Warning signs of suicide

Almost everyone who has committed suicide will have given some signs or warnings, even though some of these signs might be subtle. A person might show they are considering suicide in how they feel, talk and behave.

How they feel and talk — signs include:

feeling sad, angry, ashamed, rejected, desperate, lonely, irritable, overly happy or exhausted feeling trapped and helpless: “I can’t see any way out of this”feeling worthless or hopeless: “I'm on my own — no one cares. No one would even notice I was gone”feeling guilty: “It’s my fault, I’m to blame”

How they behave — signs include:

abusing drugs or alcohol, or using more than they usually do withdrawing from friends, family and society appearing anxious and agitated having trouble sleeping or sleeping all the time having sudden mood swings — a sudden lift in mood after a period of depression could indicate they have made the decision to attempt suicide having episodes of sudden rage and anger acting recklessly and engagin

g in risky activities losing interest in their appearance, such as dressing badly, no longer wearing make-up or not washing regularly putting their affairs in order making funeral arrangements

High-risk warning signs

A person may be at high risk of attempting suicide if they:

threaten to hurt or kill themselves possess or have ways to kill themselves, such as stockpiling tablets or buying equipment that could be used to harm themselves talk, draw or write about death, dying or suicide

Responding to warning signs

It can be challenging to talk to someone about their suicidal thought's

, but if you have noticed warning signs and are worried, the best way to find out is to ask. You might be the only person who does ask.