According to government data, 70% of people who commit suicide tell someone about their plans, or give some other type of warning signs. Over 30,000 Americans die each year due to suicide, but over 800,000 Americans attempt suicide. While women attempt suicide three times more than men, men are nearly four times more likely to be successful.
You may be in a position to help someone get help before they take the one action that cannot be taken back.
Warning signs of suicide are not difficult to spot, but professionals differentiate between someone who simply has a passing thought of suicide or ending his or her own life, and someone who is more serious and has a definite plan. You don’t have to know how serious a person is in order to help them, though.
Friends and family who are close to an individual are in the best position to spot these warning signs. Often times people feel helpless in dealing with someone who is depressed or suicidal. Usually it is helpful to encourage the person to seek professional mental health help from a therapist, psychiatrist, school counselor, or even telling their family doctor about their feelings. Your friend or loved one needs to know you’re there for them, that you care and you will support them no matter what. Remember, depression is a treatable mental disorder, it’s not something you can “catch” or a sign of personal weakness.
Some Suicide Warning Signs
Have you ever heard someone say two or more of the following?
- Life isn’t worth living
- My family (or friends or girlfriend/boyfriend) would be better off without me
- Next time I’ll take enough pills to do the job right
- Take my prized collection or valuables — I don’t need this stuff anymore
- Don’t worry, I won’t be around to deal with that
- You’ll be sorry when I’m gone
- I won’t be in your way much longer
- I just can’t deal with everything — life’s too hard
- I won’t be a burden much longer
- Nobody understands me — nobody feels the way I do
- There’s nothing I can do to make it better
- I’d be better off dead
- I feel like there is no way out
- You’d be better off without me
Have you noticed them doing one or more of the following activities?
- Getting affairs in order (paying off debts, changing a will)
- Giving away articles of either personal or monetary value
- Signs of planning a suicide such as obtaining a weapon or writing a suicide note
Suicide is one of the most serious symptoms of someone who is suffering from severe depression. Common signs of depression include:
- Depressed or sad mood (e.g., feeling “blue” or “down in the dumps”)
- A change in the person’s sleeping patterns (e.g., sleeping too much or too little, or having difficulty sleeping the night through)
- A significant change in the person’s weight or appetite
- Speaking and/or moving with unusual speed or slowness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities (e.g., hobbies, outdoor activities, hanging around with friends)
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Diminished ability to think or concentrate, slowed thinking or indecisiveness
- Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or guilt
- Thoughts of death, suicide, or wishes to be dead
Sometimes somebody who is trying to cope with depression on their own will be seen turning to things like alcohol or drugs to help ward away the depressive feelings. Others might eat more, watch television for hours on end in bed, and not want to leave their house, apartment or dorm room. Sometimes a person who is depressed may stop caring about their physical appearance on a regular basis, or whether they shower or brush their teeth.
Typically, people who suffer from serious, clinical depression feel depressed for weeks or months on end, so someone who’s just having a particularly rough or stressful week (because of school demands, relationship issues, work issues, etc.) may not be suffering from clinical depression.
Links to This Article
From Psych Central's World of Psychology:
National Depression Screening Day 2007 - World of Psychology (10/8/2007)
weight loss » Common Signs of Someone Who May be Suicidal (10/9/2007)
Jolyn - Am I Suicidal?!? (10/9/2007)
Why do people commit suicide? | Public Spark (10/9/2007)
Troubled Teens and Detecting Depression | Troubled Teen Blog (10/10/2007)
Suicidal Note : Suicide and Depression does not discriminate. Remember that. « MaldivesHealth (10/18/2007)
41 Comments to
“Common Signs of Someone Who May be Suicidal”
WOW! I fit the *EXACT* description of someone who is suicidal. No Joke. Should others be concerned?
this is one of the best articles i have read on this subject. as i am suicidal right now i wonder if i should just send this article out since i cant seem to tell anyone how i feel….they would for sure see “me” in this article.
