People who attempt or complete suicide usually suffer from extreme emotional pain, distress and feel unable to cope with their problems. A suicidal person is likely (but not always) to suffer from some sort of mental illness, particularly severe depression, and feel they are merely existing, that their future is bleak and hopeless.
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Certain aspects of a person's life increase the likelihood that the person will attempt or complete suicide. Studies have shown that one of the best predictors of suicidal intent is hopelessness. People with a sense of hopelessness may come to perceive suicide as the only alternative to a pained existence. People with mental illnesses, substance-abuse disorders such as alcoholism or drug dependence, and behavioral disorders also have a higher risk of suicide. In fact, people suffering from diagnosable mental illnesses complete about 90% of all suicides. Physical illness also increases a person's risk of suicide, especially when the illness is accompanied by depression. About 1/3 of adult suicide victims suffered from a physical illness at the time of their death.
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Other risk factors include previous suicide attempts, a history of suicide among family members, and social isolation. People who live alone or lack close friends may not receive emotional support that would otherwise protect them from despair and irrational thinking during difficult periods of life.
A good number of people who complete suicide give warning signs, although the warnings may not be obvious. They may take the form of talking about suicide or a wish to die; preoccupation with death; statements about hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness; and references to suicide in drawings, school essays, poems, or notes. Other danger signs include sudden, dramatic, and unexplained changes in behavior and what are called "termination behaviors". These behaviors include an interest in putting personal affairs in order and giving away prized possessions, often accompanied by statements of sadness or despair.
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A person who observes these signs should ask the person in question whether he or she is thinking of suicide. If so, the observer should refer the person to a trained mental health professional to reduce the immediate risk of suicide and to treat the problems that led the person to consider suicide. Most suicides can be prevented because although the thoughts are real, the suicidal state of mind can be temporary.Suicide has a devastating emotional impact on surviving family members and friends. The intentional, sudden, and violent nature of the person's death often makes others feel abandoned, helpless, and rejected. A family member or friend may have the added burden of discovering the body of the suicide victim. Parents often suffer exaggerated feelings of shame and guilt. Because of the social stigma, or shame, surrounding suicide, survivors may avoid talking to others about the person who died, and others may avoid the survivors.
If you are contemplating suicide, know that you are not alone. You may feel alone, but you are not alone. There are people that love and care for you, if you think there isn't, there is at least One that loves and cares about you:
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You may not believe it, but God loves and cares for you and every aspect of your life.
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Take a step back from yourself, take a step away from your dilemma - don't react to your situation or your present circumstances as they are only temporary.
What you are feeling is real, however your feelings can change just as can your current situation. No matter how long you have been struggling or feeling suicidal, that is temporary, as opposed to ending your life, which is permanent. There are people that care, please reach out!
If you are in suicidal crisis, emotional crisis or having a family crisis, please contact the Suicide Crisis Hotline:
In a moment of despair, Vicki's mother, Anna made a decision in the afternoon of January 1, 2007 that took her life. Please click here for more information.
