Suicidal Thoughts

What is dying by suicide?

Suicide, taking your own life, is a tragic reaction to stressful life situations, and all the more tragic because suicide can be prevented. Whether you're considering suicide or know someone who feels suicidal, learn the suicide warning signs and how to reach out for immediate help and professional treatment. You may save a life — your own or someone else's.

It may seem like there's no way to solve your problems and that suicide is the only way to end the pain. But you can take steps to stay safe — and start enjoying your life again.

If you're feeling suicidal, but you aren't immediately thinking of hurting yourself:

• Reach out to a close friend or loved one — even though it may be hard to talk about your feelings
• Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone in your faith community
• Call a suicide hotline
• Make an appointment with your doctor, other health care provider or a mental health professional

Suicidal thinking doesn't get better on its own — so get help.

Suicidal thoughts have many causes. Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of feeling like you can't cope when you're faced with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. If you don't have hope for the future, you may mistakenly think suicide is a solution. You may experience a sort of tunnel vision, where in the middle of a crisis you believe suicide is the only way out.

There also may be a genetic link to suicide. People who complete suicide or who have suicidal thoughts or behavior are more likely to have a family history of suicide.

Although attempted suicide is more frequent for women, men are more likely than women to complete suicide because they typically use more-lethal methods, such as a firearm.

You may be at risk of suicide if you:

• Attempted suicide before
• Feel hopeless, worthless, agitated, socially isolated or lonely
• Experience a stressful life event, such as the loss of a loved one, military service, a breakup, or financial or legal problems
• Have a substance abuse problem — alcohol and drug abuse can worsen thoughts of suicide and make you feel reckless or impulsive enough to act on your thoughts
• Have suicidal thoughts and have access to firearms in your home
• Have an underlying psychiatric disorder, such as major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or bipolar disorder
• Have a family history of mental disorders, substance abuse, suicide, or violence, including physical or sexual abuse
• Have a medical condition that can be linked to depression and suicidal thinking, such as chronic disease, chronic pain or terminal illness
• Are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender with an unsupportive family or in a hostile environment

Suicide in children and teenagers can follow stressful life events. What a young person sees as serious and insurmountable may seem minor to an adult — such as problems in school or the loss of a friendship. In some cases, a child or teen may feel suicidal due to certain life circumstances that he or she may not want to talk about, such as:

• Having a psychiatric disorder, including depression
• Loss or conflict with close friends or family members
• History of physical or sexual abuse
• Problems with alcohol or drugs
• Physical or medical issues, for example, becoming pregnant or having a sexually transmitted infection
• Being the victim of bullying
• Being uncertain of sexual orientation
• Reading or hearing an account of suicide or knowing a peer who died by suicide

If you have concerns about a friend or family member, asking about suicidal thoughts and intentions is the best way to identify risk.

In rare cases, people who are suicidal are at risk of killing others and then themselves. Known as a homicide-suicide or murder-suicide, some risk factors include:

• History of conflict with a spouse or romantic partner
• Current family legal or financial problems
• History of mental health problems, particularly depression
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Having access to a firearm

*Information obtained from Mayo Clinic Organization