What is the main cause of suicide?

Answer 1

The leading cause of suicide is hard to determine with any accuracy, as there are many complicating factors.

The mental health condition primarily associated with the highest suicide risk is type 1 Bipolar Affective Disorder, when the patient is in the depressive or mixed state phases. It is also regularly seen in Major Depressive Disorder and to a lesser extent Schizophrenia and some personality disorders.

Increased risk factors for successful suicide attempts, in addition to the fact that the suicidal patient is mentally ill, are usually some combination of the following factors; the successful suicide is twice as likely to be male as female; the deceased had a history of suicide in their family; the deceased had alcohol and drug problems; the deceased had access to weapons; the deceased was in his or her twenties; the deceased was in a profession with a high risk of suicide; the deceased came from a culture with a tolerant view of suicide.

Unsuccessful attempts tend to be made by females, (who are twice as likely to attempt suicide as males) and the attempts tend to occur while the patient is in their teens.