| Suicide |
| History |
| List of suicides · Suicide methods · Suicide rate |
| Views |
| Cultural · Legal · Medical · Philosophical · Religious · Right to die |
| Suicide crisis |
| Assessment of risk · Crisis hotline · Intervention · Prevention · Suicide watch |
| Suicide types |
| Copycat · Cult · Euthanasia · Familicide · Forced · Honor · Internet · Martyrdom · Mass · Murder-suicide · Ritual · Attack · By cop · Pact · Teenage |
| Related phenomena |
| Ideation · Self-harm · Suicide note |
A suicide crisis, suicidal crisis, or potential suicide, is a situation in which a person is attempting to kill him or herself or is seriously contemplating or planning to do so. It is considered by some public safety authorities, medical practice, and emergency services to be a medical emergency, requiring immediate suicide intervention and emergency medical treatment.[citation needed]
Contents |
Nature of a suicide crisis
Most cases of potential suicide have warning signs.[citation needed] Attempting to kill oneself or harming oneself, talking about or planning suicide, writing a suicide note, talking or thinking frequently about death, exhibiting a death wish by expressing it verbally or by taking potentially deadly risks, are all indicators of a suicide crisis. More subtle clues include preparing for death for no apparent reason (such as putting affairs in order, changing a will, etc.), writing goodbye letters, and visiting or calling family members or friends to say farewell. The person may also start giving away previously valued items (because he or she "no longer needs them"). In other cases, the person who seemed depressed and suicidal may become normal again; those people need to be watched because the return to normalcy could be because they have come to terms with whatever act is next.
Depression is a major causative factor of suicide, and individuals suffering from depression are considered a high-risk group for suicidal behavior. More than 90% of all suicides are related to a mood disorder, such as bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia. [1] The deeper the depression, the greater the risk [2], often manifested in feelings or expressions of apathy, helplessness, hopelessness, or worthlessness. [3]
Suicide is often committed in response to a cause of depression, such as the cessation of a romantic relationship, serious illness or injury (like the loss of a limb or blindness), the death of a loved one, financial problems or poverty, guilt or fear of getting caught for something the person did, drug abuse, old age, among others. [4]
See also
References
- ^ "Suicide and suicidal behavior". MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. 15 January 2009. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001554.htm#Causes,%20incidence,%20and%20risk%20factors. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ^ Stewart, George (2004). "Suicide & Mental Distress". Suicide Reference Library. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930224643/http://www.suicidereferencelibrary.com/test4~id~1619.php. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ^ "Understanding the Symptoms of Depression". WebMD. 12 November 2008. http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/understanding-depression-symptoms. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ^ "Suicide". 2 March 2004. https://www.healthforums.com/library/1,1258,article~6229,00.html. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
External links
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