What leads to suicide? Are there patterns we can track or warning signs that we can recognize as a call for action?
There’s no single cause for suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports suicide most often occurs when "stressors and health issues converge to create an experience of hopelessness and despair."
Image a teeter-totter with a bucket on either end. Into one, you pour all of your protective factors. For example, your coping skills and your support systems. On the other go your "stressors" or "risk factors," such as mental or physical health issues, job problems, and marital and relationship troubles. In they go, drop by drop. You hope that it all balances out, but sometimes one extra drop will tip the wrong end.
We all have protective factors, the elements in place that help counterbalance the risk factors. It can begin with cultural or personal religious beliefs that discourage suicidal behaviors and bolster a sense of purpose or self-esteem, staying connected and involved with a network of family, friends, and community, and having good access to mental health care without stigma for seeking help. A person’s problem-solving skills and coping techniques can offset many risk factors and they can be developed or refined at any age.
Risk factors are characteristics or conditions that increase the chance that a person may try to take their life.
While most people can actively manage mental health issues without contemplating self-harm or suicide, mental health conditions such as undiagnosed or untreated depression, anxiety, and substance use increase the risk for suicide. Your physical health situation, including pain, chronic and incurable conditions, or a traumatic brain injury, also increases your risk factor.
Look at a person’s environment. Has there been prolonged stress, such as harassment, discrimination, and bullying at school or work, ongoing relationship problems, or unemployment? Was there a stressful major life event, such as divorce, a financial crisis, or loss? Was there exposure to another person’s suicide or to graphic or sensationalized accounts of suicide? Is there easy access to lethal means including firearms and drugs?
Finally, consider their personal history. Did they experience childhood trauma such as neglect or abuse or was there inter-generational trauma? Have there been previous suicide attempts or a family history of deaths by suicide?
Remember that just asking about suicide can save a life. If you are concerned about someone you know, learn more about the ways you can get help and discover tools you can use today to have a real conversation about mental health.
So what are the warning signs that the "Risk" bucket is full and someone is thinking about or planning suicide? AFSP tells us to be aware of three main signals: talk, behavior, and mood.
Pay attention to what your friend or loved talks about and what they say. Do they speak of feeling hopeless or say they have no reason to live? Do they talk about feeling trapped or being a burden to others? Do they explicitly say, "I want to end it" or "I want to kill myself?"
Look for changes in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. This could include increased use of alcohol or drugs and sleeping much more or much less than usual. Are they isolating from family and friends and withdrawing from activities that used to give them pleasure? A gamer who no longer plays, a "gym rat" who quits the gym, or a quilter who gives away their sewing machine and fabric are examples of this behavioral change.
If you or someone is in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741, or go to a local mental health service or your nearest emergency room.
People who are experiencing "suicide ideation," thinking about or planning suicide, often display one or more of the following moods: depression, anxiety, loss of interest, and irritability. Mercurial mood swings, such as agitation and anger, followed by sudden calm and relief, can indicate a resolution has been made.
Think you’re seeing warning signs in a friend or family member? Don’t be afraid to ask if they are thinking about suicide. Be direct. Tell them why you’re concerned about their risk factors and be ready to listen. Visit ASPF.org together and check the options for any needed resources or support. You can save a life!
