Overview
Warning signs are indicators that someone may be in danger of harming themselves and require an immediate referral for a suicide risk assessment and appropriate support.
Common warning signs
Warning signs can include, but are not limited to:
- Talking/writing about or making plans for ending their life
- Expressing hopelessness about the future
- Displaying severe/overwhelming emotional pain or distress
- Seeking access to lethal means (e.g., gun, pills, rope)
- Showing worrisome behavioral cues or marked changes in behavior, such as withdrawal from social connection, changes in sleep, anger or hostility that seems out of character, increased agitation or irritability
A suicide attempt or suicidal behavior is a serious warning sign.
A mixture of ambivalent feelings, such as a wish to die and desire to live, is a common experience with most suicide attempts. Ambivalence is not indicative of a less dangerous warning sign.
Developing a plan or strategy for suicide, gathering the means for a suicide plan, or any other overt action or thought indicating the intent to end one’s life is considered suicidal behavior.
Suicidal ideation is another warning sign. This is when a person is thinking about, considering, or planning for self-injurious behavior, which may result in death. Thoughts about wanting to be dead, even without a plan or intent to end one’s life, is considered suicidal ideation and should be taken seriously.
Non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI, is when someone intentionally damages their body without suicidal intent. The most common form of non-suicidal self-injury is cutting, but other forms include burning, scratching, hitting, intentionally preventing wounds from healing, and other similar behaviors.
Among those with a history of non-suicidal self-injury, 70% have attempted suicide at least once, and 55% have attempted suicide several times.
While non-suicidal self-injury is associated with a higher risk of suicide, it is in and of itself not the same as a suicide attempt.