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Suicide Myths: (the following are common misconceptions about suicide)
- People who talk about suicide really won't do it.
NOT TRUE - Almost every person who commits or attempts suicide has given
some signal or clue to another person. Signals must not be ignored, minimized, or ridiculed. Even flippant, joking
statements are often tests to see if the other person is listening, caring, or capable of helping.
- Anyone who tries to kill him/herself must be crazy.
NOT TRUE - Most people who commit suicide are not psychotic or
insane. These individuals are experiencing extreme distress which may lead to emotional/physical
exhaustion and cognitive confusion. Thinking becomes distorted, confused, and often irrational.
- If a person is determined to kill him/herself, nothing will stop them.
NOT TRUE - Even the most depressed person will report having mixed
feelings about death. What these people are wanting is for the pain and the distress to stop. They are
seeking relief. While suicidal impulses can be overwhelming, they do not last forever if people get
help and support.
- People who kill themselves are unwilling to get help.
NOT TRUE - Research shows that more than half of all individual who are
victims of suicide sought medical help within the last six months before their death.
- Talking about suicide will give some people the idea to do it.
NOT TRUE - In fact, the opposite is true: Talking about suicide in
an honest, open, and caring way is one of the most helpful things you can do when individuals are distressed.
- Kids who talk about suicide are just trying to get attention and should not be rewarded for this
behavior by giving it to them.
NOT TRUE - While it is true that they may be trying to get attention,
these youth really do need the attention of a caring individual. Ask directly about their suicidal
thoughts, plans, and intentions. It is important to remember that suicide victims work their way up to
actually carrying out a suicide plan. Many signals and opportunities for successful intervention are
almost always missed by others along the way.
- Kids are less likely than adults to kill themselves.
NOT TRUE - Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all persons
regardless of age, sex or race. It is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24.
It is the fourth leading cause of death for persons between the ages of 10 and 14.
Risk Factors: (certain experiences or behaviors put some youth at greater risk)
- Previous suicide attempts
- Friends or family who have attempted or committed suicide
- Recent loss in a relationship, jobs, money, health, grades
- Socially isolated or withdrawn - experiences threat to social status
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Symptoms of depression or anxiety
- History of self-destructive or self-mutilating behavior (burning, cutting, scratching symbols on
skin, or excessive body piercing)
- History of impulsive, reckless, or violent behavior
- History of running away, truancy, or school failure
- Lack of a stabile home life or does not live at home
- Family disruption due to death, divorce or separation
- Unwanted pregnancy or other life crisis
- Involvement in or awareness of a highly public tragedy or news event (death of another youth, any
death or loss that focuses school-wide or community-wide attention, a highly publicized incident of
youth violence)
Contributing Factors: (normal developmental factors for consideration with adolescents)
- Self-doubt and uncertainty due to the pressures of growing up
- Coping with changes and pressures of being a teen
- Limited experience in dealing with loss or life crises
- Hypersensitivity to rejection or criticism
- Limited ability to plan for and think about the future
- Unrealistic or romantic views of death
- Adolescent egocentric thinking: feelings of invulnerability, hyper self-awareness and self-criticism
- Natural feelings of conflict between need for independence and present dependence on family
- Natural need for increased personal privacy - or even secrecy from one's parents
How to Help:
- Listen closely and ask for clarification. Do they have a plan? A method? The means to carry
out the plan (is it deadly, imminent)? Do they have anything with them right now (gun, knife, pills)?
These questions will help distinguish between an active plan and a vague wish to alleviate pain.
- Do not make moral judgments, lecture or argue with the individual. People are not talked out
or Ashamed out of committing suicide.
- Be supportive and reassuring. People are helped when they know someone is really listening
and concerned. This is demonstrated only through caring and respect.
- Be willing to take charge and take appropriate steps. This is not the time to worry about
privacy or give in to requests for secrecy. Suicidal individuals are almost always relieved
when someone caring steps in to help.
- Take warning signs seriously. If you don't feel equipped to manage this crisis by yourself,
find another person to help you . Do not leave the suicidal person alone.
- If the crisis is acute, you may need to - call 911, a mental health deputy, or take the
person to a hospital emergency room or family doctor. Community mental health professionals can
provide consultation and backup support. Outpatient counseling can begin when in acute crisis has abated.
- If the crisis does not warrant immediate medical intervention or hospitalization then stay
with the individual until an appropriate safety plan has been developed. While adolescents may
resist the involvement of parents (or the appropriate legal guardian), these people do need to
be included in the safety plan.
An appropriate safety plan will include:
- The removal of all objects that could be used to harm
- A provision for support and companionship for the youth during the crisis
- A written harm agreement with signatures off all relevant parties
- The initiation of professional counseling intervention
- The provision for follow-up support and on-going nurturance of the youth
Danger Signals: (behaviors or personality changes that precede a suicide attempt)
- Talking about suicide
- Statements of hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness
- Preoccupation with death (writing, drawings, conversation)
- Loss of interest in the things that one cares about (family, friends, school, hobbies)
- Significant personality, mood change (acts bored, restless, rebellious)
- Change in eating, sleeping, hygiene behavior
- Reports of significant recent loss or upcoming anniversary of a loss
- Person has plan of action for committing suicide and means to carry out the plan
- Visiting or calling on people the individual cares about
- Making arrangement, giving possessions away
- Making "joking" or flippant statements: "I might as well just kill myself." "You'd be better off
if I weren't around." "I can't take this anymore."
- Appearing suddenly happier, calmer, and energized. May send the message, "You don't need
to worry about me anymore."
- Increasing risk-taking or self-destructive behavior, tempting fate
Where help can be found:
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