Suicide can happen to anyone at anytime. It is more frequent in the spring and summer months. It also occurs more often in the mid to late morning or afternoons. Contrary to popular belief socioeconomic status is not a major factor in suicide risk.
Risk factors or characteristics that make it more likely for someone to consider, attempt or die by suicide include:
- Previous suicide attempts
- Mental health disorders (Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, etc)
- Alcohol or other substance use
- Family history of mental health disorders
- History of trauma
- History of abuse
- History of sexual assault
- Family violence
- Chronic physical illness, including chronic pain
- Major life adjustment
- Lack of social support or social isolation
- Incarceration
- Perfectionism
Warning signs, these are signs that indicate a person is at an immediate possibility of suicide:
- --starting or increasing use of alcohol or other substances
- --aggressive, impulsive, reckless or disruptive behavior
- --talking about death and dying, expressing a strong wish to die or wanting the "pain" to end
- --planning a suicide or funeral
- --preoccupation with death
- --giving away belongings, tying up loose ends, saying goodbye
- --purchasing a firearm
- --obtaining other means of killing oneself
Ways to help:
--Offer support to the person
--Allow the person to talk if they would like, but do not force it
--Offer to go with the person to get counseling and medication
--Just sit with the person and show that someone cares
--Most importantly do not leave the person alone until they are in a safe place with professionals
