What should you do if someone tells you they are thinking about suicide?

Suicide is preventable. Any statements about suicide should be taken seriously; 50 to 60 percent of all people who died by suicide gave some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member. Most people considering suicide need help getting through their moment of crisis. Often they have tried to find solutions but may begin to feel hopeless and unable to see alternative solutions to problems. If someone tells you they are thinking about suicide listen non-judgmentally, and help them get to a professional for evaluation and treatment. If someone is in imminent danger of harming himself or herself, do not leave the person alone. You may need to take emergency steps to get help, such as calling 911. When someone is in a suicidal crisis, it is important to limit access to firearms or other lethal means of committing suicide.

​

Is it possible to predict suicide?

At the current time there is no definitive measure to predict suicide or suicidal behavior. Researchers have identified factors that place individuals at higher risk for suicide, including mental illness, substance abuse, previous suicide attempts, family history of suicide, history of being sexually abused, and impulsive or aggressive tendencies. While many people may think about suicide, attempts and death by suicide are relatively rare events and it is therefore difficult to predict which persons with these risk factors will ultimately complete suicide. What is important is that people considering suicide usually do seek help; for example, in one study, nearly three-fourths of those who died by suicide visited a doctor in the four months before their deaths, and half in the month before. Being aware of risk factors and warning signs can help detect someone that may be at risk for attempting suicide.

​

Can the risk for suicide be inherited?

While suicidal behavior is not genetically inherited, it can be socially learned from significant others and many risk factors for suicide can be inherited. A healthy person talking about a suicide or being aware of a suicide among family or friends does not put them at greater risk for attempting suicide. And mere exposure to suicide does not alone put someone at greater risk for suicide. However, when combined with a number of other risk factors, exposure to suicide can increase someone’s likelihood of an attempt. Major psychiatric illnesses, including: Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, Schizophrenia, alcoholism and substance abuse, and certain personality disorders, which run in families, increase the risk for suicidal behavior. This does not mean that suicidal behavior is inevitable for individuals with this family history; it simply means that such persons may be more vulnerable and should take steps to reduce their risk, such as getting evaluation and treatment at the first sign of mental illness.