Overview
Suicide, committing suicide is a tragic reaction to stressful life situations – and all the more tragic since suicide is avoidable. Whether you are contemplating suicide or you know someone who feels suicidal, learn about the warning signs of suicide and how to seek immediate help and professional treatment. They can save a life – yours or someone else’s.
Symptom
The warning signs of suicide or thoughts of suicide include:
- Speaking of suicide – for example, statements like “I’m going to kill myself”, “I wish I had died” or “I wish I hadn’t been born”.
- Obtain the means to commit suicide, e.g. B. buying a gun or stocking up on tablets
- To withdraw from social contact and want to be left in peace
- Have mood swings, e.g. B. to be emotionally energized one day and deeply discouraged the next
- Be concerned about death, death, or violence
- Feeling trapped or desperate in the face of a situation
- Increased consumption of alcohol or drugs
The reasons
Thoughts of suicide have many causes. Thoughts of suicide are most often the result of feeling unable to cope with a seemingly overwhelming life situation. If you have no hope for the future, you may mistakenly think that suicide is the solution. You may experience some sort of tunnel vision where in the middle of a fit you think suicide is the only way out.
Risk factors
Although women are more likely to attempt suicide, men are more likely to kill themselves than women because they typically use more deadly methods, such as a weapon.
You could be at risk of suicide if you:
Attempted suicide
Feeling hopeless, worthless, excited, socially isolated, or alone
Experience a stressful life event such as the loss of a loved one, military service, a breakup, or financial or legal problems
Complications
Thoughts of suicide and attempted suicide have emotional consequences. For example, you may be so engrossed in thoughts of suicide that you cannot function in your daily life. And while many suicide attempts are impulsive acts in times of crisis, they can cause serious or lifelong injuries such as organ failure or brain damage.
For those left behind after a suicide – people known as suicide survivors – grief, anger, depression, and guilt are common.
Prevention
So that you don’t feel suicidal:
Get the Treatment You Need. If you don’t address the underlying cause, your thoughts of suicide will likely return. You may be embarrassed to seek treatment for mental health problems, but getting the right treatment for depression, substance abuse, or any other underlying problem will make your life feel better and keep you safe.
Build your support network. Feeling suicidal can be difficult to talk about, and your friends and family may not fully understand why you are feeling the way you do. Get it anyway and make sure the people who take care of you know what’s going on and are there when you need them.
