World Suicide Prevention Day

Suicide is the deliberate act of a person to take his or her own life.
Suicide is a matter that affects all age groups, especially adolescents who are in a very vulnerable stage of life and tend to be guided by emotions and feelings that go beyond rational logic. Statistically, an estimated 800,000 people die by suicide each year, making it the second leading cause of death.

The causes of suicide are many, but the most common are related to a person’s psyche.
Common factors that can trigger suicide in people include:

Family problems: A broken or abusive home can cause a person to take his or her own life to escape the situation. Children born into such a home develop psychological scars that can quickly develop into depression or mental health problems. When the situation at home becomes very unbearable, it can lead to suicidal thoughts in the youth.

Physical/sexual abuse: Suicide is common among victims of abuse because most victims cannot cope with the effects of such traumatic experiences. Unable to survive and lead a normal life after such an incident, they take their own lives to end the psychological pain.

Lack of self-confidence: This is common in individuals with low self-esteem who are often bullied for having a skin/body defect. The lack of self-confidence makes them easy targets for verbal/physical abuse, which in turn causes them to retreat into a shell where suicidal thoughts plague them.
Other factors may include the loss of a loved one, mental illness, or psychological imbalance.
The factors that trigger suicide are inexhaustible, as people who commit such an act have different reasons for their decisions.

Now that you understand what can lead to suicide, we need to pay attention to some signs by which it is easy to recognize people who have suicidal thoughts. It is quite hard to recognize them as some hardly show any signs, but these points can help narrow it down.

Lack of energy: Such a person always seems tired and disconnected from the activities around them.

Increased irritability: If everything and everyone starts to annoy the person, this could be a subtle sign.

Frequent talk of death: If you suspect someone is going through a suicidal phase, watch for posts, quotes, conversations, or other signs of death talk. A sudden curiosity about drugs and ways of dying is a sign that such a person needs help.

Other signs include loss of appetite, aggressive behavior, constant seeking of solitude, social withdrawal, severe sadness, and more.

When such signs are detected in a person, the next action is to seek help in the form of therapy. First, a psychological evaluation should be conducted to determine the state of mind of such a person and the level of treatment needed to curb suicidal tendencies. If medical treatment seems too costly, you can be a support to the person, offer to talk about anything, pay attention to their moods, talk to them in a non-judgmental tone, and reassure them that you play a role in their life.

Suicidal thoughts occur all the time, especially in people who have survived their first attempts. Therefore, extra vigilance is needed in their environment.

Since today is World Suicide Prevention Day, you can help by raising awareness about this issue and sharing links to crisis hotlines that are available 24/7 to help suicidal people talk about their problems.

Suicide is never the answer.