5. How would I know if someone I care about was contemplating suicide?
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This article is from the Suicide FAQ, by Graham Stoney greyham@research.canon.com.au with numerous contributions by others.
5. How would I know if someone I care about was contemplating suicide?
Often suicidal people will give warning signs, consciously or
unconsciously, indicating that they need help and often in the hope
that they will be rescued. These usually occur in clusters, so often
several warning signs will be apparent. The presence of one or more
of these warning signs is not intended as a guarantee that the person
is suicidal: the only way to know for sure is to ask them. In other
cases, a suicidal person may not want to be rescued, and may avoid
giving warning signs.
Typical warning signs which are often exhibited by people who are
feeling suicidal include:
- Withdrawing from friends and family.
- Depression, broadly speaking; not necessarily a diagnosable mental illness
such as clinical depression, but indicated by signs such as:
- Loss of interest in usual activities.
- Showing signs of sadness, hopelessness, irritability.
- Changes in appetite, weight, behavior, level of activity or
sleep patterns.
- Loss of energy.
- Making negative comments about self.
- Recurring suicidal thoughts or fantasies.
- Sudden change from extreme depression to being `at peace' (may
indicate that they have decided to attempt suicide).
- Talking, Writing or Hinting about suicide.
- Previous attempts.
- Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
- Purposefully putting personal affairs in order:
- Giving away possessions.
- Sudden intense interest in personal wills or life insurance.
- `Clearing the air' over personal incidents from the past.
This list is not definitive: some people may show no signs yet still
feel suicidal, others may show many signs yet be coping OK; the only
way to know for sure is to ask. In conjunction with the risk factors
listed above, this list is intended to help people identify others who
may be in need of support.
If a person is highly perturbed, has formed a potentially lethal plan
to kill themselves and has the means to carry it out immediately
available, they would be considered likely to attempt suicide.
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