Suicide is a complex issue. More research is needed to understand risk factors and help prevent suicide.
Talk openly about suicide and its warning signs. Help people develop a safety plan (including emergency phone numbers and the number of friends or relatives who will support them in a crisis). Reduce access to lethal means of self-harm. Build resilience through life skills training and programs that promote optimism and social connectedness.
Identifying Risk Factors
Risk factors for suicide are those characteristics that make it more likely that people will consider or attempt suicide. They include a history of suicide in their family, personal losses (like the death of a friend or loved one, a breakup or financial problems), chronic pain and a disabling illness.
Some risk factors are permanent, while others increase risk during a period of heightened vulnerability. Many can be modified, such as treating a mental health disorder or strengthening social support networks.
Protective factors lower the likelihood of suicide, including strong, supportive relationships and effective problem-solving skills. They can also include religious commitment and a sense of belonging. They can also be augmented by reducing access to lethal items like pills and firearms, connecting at-risk individuals with their healthcare provider and promoting community connectedness through programs for specific population groups, such as older adults or LGBT youth. New technology is also enabling physicians to gather rich data about their patients’ risk profile, using mood-focused smartphone apps or noninvasive sensors that monitor EEG activity, clinical information and other biomarkers.
Developing Life Skills
Life skills are abilities that enable individuals to adapt and thrive in the world. They include emotional regulation, self-care, communication skills, and problem-solving. A person’s level of life skills is often predictive of their risk for suicide.
Most suicidal people, including youth, do not initially plan to kill themselves. Instead, they are overwhelmed by the number of problems they perceive they cannot solve. Precipitating events can include a relationship breakup, bullying incident, illness or death of a loved one, academic failure, financial crisis or other hardship, or major transition.
School-based prevention programs that combine life skills education with flourishing concepts can help students develop and practice the life skills that can protect them against mental health crises, including suicide. These programs and curriculum can also teach adolescents how to recognize warning signs, as well as how to build supportive relationships and a sense of community. Many upstream prevention activities have been shown to increase protective factors for suicide, including gatekeeper training, teaching warning signs, and implementing suicide-specific protocols after a student death.
Building Resilience
Resilience is a skill that can be learned at any age. It includes four key components: connection, wellness, healthy thinking and meaning.
When individuals are resilient, they are better able to handle life’s twists and turns—from the death of a loved one to a medical diagnosis. They can learn from setbacks, change their perspectives, prioritize relationships and find a purpose.
Individuals can learn resilience through various activities, including practicing coping skills and self-care, participating in community social programs that promote connectedness, engaging in therapeutic recreational therapies and having meaningful conversations with others. In addition to these practices, it is important for individuals at risk to have access to a full continuum of suicide prevention services that include crisis support and ongoing care. These resources can include helplines, walk-in crisis clinics, mobile teams and hospital-based psychiatric emergency services. It is also important for communities to educate their residents about these services and encourage people to use them.
Supporting Individuals at Risk
It’s important to be supportive of people who are experiencing a high level of stress or feeling overwhelmed. This can include being proactive and reducing access to lethal means, such as weapons or medications (like pills, razors or alcohol).
Helping people build life skills and resilience through programs such as skills training, mobile apps and self-help materials can be protective factors against suicide. These programs can also support recovery by encouraging positive behavior responses to negative conditions and increasing awareness of resources for help.
People who are at risk can benefit from creating a safety plan — a set of steps they promise to follow during a crisis. This can include identifying their triggers and warning signs, a list of people they feel comfortable reaching out to for support and an action plan for when a crisis strikes. This is often something that a mental health professional can do with the person, but family and friends are also often helpful in this process.