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Last Updated: Aug 29, 2019
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Suicide Attempts – How to Identify Warnings and Risk Factors?
Suicide is a type of Deliberate Self Harm (DSH) and is defined as a human act of self-intentioned and self-inflicted death. It ends with fatal outcome. Suicide is among the top ten causes of death in India and most other countries. It is also one of the most important psychiatric emergencies all over the world.
Most of the times, suicidal attempts don’t go unaccompanied with warning signs and risk factors. Either the behaviour of a person or the way he talks acts as warning. In order to relate what warning signs a person with suicidal inclination can give, read further.
How can talking help identity a Suicide Warning signs?
1.The person often talks about committing suicide
2.The person sees life as meaningless and without any vigor
3.The person feels like he is a burden on those connected to him
4.The person wishes to seek revenge from someone who hurt him emotionally
5.The person feels like he has been trapped in his life and doesn’t enjoy it
6.The person suffers from unbearable psychological or physical pain
How can behavior help in identifying suicide warning signs?
The inclination of a person towards suicidal thoughts increases if he starts to show a new type of behavior or if he shows negative changes in behavior. Such behavioral changes often follow loss of a loved one, any painful change or unacceptable events.
The person starts to give away some of his most valuable possessions.
The person suffers from panic attacks.
The person starts to call his friends and relatives to bid goodbye.
The person shows changes in sleeping habits like sleeping too little or too much.
The person withdraws from day-to-day activities which once formed an indispensable part of his life.
The person starts to act irresponsibly.
The person increases the consumption of alcohol or usage of drugs.
The person searches for ways to kill oneself and searches for poison, guns or other drugs online.
Identifying the Risk Factors of a Potential Suicide
The presence of risk factors increases the likelihood of a suicidal attempt. The greater is the number of risk factors, the greater the risks. Generally, there are three main heads under which suicidal risk factors can be classified. These are:
Environmental Factors
Close acquaintance with a suicide incident
Life events that cause stress such as loss of beloved, divorce or loss of job
Never-ending stress such as marriage or relationship troubles, job issues, harassment, etc.
Gaining access to certain deadly means such as guns or drugs
Medical Factors
Problems related to mental health (Depression, Schizophrenia ,Borderline personality disorder)
Drug abuse
Excessive alcohol consumption
History
Suicidal tendency of an individual can be linked with historical factors such as:
Prior history of any suicidal attempts by the individual in the past
If the person’s family had any history of suicidal attempts or suicidal deaths in the past
Misconceptions Regarding Suicide
People who talk about suicide don’t commit suicide
Suicide happens without warning
Suicidal persons are fully intent on dying
Once a person is suicidal, he is suicidal for ever
All suicidal persons are mentally ill or psychotic
What should you do if you suspect that someone is at the risk of committing suicide?
Consider it a serious situation.
Do not leave the person alone even for a moment.
Inspect physical surroundings and remove all means of committing suicide, such as sharp objects ropes, drugs, and fire arms. Also search patient thoroughly. Hide all fatal means like drugs or firearms which you think he can use to harm himself.
Take the person to an emergency ward or a psychiatrist if you feel that the condition of person is crossing limits.
Suicide is a type of Deliberate Self Harm (DSH) and is defined as a human act of self-intentioned and self-inflicted death. It ends with fatal outcome. Suicide is among the top ten causes of death in India and most other countries. It is also one of the most important psychiatric emergencies all over the world.
Most of the times, suicidal attempts don’t go unaccompanied with warning signs and risk factors. Either the behaviour of a person or the way he talks acts as warning. In order to relate what warning signs a person with suicidal inclination can give, read further.
How can talking help identity a Suicide Warning signs?
1.The person often talks about committing suicide
2.The person sees life as meaningless and without any vigor
3.The person feels like he is a burden on those connected to him
4.The person wishes to seek revenge from someone who hurt him emotionally
5.The person feels like he has been trapped in his life and doesn’t enjoy it
6.The person suffers from unbearable psychological or physical pain
How can behavior help in identifying suicide warning signs?
The inclination of a person towards suicidal thoughts increases if he starts to show a new type of behavior or if he shows negative changes in behavior. Such behavioral changes often follow loss of a loved one, any painful change or unacceptable events.
The person starts to give away some of his most valuable possessions.
The person suffers from panic attacks.
The person starts to call his friends and relatives to bid goodbye.
The person shows changes in sleeping habits like sleeping too little or too much.
The person withdraws from day-to-day activities which once formed an indispensable part of his life.
The person starts to act irresponsibly.
The person increases the consumption of alcohol or usage of drugs.
The person searches for ways to kill oneself and searches for poison, guns or other drugs online.
Identifying the Risk Factors of a Potential Suicide
The presence of risk factors increases the likelihood of a suicidal attempt. The greater is the number of risk factors, the greater the risks. Generally, there are three main heads under which suicidal risk factors can be classified. These are:
Environmental Factors
Close acquaintance with a suicide incident
Life events that cause stress such as loss of beloved, divorce or loss of job
Never-ending stress such as marriage or relationship troubles, job issues, harassment, etc.
Gaining access to certain deadly means such as guns or drugs
Medical Factors
Problems related to mental health (Depression, Schizophrenia ,Borderline personality disorder)
Drug abuse
Excessive alcohol consumption
History
Suicidal tendency of an individual can be linked with historical factors such as:
Prior history of any suicidal attempts by the individual in the past
If the person’s family had any history of suicidal attempts or suicidal deaths in the past
Misconceptions Regarding Suicide
People who talk about suicide don’t commit suicide
Suicide happens without warning
Suicidal persons are fully intent on dying
Once a person is suicidal, he is suicidal for ever
All suicidal persons are mentally ill or psychotic
What should you do if you suspect that someone is at the risk of committing suicide?
Consider it a serious situation.
Do not leave the person alone even for a moment.
Inspect physical surroundings and remove all means of committing suicide, such as sharp objects ropes, drugs, and fire arms. Also search patient thoroughly. Hide all fatal means like drugs or firearms which you think he can use to harm himself.
Take the person to an emergency ward or a psychiatrist if you feel that the condition of person is crossing limits.