Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34. It is often irrational.
Protective factors can help prevent suicide. They include psychological resilience programs that promote optimism and connection; life skills training; and social campaigns that reduce stigma around mental health issues.
Helping someone connect with resources like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and other community supports can be crucial to their safety. Encourage them to make a safety plan and remove weapons, pills, and other potentially lethal objects from their environment.
Encourage Supportive Relationships and Community Connectedness
Developing healthy relationships with family, friends and other peers is vital to one’s mental and physical health. It’s also an important protective factor against suicide.
CDC has made promoting connections a key element of its comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Learn about the evidence-based practices that are being implemented to promote connection.
These initiatives include social programs for specific populations, such as older adults or LGBTQI+ youth; volunteering; community-wide activities; and buddy programs such as mentoring or Big Brothers Big Sisters. Other efforts include restricting access to lethal means and creating protective environments inclusive of substance use prevention.
A comprehensive suicide prevention approach requires a range of partners and settings—including schools, work sites, community organizations, religious groups, legal systems and local businesses. Collectively, the shared strengths, capacities and expertise of these partners can amplify preventive impact. The goal is to make it easier for everyone to get the help they need when they need it.
Identify Risk Factors
The cause of suicide is complex and varies from person to person. However, there are a number of risk factors that increase the likelihood of considering or attempting suicide. These include:
A history of mental disorders, drug or alcohol use, and recent adverse life events are all risk factors for suicide. In addition, suicide rates are higher in rural communities than urban ones and among people who have a history of mental health issues, have a family history of suicide or attempt, or are female.
Other risk factors include a sense of hopelessness or worthlessness, the loss of a relationship or job, and a lack of personal accomplishments. In addition, people who are at high risk for suicide often have a plan in place to take their own lives, which can involve acquiring lethal means like weapons or pills and may include a method of self-injury such as hanging or shooting themselves. Other warning signs include increased substance use or giving away possessions.
Recognize Warning Signs
People considering suicide often give a number of clues, known as warning signs, to those around them. Recognising these signals can help to prevent suicide by allowing those in distress to seek help before it’s too late.
Some common warning signs include talking about death or suicide (directly or indirectly), researching methods of self-harm on the internet, and withdrawing from friends or activities. Other risk factors include a history of mental health or substance abuse problems, significant loss or change in circumstances, severe financial stressors, legal troubles, feelings of shame or disgrace, and impulsivity.
The best way to help a person at risk of suicide is to connect them with professional help, such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, emergency medical services, or a mental health professional. It is also important to recognize the warning signs and act quickly.
Seek Help
When someone you know is at risk for suicide, it’s important to recognize the warning signs and help them seek the help they need. These signs include talking about or wanting to kill themselves, acting recklessly or impulsively and having trouble sleeping. They might also be looking for a specific method to kill themselves, such as a gun or medication. Studies show that when lethal means are made less available, suicide rates by those methods decline.
Reducing barriers to seeking help can include providing access to mental health services, promoting peer norms that support help-seeking and making services more available and culturally appropriate. You can learn more about strategies to prevent suicide in CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action.
Be sure to reach out and stay connected even after a person has experienced a crisis or been discharged from care. Research shows that follow-up contact is critical to preventing suicide. Visit our Follow-Up Matters page for resources to share with your community.