What are the Warning Signs of Suicide?

The reason an individual chooses to take their own life is incredibly nuanced. There are various factors at play that can make someone feel like suicide is the only option.

Whether you, or someone else is suicidal, the signs can often be subtle. In this guide, we’ll explore what the warning signs of suicide and ideation are and how to support someone going through suicide.

What’s the difference between suicidal thoughts and suicidal ideation?

Before diving into the signs, it’s worth understanding the key differences between suicidal thoughts and ideation.

Suicidal thoughts and ideation are interchangeable in meaning, but the key difference is when ideation progresses from passive to active. Suicidal thoughts are the thoughts you have about the possibility of dying by suicide. How this stems in an individual depends on a variety of some or all factors:

• Existing mental health conditions that can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and ideation

• Medications

• Ongoing stress caused by work, home, school and/or relationships

• A family history of poor mental health and/or suicide

• Substance use

• Grief and/or loss of a loved one

Passive and active ideation

Passive suicidal ideation is where someone has thoughts of dying or want to die but doesn’t have plans to harm themselves or attempt suicide. It may also indicate in some individuals that they’re also indifferent to an accidental death.

Active suicidal ideation is far more seriously, where thoughts are much more intense and the individual has intent to act upon them or hurt themselves. They may be at a point where they feel no desire to live at all and have no regard for their actions leading to suicide.

What causes suicidal thoughts and ideation?

There are many causes for someone to feel suicidal. This could stem from a series, or isolated direct and/or non-direct causes. A lot of the feelings a strongly negative and tend to boil down to “not wanting to carry on with life” in some shape or form. If it’s not dealt with, or the individual doesn’t have the support systems in help to get help, this can quickly weigh and deteriorate one’s mental health and wellbeing.

Signs of someone feeling suicidal

There are many signs, some of which are very subtle. We have listed some of the most common ones below:

• Isolation from colleagues, friends and family

• Reckless and impulsive behaviours

• Neglecting work, personal responsibilities and hygiene

• Voicing hopelessness

• Appearing flat, sad and/or depressed

• Suddenly giving possessions to others

• Self-harm

High-risk situations to look out for

• Actively threatening to take their own life or hurt themselves in some way

• Write or talk about death, dying or suicide in the form of a letter, social media or in conversation

• Are actively stockpiling medication or illegal drugs

• They aren’t taking prescribed medication designed to manage an existing mental health condition which is exacerbating suicidal ideation

Other signs someone might not be okay

• Negative self-talk, for example “I wish I was dead”

• Has an out-of-the-blue focus on researching death and ways to end one’s life

• Thoroughly expressing the belief they feel trapped

• Self-loathing behaviours

• Suddenly appearing calm and at peace

• Visibly going through an extremely stressful situation

• Feeling like they aren’t upholding cultural or religious ideals

Situations to look out for

It can be useful to know what’s going on in the individual’s life in order to make sense of what they could be going through, or what could be leading to thoughts and ideations of suicide:

• Family problems

• Relationship problems

• Grief and/or loss of a loved one

• Financial worries

• Work-related stress

• Housing and employment concerns

• Pain from an injury or physical health condition

• Heavy dependence on drugs and alcohol

• School-related pressure and stress

What do I do if someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts?

It can be scary to witness someone experience suicidal thoughts and ideation. While you may feel powerless, there are things you can do to try show support and get them the help they need.

Offer to listen

Simply offering to find a quiet place to listen to them can work wonders in allowing them to express how they feel. While you can’t expect them to fully open up from the get-go, giving them the space, time and patience they need may eventually help them open in the future.

Ask them what they’ve tried to do to help themselves recently

Asking the other person to think about what they’ve tried already can help put some things into perspective. Are they meeting their basic needs? Had they sought therapy before, and it didn’t quite work? Understanding what they’ve tried can help put things into perspective. It may help bring to light they haven’t sought support recently, or don’t know how to get the right help.

Offer to find support to take the burden off them

The thought of trying to find support on your own can be daunting. Outright offer to take the load off and support them in finding help or sit with them whilst you find the right support together.

Offer to go to appointments

Whether that’s dropping them off, waiting for them at a local coffee shop or being in the waiting room, this gesture can help the person know they aren’t alone.

Create a safety plan together

Every safety plan is unique to the individual. Here are just some things you can work on including together:

• A list of immediate resources for the individual to get help (such as the local hospital or suicide helplines)

• Calming and grounding activities when feeling suicidal

• A list of reasons for living – whether that’s for them to see their kids grow up, be there for their pet, their loved ones and bucket list activities

• Ways to make the immediate environment safe – such as removing sharp objects

Schedule regular check-ins

Simply being there regularly for catch ups can help them feel they are being looked after. You can use this time to see how their feelings about suicide may be improving or getting worse.

How can HA | Wisdom Wellbeing support someone experiencing suicidal thoughts and ideation

If you work with the individual, or know they’re in employment, it may be worth reminding them that their workplace may have an employee assistance programme (EAP). An EAP can provide free counselling support for a wide range of mental health concerns – including feelings of suicide. With professional guidance, they can help the individual feel heard and provide an impartial space to listen.

At HA | Wisdom Wellbeing, our counselling service is available 24/7, 365 days a year. This is because we know declining mental health can strike at any time. Our triage service ensures individuals receive the right level of care. In cases of suicide, this may involve a structured case where the individual will receive regular sessions through their chosen method of contact (video call, phone call or in-person) with a qualified counsellor. In the case of immediate support, our Wisdom app provides individuals with access to live chat, where one of our counsellors will be able to respond as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

Knowing the warning signs of suicide can potentially save someone’s life. The signs can be subtle, and by simply being available for those tough conversations, you can help a suicidal individual feel seen and heard, which may just be the thing they need to get the professional support to deal with their feelings. It’s also important to look after your own mental health, as it can be hard to worry about another person’s wellbeing. Use your company’s EAP for advice and take time for yourself.