penalty danny rolling
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one ' s own death . Risk factors include mental disorders such as depression , bipolar disorder , schizophrenia , personality disorders , alcoholism , or substance misuse . Others are impulsive acts due to stress such as from financial difficulties , troubles with relationships , or from bullying . Those who have previously attempted suicide are at higher risk for future attempts . Suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to method of suicide , such as firearms and poisons , treating mental disorders and substance misuse , proper media reporting of suicide , and improving economic conditions . Although crisis hotlines are common , there is little evidence for their effectiveness . The most commonly used method of suicide varies between countries , and is partly related to the availability of effective means . Common methods include ___MASK88___ , pesticide poisoning , and firearms . Suicide resulted in 842 , 000 deaths globally in 2013 ( up from 712 , 000 deaths in 1990 ). This makes it the 10th leading cause of death worldwide . Approximately 0 . 5 % to 1 . 4 % of people die by suicide , about 12 per 100 , 000 persons per year . Three quarters of suicides globally occur in the developing world . Rates of completed suicides are generally higher in men than in women , ranging from 1 . 5 times as much in the developing world to 3 . 5 times in the developed world . Suicide is generally most common among those over the age of 70 ; however , in certain countries those aged between 15 and 30 are at highest risk . There are an estimated 10 to 20 million non - fatal attempted suicides every year . Non - fatal suicide attempts may lead to injury and long - term disabilities . In the Western world , attempts are more common in young people and females . Views on suicide have been influenced by broad existential themes such as religion , honor , and the meaning of life . The Abrahamic religions traditionally consider suicide an offense towards God due to the belief in the sanctity of life . During the samurai era in Japan , a form of suicide known as seppuku was respected as a means of making up for failure or as a form of protest . Sati , a practice outlawed by the British Raj , expected the Indian widow to kill herself on her husband ' s funeral fire , either willingly or under pressure from the family and society . Suicide and attempted suicide , while previously illegal , are no longer in most Western countries . It remains a criminal offense in many countries . In the 20th and 21st centuries , suicide has been used on rare occasions as a form of protest , and kamikaze and suicide bombings have been used as a military or terrorist tactic . The word is from the Latin " suicidium ", which means " the killing of oneself ". Definitions . Suicide , also known as completed suicide , is the " act of taking one ' s own life ". Attempted suicide or non - fatal suicidal behavior is self - injury with the desire to end one ' s life that does not result in death . Assisted suicide is when one individual helps another bring about their own death indirectly via providing either advice or the means to the end . This is in contrast to euthanasia , where another person takes a more active role in bringing about a person ' s death . Suicidal ideation is thoughts of ending one ' s life but not taking any active efforts to do so . Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse , especially the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought . This state of mind may , depending upon the jurisdiction , distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide , such as manslaughter . Manslaughter is a killing committed in the absence of " malice ", brought about by reasonable provocation , or diminished capacity . " Involuntary " manslaughter , where it is recognized , is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent (" mens rea "), recklessness . ___MASK30___ , also known as the death penalty , is a government sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime . The sentence that someone be punished in such a manner is referred to as a death sentence , whereas the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution . Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences , and commonly include offences such as murder , treason , espionage , war crimes , crimes against humanity and genocide . The term " capital " is derived from the Latin " capitalis " (" of the head ", referring to execution by beheading ). Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person ( typically a barbiturate , paralytic , and potassium solution ) for the express purpose of causing immediate death . The main application for this procedure is ___MASK30___ , but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide . It first renders the person unconscious , and then stops the breathing and heart , in that order . Daniel Harold `` Danny '' Rolling ( May 26 , 1954 -- October 25 , 2006 ) , also known as the Gainesville Ripper , was an American serial killer who murdered five students in Gainesville , Florida . Rolling later confessed to raping several of his victims , committing an additional November 4 , 1989 , triple homicide in Shreveport , Louisiana , and attempting to murder his father in May 1990 . In total , Rolling confessed to killing eight people . He was executed by lethal injection in 2006 . Homicide refers to one human being killing another . Homicides can be divided into many overlapping types , including murder , manslaughter , justifiable homicide , killing in war , euthanasia , and ___MASK30___ and abortion , depending on the circumstances of the death . These different types of homicides are often treated very differently in human societies ; some are considered crimes , while others are permitted or even ordered by the legal system .