Teen depression is a common problem in teens today. The information given is not sufficient as there should be details about how we can prevent teen depression .
i’m 15 and i’m still getting ready to kill myself…. cause my grandma is driving me nutts…… i already started cutting my wrist and stufff. what do i do… i’m madly in love with this boy who she won’t let me see…. i’ve been reallly tempted to just cut my main vien and end it alll. help me please
I don’t know If I’m worrying to much or if I’m really depressed. I’m at this school I really don’t like and I’m scared that I will commit suicide because I hear those stories about others doing it. Some days i do want to kill myself because the pain inside hurts a lot but i know that I won’t feel better at all If i killed myself. And I really don’t want to kill myself but I read that people sometimes kill themselves even if they don’t want to. I’m really scared. Sometimes I lose weight but thats because I worry so much I can’t eat on a nervous stomach. and sometimes I want to cut myself to know how it feels but I don’t want to because I know I’ll regret it later. I already know how people kill themselves and I get really scared that I would want to do that stuff. HELP!
My name is james martin ive had demons in my head since i was a young boy tellin me 2 do bad things like stick my eyelashes in my eye and put my finger down my throat with off spray on it i dont know wat happen 2 me then ive cut my self tried 2 knock my teeth out and put the blood on my face from my gums i get dese horrible visions and react on dem ive pressed on my eyebrow into my eye and spurted water out from da force i dont know ifanyone else goes through this but dis is no life ive cut my throat broken my nose. Im 20 now and i dont think im goin 2 live much longer i dont think god can save me. I just think people shud read dis be 4 they decide 2 kill dem self ova nothin. I dont know y it had 2 be me…
ahhhhhhhhhhh thts so sad dont worry everything will be fine just have faith in god and sucidal feelings will go just throw it out of ur head no point sucideing its not good its bad and stupid thought trust me i knw how it feels i just recovered but still feel sucidal but i trust my god he will help me for me he is all my world and if god is with me then nothing can happen bad trust me email em at princess.lubna@hotmail.com if u wana talk to me or need someone to talk to am always here for u all
Alot of times i hear satan telling me to kill myself and how, when, and where. I know my family loves me and I love them, but I am scared of my future and what might happen to me so I sometimes wonder if I kill myself then I wont have to go thru what I have already been thru. Its a horrible feeling. I sometimes make myself passout to get a rush, it makes me feel better. I really dont know what I am gonna do. I fall away from god so easily because satan talks to me, when i get close to god, and satan tells me he’ll leave me alone if I kill myself, I wonder if I should, I know it wouldnt be the right thing, but my thoughts are telling me differently, SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE ME FROM MYSELF
Please help. My name is josh and I am feeling suicidal because I am not happy with several things. I am not making good grades anymore and I just cant focus I dont see the point because I think that it doesn’t matter because I’m going to kill myself anyway. I’m scared about my future I am a homosexual and I know my adult life is going to be very difficult Im not going to have a normal adulthood. I’m may not find true love and I cannot help it. I am gay without choice I haven’t told anyone because I am 15 and they will think that I dont know what I am talking about. So far suicide feels like the best choice.
I really think suicide is the most selfish act. Most of us will suffer varying degrees of depression in our lifetime and I am certainly no different having beaten diagnosed chronic depression. It may seem the easy way out, but who really pays the emotional and financial cost? your family…your friends! My weighty words have just served to reassure myself things could always be worse.Sadly people have taken their own lives for a fraction of what ive endured.
Hi guys it really painful to hear your guys stories but turns out i have some of those signs to but i dont think im suicidal maybe i just dont want to admit it???
well i have a website that you guys can talk to me about any of your problems or concerns and i can do my best to help you…
yeahwhatever.synthasite.com
I, too, am suicidal. My parents have driven me to this point. They gave me everything they thought I would have wanted, an ipod, my own laptop and a cellphone to keep me motivated in life and later use what they gave against me when I don’t reach their expectations. They expect me to be their perfect daughter, though I am just 14 years old. I’m an honor student in my school, a respected student but what they see is just a shell that I normally show to people to hide how really depressed I am because I feel that I no longer am myself but what my parents want, their perfect daughter. And, what they want and what I want aren’t the same things. My life has been simply about meeting other people’s expectations and look at where it has taken me.
The article was helpful. Now I know what’s been driving me crazy for seven years: depression. I can handle it a bit longer, as I’m emotionally strong, and even have plans to obtain help now that I know exactly what’s wrong.
