Risk Factors and Warning Signs for Suicide
Type | Specific Factors* |
|---|---|
Social situation | Personally significant anniversaries Unemployment or financial difficulties, particularly if they caused a drastic fall in economic status Recent separation, divorce, or widowhood Recent arrest or trouble with the law Social isolation with real or imagined unsympathetic attitude of relatives or friends |
History of suicidality | Previous suicide attempt Making detailed suicide plans, taking steps to implement the plan (obtaining a gun or pills), and taking precautions against being discovered Family history of suicide or a psychiatric disorder |
Clinical features | Depressive illness, especially at onset Marked motor agitation, restlessness, and anxiety with severe insomnia Marked feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and hopelessness; perception of being a burden to others (burdensomeness); self-denigration; nihilistic delusion Delusion or near-delusional conviction of a physical disorder (eg, cancer, a heart disorder, sexually transmitted infection) or other delusions (eg, delusions of poverty) Command hallucinations Impulsive, hostile personality A chronic, painful, or disabling physical disorder, especially in formerly healthy patients |
Medication and substance use | Alcohol or substance use disorder (including misuse of prescription medications), especially if recent use has increased |
See also American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Suicide Statistics. Accessed July 5, 2023. | |