Around the world, an average of 800,000 people die annually from suicide, and in 2020, there were about 1.2 million attempts.
The United Nations says that suicide is the fourth cause of death among young people between 15 and 29 years old, after road accidents, tuberculosis and violence.
she says “CNN” About 46,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2020, which represents one death every 11 minutes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a division of the US Department of Health.
Despite these heartbreaking numbers, discovering risk factors is not easy.
Justin Becker, clinical director of the Veterans Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative at The Ohio State University Wexner Center, told CNN that researchers haven’t yet figured out how to better predict who’s at risk of attempting suicide.
There is no long time frame between a person’s suicidal ideation and signs, and making a decision, and this period may range from only 5 to 15 minutes, according to Baker.
But some signs may predict this, and may help save a person’s life, according to a CNN report:
behavioral changes
“If you notice this kind of thing on a person’s behavior, it’s clear that someone is close to being in imminent danger…and making the decision to end their life,” Becker says.
Michael Roysky, a clinical psychologist at the Newport Healthcare Research and Innovation Center reports unusual behavioral changes.
Those changes may be training or preparing for suicide, such as exhibiting unusual behaviors related to the use of guns, pills or other “lethal” objects, according to the US government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
There are behavioral cues such as giving up belongings that the person loves, sleeping too much or too little, isolating and withdrawing, and showing anger or a desire for revenge.
Roysky says reckless driving, or excessive alcohol consumption, may also be signs to look out for. Becker explains that some people may “test themselves to see if they can actually do it” because suicide is something against survival instinct.
Comments to watch out for
Roysky explains that talking about wanting to die, by suicide or some other way, is another warning sign that must always be taken seriously, and the person who is making it must be watched.
And when some people say they feel they have no reason to live, “that’s a person at much greater risk than someone who is able to identify even a single reason to live,” says Baker.
Attention should be paid when a person talks about his feeling that he is a burden to people or that he does not belong to the place.
Psychological and health factors and previous situations
Psychological factors, traumatic situations or genetics increase the likelihood of suicidal ideation, according to the US government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. These factors include:
- Feeling of despair, i.e. losing hope that things will get better and get rid of the pain.
- Mood swings (this may happen when a person is usually tense or depressed and then suddenly appears calm or euphoric, perhaps because they have decided to attempt suicide without telling anyone, and feel good about it).
- Obsession with death or lethal means. Some people have more bleaker artistic or musical interests than others, Roysky says, but if their interactions with them go beyond that, it can be worrisome.
- Severe physical illnesses, such as chronic pain.
- Family or personal history of suicide, and Roysky says that the biggest predictor of suicide is previous suicide attempts, and the reason is an escalation in lethal means.
- Exposure to exciting stories about suicide. If the novel “romances or justifies the relief that can be obtained from suicide, that’s a problem,” Roysky says.
Becker says you shouldn’t be shy about checking that someone is contemplating suicide, even if it’s embarrassing.
The best way to find out is to ask an open-ended question such as: “I’ve noticed that life has become very eventful in the past few days. Do you want to tell me about it?”
When a person responds, you should listen and express your appreciation for sharing their story and offering help in figuring out the problem, Becker says, without giving advice on how to deal with it.
However, if the person appears to be more at risk or on the verge of suicide, emergency services should be contacted immediately.
The report advises reducing the chances of a suicide attempt by restricting a person’s access to lethal devices such as firearms or pills.