What really hit me were the comments. Hopeless pleas. They’ll appear on the news as suicide notes, after the fact. Here we have this whole article about how to recognize suicidal people, and following it, the *same exact signs described in the article*.
For heaven’s sake, don’t post pleas for help here. Nobody will respond, and you’ll feel even worse. It’s a death sentence. Post it somewhere–anywhere–where people *can* help. Check out IRC; it’s a great way to talk to people in the same position as you, and to find a way out.
I hear all your stories and they break my heart. I am 21 and I’ve been depressed my whole life, When i was 17 I attempted suicide for the first time. Over the next 3 years I attempted suicide at least 15 more times, sometimes I would just wake up in my bed two days later with an empty bottle of pills sitting beside me. Atleast on 5 occasions I was taken to the ER. I had my stomach pumped 3 times. And atleast 13 times I was admitted to a psychiatric ward. I was a complete mess. But I entered a residential program and it totally changed my life. There was a time when things seemed completely bleak and i thought i was bound to die from suicide but I held on and pulled through and my last suicide attempt was 8 months ago. Usually the longest i would go w/o trying to commit suicide was 2 weeks at the most. Anyway there is hope out there and never give up.
To me am frankly disoriented with life. I have applied for jobs in my profession even to gain exeprience and no one company has ever given me an opportunity. I have tried and i feel like its high time i turned my brains red
i have been depressed for about 4 years now and i am becoming more and more suicidal every day. I keep trying to persuade myself that things will get better, but i know that they wont. I used to be a good student but i started smoking weed and taking pills to get out of reality and now im a shitty student. I think it will be better to end my life then continue on this downward spiral.
i have been depressed for about 4 years now and i am becoming more and more suicidal every day. I keep trying to persuade myself that things will get better, but i know that they wont. I used to be a good student but i started smoking weed and taking pills to get out of reality and now im a shitty student. I think it will be better to end my life then continue on this downward spiral.
I don’t know where to begin, but like most of you I am depressed bigtime. I am a mother of three beautiful children and it hurts me so to watch them watch me as I cry all the time and am sad all the time. They are the reason why I haven’t killed myself yet. but you know, I don’t know how much longer they can keep me alive. I am in this horrible relationship that is killing me. I mean nothing that i do is right and everything that i do is wrong. I have asked him several times to leave and he won’t go. So we stay around each other making one another miserable instead of leaving. I won’t leave because it is my house he won’t leave because he has nowhere to go. I have decided to change my life for the better and so i am running to GOD. I mean if anyone can save me it has to be him. So wish me luck and pray for me and hopefully in the near future I can write about all the good things that have happened in my life since I got rid of him and chose GOD. Tomorrow will be the first day that i have stepped into a church in over ten years and I am so afraid. I know my problem may not seem as bad as most of yours but I do have a problem and it is eating me alive. I have been crying out for help for the past eight years and noone seems to notice or care. But they would care if i killed myself wouldn’t they. I bet they would all sit around and say ” oh yeah i remember she kept saying that she wishe he would just leave. Or i remember all the argueing and her crying all the time. and you know what’s next. I didn’t think it was that bad. Never trust or rely on man. you must find that higher power that can give you the strength to live. I’m seeking mine now but if it doesn’t work then what do I do? because I have nothing left in me to survive.
shit, why me, why? why cant i be fuckin normal… im so dysfunctional, so deepressed, my mother is such a bad person who harrases me all the time with her words… i feel like.. i cant describe how low i feel… i smoke marijuana to take the pain away, but i started to notice that its only for the time of being high… i cant go on living like that.. it was suppose to better ffs…i didnt ask to come into this fuckin world, and my own closest family wont let my mind be free… im too big a coward to kill myself, but i think if i get pushed a little more.. who knows.. if i dont kill myself i will finish living in some dumpster…. fuck, i hate my life sooooo much! omg…. its just pathetic and sad, but for someone i bet its funny as hell… nothing matters anymore, im alone always
i feel so low most of the above applies i feel scared sometimes but othertimes have no fear the future is so bleak and i think that it would have been easier and less painfull had i been aborted seems your on this world for one thing and that is suffering talk about hell on earth ive never done a thing wrong but i dont think anything would worry me at the moment
I been in a hole since 2003. When I say nothing in my life goes right or last long, I mean it. my mom side of the family couldn’t be any worst. I have no steady income, I have no home, and my car just broke, so I have no ride to get to my so-called job, that’s cutting people at the top of the year. i’ve never tried nothing yet to end this pain, but for the past few months it’s been on my mind to just do it and pray it works out for the best. I even setup txt messages and notes so everyone could get it once I go for it, I perfer the pills, something less painful. I wish my grandmother was here with my, my life would be way better then it is, my dad deported.. Jeezz..
