The Lived Experience in Enlisted Soldiers with Suicide Attempts Post the Service Suspension in Taiwan
Date Issued
2007
Date
2007
Author(s)
Wang, Yu-Chun
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
Although suicide is an action for an individual to end his life, it is closely connected to social culture, and the multi-faceted culture of today causes the phenomenon of suicide to be even more complicated. Military service is mandatory for Taiwanese males at 18 years of age. The military has its own unique culture, and suicides often take place when conscripts cannot adapt to it. When these conscripts are diagnosed with psychiatric diseases, they are separated from the service. However, when they return to society and are free from the pressures of the military, they again have to adapt to a new environment, an adaptation which frequently requires considerable effort. The objective of this study was to understand the life experiences of conscripts who attempted suicide following separation from the military.
Five subjects who attempted suicide and were then separated from their uniformed services were selected from a national army psychiatric hospital located in northern Taiwan. An ethnographic method of study was applied. The subjective life experiences of these separated conscripts were collected using semi-structured deep interviews and participatory observations between February 2005 and February 2007. There were a total of 12 interviews and each interview lasted from 90 to 120 minutes. The life experiences of these separated conscripts were narrated as a story and the results were analyzed and compiled in order to study the effect and meaning of separation from conscription on their lives.
The study found that life following separation from military service was full of difficulties for conscripts who attempted suicide. In the early stages, the conscripts experienced mockery, rejection, and questioned the existence of their underlying psychiatric diseases. This caused the conscripts to feel isolated, to erect a facade, to feel hopeless about the future, and to be unable to build steady relationships with others. However, after a certain period of experiencing acceptance from mentors, friends, the army, and healthcare workers, the separated conscript began to experience positive interactions and learned to accept themselves. Changes began to occur, the conscript developed new social interactions, and changes in their beliefs and actions were evident.
Life after separation from the service was fraught by the social stigma surrounding the separation, depression, and suicide. In addition, one's relationship with their family became strained and distant. Nevertheless, service separation also served as a turning point in their lives. Support from society helped to transform their bitter experiences into a positive and healthy transition, and in the process, obtain knowledge on the medical care they needed, become more optimistic with a positive outlook on life, have better control of their role in life, and to build steady and meaningful relationships.
This study will help families of separated conscripts and society to understand the phenomenon of life following separation from the service of those who attempted suicide, and to show acceptance and provide them with proper care. Hopefully, more positive support will be available for the separated conscript in transition.
Subjects
自殺企圖者
憂鬱症
停役
烙印
轉變
suicide attempt
depression
service suspension
stigma
transition
SDGs
Type
other
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-96-R92426020-1.pdf
Size
23.31 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):28bcb2ce7d9a3b2842d99074daedfea9