Suicidal behavior can arise as a consequence of several factors, from psychological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia or personality disorders, to behaviors and socioeconomic situations, such as suffering discrimination, having suffered a severe loss or consuming drugs, for example.
However, this type of behavior can be avoided, especially when family or friends are able to identify it in time, helping the person to seek professional help and start appropriate treatment.
If you think someone may be showing signs of suicidal behavior, highlight the signs you can observe and assess the possible risk of suicide:
Signs of suicidal behavior
The main signs that indicate possible suicidal behavior are:
1. Making suicide threats
Most people who are thinking about suicide will inform a friend or family member of their intentions. Although this behavior is often seen as a way to attract attention, it should never be ignored, especially if the person is experiencing depression or major changes in their life.
Understand what can cause you to want to die and what to do.
2. Showing excessive sadness and isolation
Being frequently sad and unwilling to participate in activities with friends or do what you used to do are some symptoms of depression, which, when left untreated, is one of the main causes of suicide.
Normally, the person is unable to identify that they are depressed and just thinks that they are not able to deal with other people or with work, which, over time, ends up leaving the person feeling discouraged and lacking the will to live. See how to confirm if it is depression and how to treat it.
3. Change in sleeping and eating habits
Some sudden changes in behavior, such as changes in sleep and appetite, in addition to showing a calm and carefree behavior after a long period of sadness, depression or anxiety, may be a sign that the person has suicidal thoughts, but this is not a rule. .
These periods of calm can often be interpreted by family members as a phase of recovery from depression, which can be difficult to identify and should always be evaluated by a psychologist to confirm that there are no suicidal ideas.
4. Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
It is common for people with suicidal behavior to lose desire and interest in activities that previously brought pleasure, such as dancing, going out with friends, reading or listening to music, for example. This is because the emotional situation in which they find themselves prevents the person from leaving the continuous thought of ending their life, focusing their attention on this objective, leaving other daily activities in the background, such as going to the cinema, shopping, among others. others.
5. Social isolation
The emotional crises that occur in people with suicidal thoughts cause them to withdraw from their social circles, such as friends, family, work or school, for example, which increases thoughts of wanting to end their lives.
Therefore, it is important that in the absence of a friend or family member from social events, in addition to changes in lifestyle, such as sudden carelessness with one’s appearance and even verbalizing a desire to die, it is important that help is sought. .
6. Use and abuse of alcohol and drugs
Suicidal behavior is often accompanied by psychological disorders such as depression and personality disorders, which can cause the person to consume alcohol or drugs of abuse with the aim of escaping the situation they find themselves in, increasing the severity of depressive symptoms and favoring suicidal behavior.
7. Changing behavior or personal carelessness
A person with suicidal ideas may behave differently than usual, speaking in a different way, failing to understand the mood of a conversation or even participating in risky activities, such as using drugs, having unprotected intimate contact or driving to great speed.
Furthermore, as most of the time there is no longer any interest in life, it is common to stop paying attention to the way you dress or take care of yourself, using old, dirty clothes or letting your hair and beard grow.
8. Deal with pending matters
When someone is thinking about committing suicide, it is common to start doing several tasks to try to organize your life and finish pending issues, as you would do if you were traveling for a long time or living in another country. Some examples are visiting family members you haven’t seen for a long time, paying small debts or offering various personal items, for example.
In many cases, it is also possible that the person spends a lot of time writing, which could be a will or even a goodbye letter. Sometimes, these letters can be discovered before the suicide attempt, helping to prevent it from happening.
How to help and prevent suicide
When you suspect that someone close to you may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, the most important thing is to demonstrate understanding and empathy for that person, trying to understand the situation and the associated feelings. Therefore, it is important to ask the person about their state of mind, find out if the person is sad, depressed and if they are thinking about suicide.
Then, help should be sought from a qualified professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, whose aim is to try to show the person that there are other solutions to their problem, other than suicide.
Suicide attempts are, in most cases, impulsive and, therefore, to prevent a suicide attempt one must also remove all material that could be used to commit suicide, such as weapons, pills or knives, from the places where that person spends more time. This prevents impulsive behavior, giving you more time to think about a less aggressive solution to problems.