Hi, Just wanted to respond to you. If you think it’s depression you’re dealing with it’s not the end of the world there are medications our there that can help you in addition to spiritual help, and counseling. please don’t give up I suffer from depression also and I’ve received help from all three.
Best wishes
Melissa
Hey, I fit the exact description of someone who is suicidal and I have thought about killing myself many,many times. But, everytime the thought enters my head I push it away because I have a list of things I want to do before I die (wierd kind of but, it keeps me going) It might help all of you, if you want to try it. One of the things on the very top of my lists is to write a book, and I very much so want to write something dealing with suicide because I believe I could portray the thoughts of someone suicidal and because suicide is a taboo subject in our world. I want to make people think about it and wonder about the affects they have on some of us and how they can help. I would love feedback on your thoughts about this idea and some of your thoughts on suicide, also. Thank you.
e-mail: shaylab4921@mail.com
Thank you,
Shayla
PLEASE DO NOT COMMIT SUICIDE. This bad phase will pass, and you can have a great life, you will get better so try to bear this. Please seek help from a GP who can give you medicine and councelling. Do things you enjoy to beat depression, like going for a nice walk in the park, spot the birds and wildlife on the way, the sky looks beautifull with that light blue colour, try to enjoy yourself do not let the depression take over. Good Luck.
im 22 and ive withdrawn myself from my friends and family..i feel depressed all the time..i always wanna stay in my room and just watch tv. For me, having friends is not really important for me. My family only calls me when they need somethin instead of seeing how im doing. I got friends but i never call them to hang out or anythin like that..and last week ive decided that i think im ready to leave this world of nothing but pain, and im not scared anymore. I think ive done my time.
The feelings have been there. Even after 30 years they show up when things seem hopeless. I’m 46 and suffer depression, one day could be bad but then the next I’m ok again. Lately it has gotten worse again, but to do so would be devastating to my Mom and family. I picture my Mom crying and I just can’t bear to even have this in my mind. Therefore I trod on with life. One can never lose hope. God is the best choice one can make with one’s life. I pray for you all and hope to God that your life will be something is it intended to be. I bless you all.
i am so depressed. i wish someone would hold me. i wish people would be more worried about me. i dont want to live another second this way.
I am lucky too be alive today.Nobody saw my pain not even my wife I have had suicidal and f****d thoughts for years,and even when people like us scream out for help they dont hear us 2 days ago she went to leave me.we talked for hours and she realized and I realized I have a serious problem Ican not fix this on my own.I hope my LOVE for her and my kids is greater than my hatered of myself.I hope you all find a reason to live. I hope mine are strong enough.
Hay guys my name’s nate I’m 13, and I’m suicidal. I hate my life it sux, I feel as if no 1 loves me.(my family) or even likes me(my friends) my grandmom put’s a ton of pressure on me 2 do well in school, but my grades r slippin, I’m becoming less and less social, my whole world is clapsing b4 me, first my dad divorices my mom, then my mom looses her job, then my dad kills himself, my world is crumbling, my dream girl asked me out and I said no, c that tells u how wrong something is, I turned her down! I have tried 1 b4 2 kill myself, I overdosed of painkillers, I almost died after having my stomach pumped, my heart stopped, it litterally skipped 2-3 beats, I thought i was dead, but when I realized I wasn’t I was pissed I litterally screamed and tha doctor tried 2 calm me down, I flipped him, and they had 2 call security. My life has gone downhill and this is it I have given myself 1week 2 live then no matter what I will kill myself!!!
