How to Recognize Suicide Warning Signs and Take Proactive Steps to Help a Loved One

Signs of suicidal ideation may be obvious on the surface, such as when someone talks about killing themselves or about wanting to die. But signs may be just as concerning but much less obvious, such as when someone begins to give away their possessions—perhaps without explaining that they are preparing to end their life. Oddly enough, it can even be a warning sign of suicide risk if someone has been in a low mood but suddenly perks up without a reasonable cause—perhaps because they have decided to end their suffering and they’re feeling relief.

For the person in distress, these symptoms and signs are very personal. Don’t make the mistake of looking for a very particular type of presentation for suicide risk and overlooking the real danger. There is no one single cause of suicidal urges and ideation either; immense distress can relate to anything from a person’s job to their relationships to their feelings of self-worth to their overall mental instability. In any case, they need professional treatment to address the condition of their mental, emotional, and behavioral health.

Here are some common signs that have been observed among people contemplating suicide:

• Withdrawing from people, places, and activities that they used to be involved with.
• A decreased ability to engage with and be interested in things.
• Showing agitation or anxiety.
• Behaving recklessly or as if they no longer care.
• Unexplained behavioral changes in one direction or another—particularly negative changes.
• Having difficulty sleeping or sleeping much more than is usual.
• Changes in physical appearance, indicating less attention to personal care and hygiene.
• Using or abusing substances to cope with feelings of distress.
• Evidence of rage or other intense emotions.
• Mood swings and emotional instability.
• Talking about how they are a burden for others or how others would be better off without them.
• Talking about how they don’t have a reason to live.
• Increased negativity in their speech and demeanor.
• Talking about pain that is unbearable—it may be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.
• Talking about how they feel trapped, helpless, or hopeless.
• Preoccupation with something distressing, traumatic, humiliating, discouraging, or disappointing that they have experienced.
• Talking about killing themselves or wanting to die.
• Demonstrating a general preoccupation with death.
• Researching suicide or methods of suicide online.
• Seeking tools and ways to put in place a plan for suicide.
• Giving away their things or visiting people to reconnect.
• Creating or revising a will.
• Otherwise showing signs of depression.

Signs may be even more telling if the person has experienced a traumatic event, lost something or someone, or gone through a major transition. But this is not to say that any of these conditions need be present in order for the suicide risk to be real and dangerous. Mental illness is complicated and can be devastating, especially if the individual does not receive adequate treatment.