Suicide is when someone intents to end their life. This is a leading cause of death especially among children and in other cases even adults. However spotting the risk factors and the warning signs is not easy at all.
Nearly 14 people, out of the 100000 deaths died by suicide in Zimbabwe in 2019 and nearly 46000 people in the United States committed suicide in 2020 alone, which is about one death every 11 minutes in the United States.as stated by the US Centers For disease Control and prevention
Researchers have found out that nearly 800 000 people die from suicide yearly, and in 2020, there were 1.2 million suicide attempts globally. This has shown that suicide is a serious factor that needs to be taken care of before things get worse and the numbers increase.
This Article will show us some of the signs that show that someone is at risk of attempting suicide and will also give us the steps we can take to help the victims.
Behaviors To Watch
Some people might seem like their usual selves in weeks or days leading to a suicidal attempt, while others might show behavioral changes that don’t track at all with what you know about them.
Some of the behavioral red flags include giving away cherished belongings, sleeping too much or too little, withdrawing or isolating oneself, showing rage of desire to enact revenge, and acting anxious or even agitated.
Getting really intoxicated or driving recklessly could also be other signs to watch out for. Some of the reasons for them doing this could be to actually see if they can actually do it.
Concerning Comments
Talking about wanting to die– by suicide or otherwise is another warning sign that should always be taken seriously. Such comments are usually expressions of discomfort, pain, boredom or desire for closeness rather than a reflection of actually wanting to die however, these comments could actually mean that you should closely monitor the person making the comments.
Some people might say they feel like they have no reason to live and others might talk about feeling like they are a burden on those close to them and in most cases they talk about how they are not needed anymore and they feel like life was better for the people close to them if they where not available.
Mood And Other Risk Factors
Phycological factors, distressing situations or genetics can increase the likelihood of someone considering or attempting suicide.
Moods could include:
- hopelessness. : they dot have a sense of the future getting better, or they feel really unable to imagine not not being in the pain they are in.
- Extreme mood swings: This includes someone who’s usually stressed or depressed suddenly seems calm and cheery.
- Obsessions’ with death or lethal means: some people have artistic or musical interests that are stronger or more grim than others, but if their engagement with those things surpasses what’s normal for them, then that would be concerning.
- Severe physical illnesses, including chronic pain: Especially if its very difficult to treat, people can become very hopeless and in most cases they don’t want to feel the pain anymore.
- Prolonged stress from other causes such as sexual harassments or even bullying.
What To do
If you know anyone showing any of the signs mentioned above, or if any of these signs resonate with you, then you will really need to seek professional help and you could do this through talking to someone you trust and also feel supported by. Other things such as psychotherapy and certain psychiatric medications can help.
If a loved one is showing signs that they might be at risk of suicide, its not really your job to predict the future, but you could be there for them through being supportive and also intentional about what’s going on with them.
In conclusion, if there is ever a time you feel suicidal, then you should always take some time to remember that there is always a way to cope with the pain so you should always make it a must to distance yourself from your thoughts and your action, and through this, suicide can be avoided.
