The Introverted Detective: The Call of the Void

Ever wonder what would happen if you hurled yourself off a high hiking trail, then logic kicked in and said "please don't"? You aren't alone. You've felt the call of the void, or in french "L'appel du vide".

Courtesy of Factretriever

The call of the void is the urge to do something with high risk. It is a High Place Phenomenon (HPP) and is often felt by many at high places. Urges include swerving into traffic, cutting yourself with a nearby knife or one you are holding, jumping into deep water from a boat or bridge, putting metal into electrical sockets, sticking your hand into a food or garbage disposal, or standing in front of a train. Two seconds later you tell yourself "what is wrong with me? I shouldn't do that!". It is unnerving nonetheless. It is shockingly common to experience this. Half the people who experience this don't have suicidal thoughts, three-quarters of the people have suicidal thoughts, and people who have anxiety but not suicidal thoughts tend to experience HPP.

Why?

The brain, as many have found, has a survival instinct that will tell you not to do something, which is what kicks in or should when the call of the void comes to you. You have a higher sensitivity to internal cues if you experience this. I'll let healthline.com say it best.

"This signal happens quickly, and you instinctively back up, perhaps without realizing why. Then, when you think about what happened, you might mistakenly assume the safety warning was actually a desire to jump (or stick your hand in the fire)."

Anxiety or those that fear anxiety symptoms will be more prone to this. Some have also come to the conclusion it has something to do with a tendency to gamble. I'll let Adam Anderson say it best.

Courtesy of Medium

"As illogical as it may sound, if someone has a fear of heights their instinct is to gamble against it by jumping from that high place. Future gain is not as immediate as avoiding present danger. Fear of heights and fear of death are not so connected. Fear of death holds an emotional distance that other, less abstract fears don’t. Therefore, jumping solves the fear of heights immediately. Then you’re confronted with the fear of death problem. (Which may wind up not being a problem if you die.)"

Jean-Paul Sartre, a french philosopher, says it is “a moment of Existentialist truth about the human freedom to choose to live or die.” Basically, you realize you have the freedom to choose to live or die. Humans also tend to sabotage themselves. There is no fool-proof scientific explanation, so this is still a mystery. Surprisingly, though, it is normal.

When To Get Worried

These alone do not mean anything, especially if they cause no lasting distress and you never act on them. Your reaction is an indicator of how at-risk you are of actually harming yourself. However, symptoms of depression and anxiety are not something to fool around with. If you relate to anything listed below you might want to see someone about it.

"frequent worries

hopelessness

trouble concentrating

sudden or rapid mood changes

sleeplessness or difficulty getting out of bed

feelings of doom

persistent loneliness"

(Courtesy of Healthline)

Intrusive thoughts also reflect mental illness, thus it may benefit you to talk about those with a professional. It happens with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). If they are constant, causing you distress, keep you from doing what you want, and you need to do a particular behavior to relieve them it is definitely concerning.

Rule of thumb, if you actually consider acting on the call of the void and you experience anything indicating a disorder get help.