or having unprotected sex • Accessing the means to kill yourself, such as medication, drugs, or a firearm • Acting as if you're sayin...

• Suicide Prevention • Coping with Depression • Dealing with Teen Depression • Healing After a Suicide Attempt • What to Expect When Calling a Helpline • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) • Suicide Grief: Coping with a Loved One’s Suicide • Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs • Online Therapy: Is it Right for You? • Mental Health If you're having suicidal thoughts No matter how much pain you’re experiencing right now, you’re not alone. Many of us have had suicidal thoughts at some point in our lives. Feeling suicidal is not a character defect, and it doesn’t mean that you are crazy, or weak, or flawed. It only means that you have more pain than you can cope with right now. But with time and support, you can overcome your problems and the pain and suicidal feelings will pass. Some of the finest, most admired, needed, and talented people have been where you are now. Many of us have thought about taking our own lives when we've felt overwhelmed by depression and devoid of all hope. But the pain of depression can be treated and hope can be renewed. No matter what your situation, there are people who need you, places where you can make a difference, and experiences that can remind you that life is worth living. It takes real courage to face death and step back from the brink. You can use that courage to face life, to learn coping skills for overcoming depression, and for finding the strength to keep going. Remember: • Your emotions are not fixed—they are constantly changi...