Religious faith in opposition to suicide in a student environment

This article analyzes the significant anti-suicidal influence of religious faith on the consciousness and behavior of contemporary Ukrainian students; the psychological peculiarities of the influence of religious faith in combating suicide are substantiated. In solving the tasks we used the methods of L. Sobchik SMDO (standardized method of personality research); methods of differential diagnosis of Zungé depressive states (TI Balashova adaptation), B. Lyuban-Plozza questionnaire (to determine suicide risk), N. Peseshkian questionnaire (to diagnose persons with suicidal tendencies), author's questionnaire for identifying mutual relations with suicidal tendencies in the environment of student youth. The achievements of religion in the psychotherapeutic sphere are especially significant. Instilling a profound safety feeling, optimistic hope it makes a powerful psychotherapeutic and psychopreventive effect. Counterpoising the rational approach to life, according to some scientific research, life practice, genuine beliefe in God preventive from existing anxiety fear and despair (which are the psychological factors of suicides), became individuals' utmost authority that promises them rescue from evil threat and death, inspires life, strength, joy, optimistic hopes for future. Within the humanistic paradigm, science does not process convincing rationally expressed arguments capable of freeing a person from torments of contradictory inconsolable existence and it unlikely to produce them in the nearest future. It is only able to suggest a person improving the world and himself or herself to the best of the abilities. As a result of the profound theoretical-empiric analysis of the problem it has been proved that it is necessary that special educational programs aimed at antisuicidal humanistic existence senses, declared by religion, should be implanted in modern students' environment. Such programs are to prevent and correct cruelty, aloofness, paying special attention to the activity of destructive cults, totalitarian sects and groups popularizing autodestructive ideology (leading to suicides); to resist these tendencies. The problem of psychoprevention of suicidal tendencies should be solved at the level of the whole society. It can be done by means of adopting and adhering to humanistic and religious moral values by citizens, "awakening" humanistic social consciousness.