What is suicide?

Suicide is when a person deliberately takes actions that lead to the certain outcome of death, seeking relief from what they are suffering. A common misconception attributes suicide to psychological causes—that is, it assumes the person had mental health disorders that led to suicide. This does not mean mental health disorders cannot contribute to suicide, but they are not always the cause. In this article, we explain the causes that can lead to suicidal thoughts and their warning signs.

Globally, one person dies by suicide every ten seconds, and the rate among men is four times that among women. For every one hundred thousand deaths from natural causes, there are five deaths by suicide. In the Arab world, Egypt has ranked first over the past twenty years and remains so, followed by Morocco in second place, then Iraq, Algeria, and Sudan.

Causes of suicidal thoughts

  1. Mental health conditions and difficulties
  2. Financial burdens
  3. Unemployment
  4. Bullying
  5. Relationship problems
  6. Exposure to physical or psychological abuse
  7. Loss of a loved one
  8. Use of drugs or alcohol
  9. Lack of a source of support

What warning signs of suicide should you look out for?

  1. Mood swings
  2. Loss of hope
  3. Loss of pleasure
  4. Leaving work or quitting a job
  5. Talking about death
  6. Social withdrawal and isolation
  7. Feeling like a burden to everyone.

How can you help someone who wants to die by suicide?

  • Do not assume that everyone who thinks about suicide truly wants to die. Not everyone who thinks about suicide actually wants to die; what they want is for the pain to stop.
  • Do not treat someone who wants to die by suicide as though they have a mental health disorder. Not everyone who thinks about suicide has a mental health disorder. Many people who have not been diagnosed with any mental health disorder think about or attempt suicide, seeking relief from overwhelming pain they cannot overcome.
  • Do not dismiss the feelings of a person considering suicide. Or assume they are doing it to get attention. It is extremely important to take anyone seriously if they talk about death or suicide. These are signals they are sending that mean, “I lack support in my life.”
  • Do not call the person a coward or selfish. Or say they have chosen the easy way out of their suffering and pain. Most people who decide to end their lives do not see suicide as the easy option, but as the only option.
  • Do not assume there is no point in talking to a person considering suicide. Or that someone who thinks about suicide will continue thinking about it forever because suicidal thoughts are permanent. This is not true. Suicidal thoughts are not permanent; with the right treatment and appropriate support, a person can live a long, comfortable life.

Suicide does not happen without warning. There are always signs and warnings—visual, verbal, and behavioral—that appear beforehand, so it is important for those around the person to be aware of them. We should not treat talking about suicide as unhelpful, or assume that it might make people more aware of suicide and encourage them to act on it. On the contrary, we should recognize that talking about suicide can create collective awareness of its causes and how to prevent it from happening to us or those around us. This encourages us and others to seek help without shame when suicidal thoughts take hold. In turn, this can create a chance of survival for everyone considering suicide, show them a hopeful path forward in life, and help them emerge from the experience with greater awareness and resilience.

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