Hey. I am 21 years old, and have been severely depressed for about 6 years. I recently attempted suicide and failed. I was hospitalized for 2 weeks and it did nothing, as expected. I don’t care about what people think, or label me. I don’t care if I’m “suffering from a mental illness” and all of this BULLSHIT. I was tired and that was not a lack of coping skills, it was a choice. I am a university student at one of top 10 schools in North America. I am not stupid, my suicidal actions were a choice, not an illness. I am lost in thought about what I have done and what I am going to to with my future. Nothing has worked for me in “curing” this my whole life, and I don’t believe any pyschologist ever will. The answer lies within myself, in my own mind. (I am studying to be a psychologist).
I am 14 yrs old. I am an obese teen weighing 270 pounds. I have only a couple friends and I hate myself. I wish I could die right now this second. I just recently found out that my secret crush(and best friend) did not like me. I mean like me like me. He said he doesn’t like me and he never will. I want to die and kill myself for this. I don’t want help. I’ve had it b4 and it just made things worse. I really really want to die. So goodbye ppl. Don’t make the mistakes I do.,
the current financial problems are ruining my business - losing everything - tired of the pain, chronic back problems for the last 10 yrs has made this the worst 10 of my life. the pain meds, not caring, the pain and being physically unable to do anything about it. i just surrender. i have more oxycontin, viodin and fentanyl in my possession than most drug store carry. my drug plan gives me a 3 month supply. what a mistake………i am sitting here looking at them trying to gather the strength………
Please don’t commit suicide, not anyone! Just know that life is worth living - otherwise, why are we living in the first place? There is a reason for everything; know that you are a reason for living. You have a purpose.
Don’t let life’s struggles defeat you; defeat life’s struggles. I know some may think, “Well, it’s easier said than done,” but please give life another chance. Pray! Pray to God, ask him to be your Savior, and to lift you up from your place of misery. If you have faith in God, and ask God for help, He will help you. He will help you with your problems - you just need to open that door for Him to show you His endless love for you. Each and every one of you. Just open your eyes to Him, pray, and believe. God is the answer to everything. Just have faith.
I wouldn’t be wasting my time posting this if I didn’t mean it. I do mean every word I say. Please give what I say a chance.
There are so many times where I’ve tried to give advice and it’s been rejected. Please don’t reject my help this time around.
God bless you all! E-mail me at klt_711@yahoo.com if you need to talk.
I have never really done anything quite like this before. But I feel as if someone must know my story.
My name is Kate. I have been diagnosed as clinically depressed from the age of 14 years old. They’ve also added PTSD and severe anxiety to my list of problems.
It all started when my sister died. The night she had her brain aneurysm, I remember looking at my mother [age 14] and saying I honestly wished I would die. And the next morning we got the call that she had slipped into a coma. Through 6 days of living in the hospital, feeling guilty every blasted moment of it, I lost touch. When we were given no other choice but to take her off life support, I sat in that hospital room and watched my only sibling, my true life role model, slip away. And I hated god for it.
Through 4 more years I struggled to survive. There would be weeks where I was unable to function, not even able to attend school. My nerves were shot and I became severely thin. Anything I tried to eat would eventually be thrown back up, so I saw no point in even trying. At 92 pounds my parents had me hospitalized, where I thought my troubles would be cured.
At age 20 I thought I had found the love of my life. He was perfect and enjoyed music as much as I did, for music was my only true escape from the world. At age 21 he stabbed me. 17 times. And I still found no rest from life. I came back here more broken and shattered than I ever could imagine.
I have anxiety. I have depression. I have ED’s. And thanks to the once love of my life I have insomnia. I sleep on a good night 3 hours at most,terrified that he will somehow find his way back to me.
While reading these posts of these young childrens problems and their desperate attempts to cry for help to escape that bad grade or being grounded, I pity them. I envy their problems. And while I am in no way saying my life is terrible and not worth living for, I would like to point out to them that there can be more pain in the world.
Don’t hurt yourself in anyway. Because if I can hold on for just one more minute, hour, day…I know you can to.
Please. Appreciate my openess and do not criticize me. I can take no more hatred.
