a fleeting desire to jump into the void from the top of some places

Perhaps you have ever been on the balcony of a very tall building, on the top of a mountain, on the edge of a cliff and suddenly you have the urge to jump. Don’t worry, this is much more common than we think. In fact, it’s so common that the French have a term for it: L’appel du Vide (appeal to the void)and is not associated with suicidal thoughts.

Alvaro Fernandez, a famous TikTok pharmacist explained this phenomenon in one of his recent videos. “This happens to a lot of other people, but They don’t talk about it because they think others will think they’re crazy.“- he explained. “It’s an obsessive thought that cannot be avoided.”

But then does that really mean you want to leave? As this expert explains, “according to some scientists This doesn’t mean you want to give up on yourself. “You don’t even think about it.”

safety sign

“Some scientists say that this safety signal from our brain “But we are interpreting it incorrectly,” Alvaro says. “He tells us: “You feel good here, but don’t get too close, otherwise you won’t be there anymore.”

In short, if you’ve ever had this thought, it doesn’t mean you want to commit suicide. This is something normal it can happen to anyone.

Scientific research

In 2012, Jennifer L. Hames, a doctor of psychology from the University of Notre Dame, became interested in this curious mental phenomenon, which prompted her to begin research on the subject. For this, analyzed the psychological stories of 431 students and its connection to HPP (short for High Place Phenomenom in English).

The results showed that These “empty calls” are experienced equally by those who are suicidal and those who are not suicidal.. Moreover, as Farmacéutico Fernández explained, this study also found that it is not a mental error that prompts us to jump, but in fact it may be a misinterpreted safety signal from the brain that It keeps us alert and marks the boundaries that keep us out of harm’s way..

Years later, in 2020, another similar investigation conducted by Dr. Tobias Theismann concluded that these episodes are not a sign of psychopathology and that people who experience them it is not necessary to “interpret such experiences as the expression of a hidden death wish”as this is something that many people have experienced “regardless of their suicidality or anxiety level.”