What can be signs of suicide?

What are the suicidal thought patterns?

Suicidal thoughts are usually a symptom of a mental illness, especially depression. In the context of such a mental disorder, those affected exhibit specific thought patterns from which they cannot break out on their own and which in the worst case lead to suicide.

The thoughts are from

• Hopelessness,
• Sadness
• and other negative feelings dominate and intensify.

More information can be found here: How can you recognize depression?

Dominant thoughts

The patients are downright trapped in these dark spirals of thought. Examples for this are:

• "It's all my fault."
• "I can't do anything about it."
• "There is no way out."
• "I can't think clearly."
• "I can't take it anymore."
• "It all makes no sense."
• "I'm just a burden to everyone."
• "Nobody would miss me."
• "Nobody can help me."
• "I am completely alone."

These thoughts paralyze those affected and prevent the perception of positive experiences. Negative events, on the other hand, are relived over and over again. In addition, as part of the mental illness, there is often an attention and concentration disorder, so that those affected can hardly think clearly and reflect on their situation. Everything they experience is therefore negative, and the end of their own life seems like the only way out.

Which emotions can indicate a suicide?

The feelings of a person at risk of suicide are broadly similar to those of depression. These include primarily

• Joylessness and listlessness,
• melancholy
• and loss of interest.

In addition, suicidal patients suffer from profound despair and hopelessness, which spark thoughts of ending their own life. This inner conflict manifests itself among other things in pronounced irritability, exaggerated stress and fear reactions and frequent mood swings. The feeling of loneliness and isolation is ubiquitous in suicidal people.

In the case of an acutely planned suicide, this depressed mood suddenly turns positive. Because patients who have firmly decided to commit suicide are suddenly calmer and calmer, downright relaxed, because they have found a solution to their problem for themselves. They therefore no longer show symptoms of depression, but rather an improvement in mood. A sudden positive development of feelings in the case of a known depression is therefore a clear warning signal for an imminent suicide.

Further information on this topic is also available on our website: Depression and suicide

Typical behaviors that indicate suicide

If a person no longer considers their own life worth living, their behavior will change accordingly.

For example, many suicidal people show an increased willingness to take risks, such as excessive alcohol or drug consumption or unprotected sexual intercourse, as their life is no longer of any value to them and does not need to be protected.

In addition, most suicidal people will talk more or less openly about their suicidal thoughts when asked about them.

Once the final decision to commit suicide has been made, the person will make certain preparations. This can be, for example, regulating personal affairs or saying goodbye to loved ones. Typical behaviors would therefore be giving away one's own property or valuable objects, determining the last will or the last meeting with loved ones.

The procurement of a killing agent such as e.g. Tablets, or dealing with bridges, level crossings and other death scenarios. With some of those affected, the environment does not even notice these preparations and suicide comes suddenly for everyone. In most cases, however, the suicidal person clearly expresses his wish to die and behaves accordingly.

Sudden improvement in depression

Once the decision to commit suicide is made, the person has a plan and purpose for the rest of their life.

For people who have suffered from depression for a long time and have lost control of their own life, the decision to commit suicide is a relief. In most cases, these people are therefore calm and relaxed before their suicide rather than depressed and agitated.

What looks like an improvement in the person's condition to laypeople is in reality the calm before the storm, the suicide.

Social withdrawal

Depressive thought patterns and suicidal thoughts isolate those affected and isolate them from their social environment.

Depressive and suicidal thoughts are symptoms of an illness, they are imposing and cannot be ignored. That makes dealing with family and friends very difficult. Because anyone who is so severely mentally ill cannot simply switch off their worries and fears to meet up with friends and spread a good mood. Dealing with other people is therefore very stressful for those affected when negative thoughts are constantly forced upon them and they feel excluded from normal life.

So, suicidal thoughts make people lonely even when they are surrounded by family and friends. Being alone is simply easier for them because they don't have to fool anyone and are not a burden to anyone.

However, this social withdrawal increases the feeling of loneliness for a long time and isolates them more and more in their difficult situation. This also makes it difficult for those around you to perceive warning signals of mental illness and signs of a suicide attempt. Social withdrawal is therefore one of the reasons why suicide often comes as a surprise to those around you, even though the person concerned has been suffering from suicidal thoughts for a long time.

The conclusion of unfinished business

Most suicides are meticulously prepared and the person concerned wants to finish off all the unfinished business in their life beforehand. Such warning signs are highly suspicious, as they indicate that the victim is already carefully planning the suicide.

Many try to come to terms with themselves and others before they die, for example by eliminating old quarrels and conflicts.

Disposing of property and assets, for example in the form of a will or last will, is also important to many before their death.

Some even give up their pets so they won't be left unserved after suicide. If you suspect suicidal thoughts in a friend, you should pay attention to such warnings.

Particularities in adolescents at risk of suicide

Expectations are placed on children and young people that are not always comprehensible to adults, but which expose young people to enormous social and psychological pressure, which they cannot deal with.

Therefore, suicides in adolescence are unfortunately not uncommon. Before this, there are certain warning signals that need to be interpreted. These include

• the social retreat,
• Difficulties in school and in everyday life,
• Listlessness,
• Mood swings,
• aggressive behavior,
• Lying, alcohol or drug use,
• physical symptoms such as headache or abdominal pain,
• low self-confidence with feelings of shame or guilt

and many other symptoms that indicate psychological distress or depression.

The young people also deal with (free) death, for example with the suicides of famous personalities. Most of them even announce the suicide attempt more or less directly, speak of their own accord about suicide or write about it in their diaries or in online forums.

In addition, many give away their favorite things and give up their pets when they are planning their own death. Particularly in children and adolescents from difficult circumstances and with previous psychological stress, one should pay attention to these signs.

Also read the following article: Depression in Children.

Genetic predisposition to depression

Most mental illnesses occur in families, i.e. affect several members of a family. It is the same with suicides and suicidal ideation, since they are symptoms of such mental illness. A person is therefore at a higher risk of suicide if a close relative has already committed suicide or is plagued by thoughts of suicide.

There are various explanations for this familial accumulation. On the one hand, we know of special genes that can make people more susceptible to mental illness, for example by disrupting the metabolism of messenger substances in the brain and thus influencing emotional processing, among other things.

Find out more about the topic here: The role of serotonin in depression.

On the other hand, the environment of these families also plays a major role. For example, if a person is depressed because of financial worries, it is likely that close family members will share the difficult situation.

In addition, the suicide of a relative is a terrible trauma that has an additional effect on the disease.

Relatives therefore have a higher genetic and environmental risk of developing mental illness with suicidal ideation than a person from a family without suicidal behavior.

What to do if you suspect a person is intending to commit suicide?

Suicide threats are by no means to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, there is no recipe for dealing with suicidal individuals and most of them don't know what to do in such a situation.

Regardless of whether you are close to this person or whether you trust yourself to intervene, getting professional help is always the most important step. Because ultimately nobody has the power to dissuade someone from suicide if they really want to commit suicide. Only psychiatric therapy is lasting help.

As a relative, you can only be there for the person, give them an open ear and take care of them, but you should urgently advise them to see a doctor. The person can also be offered to accompany them to the psychiatrist and not leave them alone with therapy.

If the person concerned does not want to accept professional help, he has lost the freedom of choice from the moment he endangers himself or others. If there is an acute risk of suicide, you should not try to dissuade the person yourself, but inform the emergency doctor or the police immediately. Because only the emergency service and the police have the authority and the means to protect a person from themselves.