The real causes and signs of suicide and how we can prevent it

I felt the need to do this article now even though I had others planned, there was something telling me to write this now. Obviously there is a trigger warning in place if you are upset or triggered by talk or mention of suicide then this is not for you. If you or someone you know is struggling there is help, you can call the national suicide prevention hotline and you don't have to give any information.

Let's start with the causes of suicide. Mental illness is the reason for 27% to 90% of all suicides. 25–40% of those who completed suicide had contact with mental health services in the year prior. 80% of the people who attempted suicide had seen a doctor of some kind within a year prior to their suicide, 45% within the month prior to suicide.

Also kind of tied to mental health there is the psychosocial factors. These factors include hopelessness, loss of pleasure in life, depression, anxiousness, agitation, rigid thinking, rumination, thought suppression, and poor coping skills. Also a poor ability to solve problems, the loss of abilities one used to have, and poor impulse control can be factors as well.

People who have previously attempted suicide or have harmed themselves may try it again. 20% of people who commit suicide have attempted previously with 1% completing suicide within a year. More than 5% who have previously attempted will die of suicide in 10 years.

People who self harm aren't always doing so to attempt suicide. Some reasons for self harms are pressures at school or work , bullying , money worries , sexual, physical or emotional abuse , breakdown of a relationship , loss of a job, an increase in stress or difficult feelings, such as depression, anxiety. The people who harm themselves do sometimes end up killing themselves. Cutters sometimes end up killing themselves by accident by cutting the wrong area or cutting too deep.

There are also people who have health issues like cancer that don't want to suffer and die, they would rather take their own lives. Some people believe that this is what happened to Robin Williams. There was a rumor he had Parkinson's and killed himself because he couldn't deal with the diagnosis. Some people may not want to be a burden to their families.

People who can't find a job or don't have job security sometimes can cause someone to attempt suicide. They may feel worthless or they may feel like a failure. They also may feel like they aren't a "real man" if they aren't working.

Not having hope for the future or a plan for the future. Sometimes people have a plan for the future but no hope that the plan will work out. They may have had plan fall through or maybe they several bad luck situations happen to them. They think things will never get better so they end it all.

People who are abused or have witness abuse may attempt suicide. This also includes survivors of child abuse. There may also be suicidal soon after they leave that situation. Abuse messes with people's minds and self esteem. Low self esteem may also lead to suicide or thoughts of suicide. Bullying can also lead to suicide.

Being isolated or lonely may increase suicidal behaviors or thoughts. People aren't made to be alone. We thrive when we interact with people and so does our mental health. Also losing significant relationship can cause suicide. Kate Spade is one example of this, her husband asked for a divorce that she didn't want and she committed suicide.

Substance abuse is also a cause for suicide. It can put you into an altered state of mind or a depression. It is thought that these demons were to blame for several famous deaths. There have also been accidental overdoses in famous lives or non famous one. This was believed to be the reason that Kurt Cobain committed suicide.

Family history of suicide can lead people to suicide. Mental illness runs in the family and mental illness can lead to suicide. Someone can see their family member do that and think that it was a good thing they did even though they see the grief it caused their family.

Having access to the tools to carry it out could lead to suicide especially when paired with one of the causes. This paired with suicidal thoughts is one of the main reason that suicide happens. Also opportunity to commit suicide is a big part of it. Some people need to be alone to feel ready to attempt suicide.

If people are exposed to suicide then they are more than likely to do it. This is one of the reasons why suicide contagion has the effect it does. Suicide contagion is where someone in a group or in influence commits suicide then it inspires another suicide. It happens a lot in high schools and when someone famous commits suicide.

If people can't or won't get help then they are more likely to attempt suicide than those who will (and can) get help. People underestimate the power of getting help. They don't think it will actually help or do anything. Some just don't want to get help. Some people just can't afford to get help. A lot of people may need their money for bills and there may not be enough for therapy and other help.

There are some people to subscribe to a belief system where suicide is a solution to personal problems. There are people that may have heard that it is ok to kill themselves and that it will solve their problems. Suicide is not a solution because things can get better but people don't see that if they are suicidal.

Stress can lead to suicide. Some people can't handle stress, some people never learned to cope with it. They may try just to harm themselves to relieve the stress but then cut too deep and bleed to death. They could also use alcohol or drugs to relieve stress and then it could lead to overdose or alcohol poisoning.

Some people who are LGBT and have unsupportive family they fear coming out or if they do come out they may receive a negative reaction. So1me may become homeless, that may also lead to suicide. They may not have the chosen family that others in the LGBT community may have.

I want to start off this section by saying that just because someone you love has one of these signs it doesn't mean they will attempt suicide. These warning signs could be a sign or it could be nothing. Talking to your loved one could help figure out where they are with their mental health.

One of the obvious signs of suicide is talking about suicide or wanting to die. They could say things like the world or you would be better off if they weren't around. They may also be preoccupied with death/dying and suicide.

They will have changes in eating or sleeping. They may not want to eat. Maybe they sleep more. They may also have a drastic change in behavior. They may be more moody or angry. Withdrawal from friends and family may also occur. People who attempt suicide sometimes loses interest in school, work or hobbies. They might lose interest in hygiene or their appearance. They may gain or lose a lot of weight.

There may be a change in behavior. They may withdraw from people, want to be alone. They may get moody. The person may take unnecessary risks or really dangerous risks. These risks may be outside of their character or out of the blue. They may drive drunk without having done that before. They might increase use in drugs and alcohol.

They may prepare for their death by writing a will, and talking about their funeral. They may also give away their stuff. Like I said before if they attempted before they may do it again. They may even get means to kill themselves or have a plan to die. They may even say their goodbye to people.

If they experienced loss recently they may attempt suicide. This maybe a loss of a loved one, a loss of a relationship or even a loss of a job. Some people who lose a loved one may not be able to handle the grief. If it's a relationship they lost they may feel like they don't want to live without this person or they can't live without them.

So what can we do? The main thing is be the person that they can come to. I call it being the "no" friend. Being the "no" friend means being there with no judgement, no questions asked no matter what. I mean obviously you can ask the questions like what do you need but don't ask yourself or them questions like what's in it for me.

Also pay attention, is something seems off it probably is. You're not being crazy, don't make excuses. Check in even if they say everything is fine make sure, be there. You can also to help or get the help if needed. We may not be able to stop everyone but we can at least be there for one person.

I think I got most of the information but I just want to help. I hope you learned something.