16,648 Reasons to Live

A new report from the University of Maryland details an unusual investigation into the reasons persons with suicidal ideation step back from the brink. The research drew on posts to a 2020 Reddit thread on the subject of suicidality and engaged machine learning to parse over 16,000 responses before applying a curation standard.

The methods used for this research are very interesting. One part of the research team applied machine learning to the Reddit posts. Another

“appl[ied] a systematic curation process . . . to review the automatic groupings. For instance, they validated a category involving the anticipation of new TV shows,  video game editions, and episodes in a movie franchise - none of which had been discussed in the prior scholarly literature on reasons for living - as well as categories like concern about family members that have been studied in the past.”

Some findings :

Four overall themes emerged in the analysis:

• Concern for others. Not wanting to hurt, burden, or traumatize loved ones (including pets), or a desire to continue taking care of them.

• Sensory pleasures. Anticipating or experiencing transitory “hedonic” pleasures or distractions, like TV shows, video games, music, the pleasures of food, alcohol, drugs.

• Positive foresight. Ways of achieving a forward-looking perspective and recognizing the possibility of a meaningful future, such as professional treatment, discovering connection with other people or experiencing wonder or awe.

• Negative valence. Negative emotional or motivational states, such as fear, spite or anger. Examples might include proving others wrong, fearing religious punishment or concerns about consequences of living through a suicide attempt.

The study method linked above is worth exploring. The original Reddit thread is amazing. It shows over and over again that you never know the impact you can have on a person’s life.