And while I am usually terrified of other’s negativity, I am somehow pulled to leave my email. Email me at kennedykd09@live.com for some encouraging words. I may not be able to help myself…but perhaps I can somehow help you.
Much love,
Kate.
been depressed since i was 15, am now 33, may have been depressed before 15 but never really thought about it before then.
there’s not much point to anything. there never was, there never will be. life is pointless. end of story.
i’ve done so many things in this world, been to so many places, touched so many lives. guess i’m all done now hey. not much else left to do. am i fulfilled? no, just tired.
if anyone wants to kill themselves, go for it - no point complaining about how much life sucks. look at me, i’ve been waiting for a good day for the past 18 years. not gonna happen, coz shit happens.
who is to blame? no one is to blame. either you’re very sad, slightly sad, indifferent, slightly happy, or very happy. i’ve been very sad lately, so we’re all done.
have a good day and it’s still a bad one as far as i can make out.
there really is no point, so just kill yourselves if you’re feeling sad. at the end of the day, this messed up planet is better without sad people anyway.
have fun!
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Sorry, but all you said - and the way you said it - is no help! It is so very much George W Bushish….Ha….Wake up and treat people as human beings!
Well, i don’t know what to say… after having read all these comments.
Seriously, people. You are all very, very weak. I’m not saying this to rack down on you, but honest to dog, show some goddamn spine. You are so complacent, so… apathetic, expecting miracles to solve your problems. F**k that.
Suicidal thoughts… ugh, i think everyone has them from time to time. Even me when i’m at my lows. But all i have to do is watch people like you whine to understand that being suicidal is a joke. Yes, i actually laugh at what you percieve as demise. Sucidide takes away the pain? Yeah, you’re damn right it does, but it also takes away the pleasure, right?
The thing is, even if the whole goddamn world, no, the universe is throwing shit in your face, you got to have some balls and reject that. If voices berate you in your head, have the guts to shout them away. People think they lack control of their lives, that they must somehow act within boundaries and live up to expectations…
Bull. Shit.
If a family member, friend or whoever you can imagine is giving you shit because you fail grades, you’re lazy or anything else… just flip them off. No one has the authority to tell you how to live your life. No one. As long as YOU do what YOU want to do, you’re successful!
God closes a door for you? You guys try to climb through the window, only to find out that it’s closed.
God closes a door for me?
I kick down the goddamned wall and break free!
Fear is pointless. You can’t beat yourself because the coin flipped tails when you wanted heads. Life is 50/50. You just gotta keep flipping.
When problems throw shit in my face, i throw it back. Never give up, never stop struggling. Fight the power! When someone says you can’t do something, they’re wrong. Norms and rules are bullshit, and the ones with the best bullshit wins! That person can be you, if you only gather strength and strive towards it!
You don’t need anyone else! Friends, family and love are just accessories! Religion and God are just the manifestation of your humility! YOU are the God of your life! If you can’t see the road you want to walk, then pave it into the face of the earth! You CAN do what you WANT do do!
Don’t believe in yourself! Believe in that I believe in you! Go beyond the impossible, kick reason to the curb… that’s the Gurren-dan way!
Who the hell do you think i am?
Well, my brother is almost everything on the list and i dont know what to do. There is nothing i can do or say because he thinks that everyone else isnt thinking or that everyone is “still asleep”. The he is the only one who knows whats going on and I’m ruined. We grew up in the same house and i turned out normal so i dont know the cause and I dont know what to do. If he kills himself it’s like i wont forgive myself but on the other hand everything i tried hasnt helped…….
so idk
i would hope to god that all you people out there can look at it from another persons point of view and not just from your own. Killing yourself is one of the biggest betrayals that you can do to anyone so please take that into consideration and GO GET HELP
PLEASE
It seems so many teens & young adults are struggling w/suicidal ideation. There must be some reasons why it is so prevalent.
I do hope that the screening for depression will extend to the high schools & even middle schools & help students find a stable adult to talk to. It seems that there is a great lack of a stable, nurturing parent in many of these young people who are struggling w/depression & suicidal ideation.
Another thing to consider is if a family member has committed suicide. That increases the likelihood that another person from that family will also commit suicide. It tends to “run in the family.”
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 28 May 2009




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