Suicide crisis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Suicide |
|---|
| History of suicide |
| List of suicides |
| Views on suicide |
| Medical | Cultural |
| Legal | Philosophical |
| Religious | Right to die |
| Suicide crisis |
| Intervention | Prevention |
| Crisis hotline | Suicide watch |
| Types of suicide |
| Suicide by method | Copycat suicide |
| Cult suicide | Euthanasia |
| Forced suicide | Internet suicide |
| Mass suicide | Murder-suicide |
| Ritual suicide | Suicide attack |
| Suicide pact | Teenage suicide |
| Related phenomena |
| Parasuicide | Self-harm |
| Suicidal ideation | Suicide note |
A suicide crisis, suicidal crisis, or potential suicide, is a situation in which a person is attempting to kill himself or is seriously contemplating or planning to do so. It is considered by public safety authorities, medical practice, and emergency services to be a medical emergency, requiring immediate suicide intervention and emergency medical treatment.
[edit] Nature of a suicide crisis
Most cases of potential suicide have warning signs. Suicidal behaviors are clear warning signs. Attempting to kill oneself or harming oneself, talking about or planning suicide, writing a suicide note, talking or thinking frequently about death, exhibiting a death wish by expressing it verbally or by taking potentially deadly risks, are all indicators of a suicide crisis. More subtle clues include preparing for death for no apparent reason (such as putting affairs in order, changing a will, etc.), writing goodbye letters, and visiting or calling family members or friends to say farewell.
Depression is a major causitive factor of suicide, and individuals suffering from depression are considered a high-risk group for suicidal behavior - more than 90% of all suicides are related to a mood disorder or other psychiatric illness[1]. The deeper the depression, the greater the risk [2], often manifested in feelings or expressions of apathy, helplessness, hopelessness, or worthlessness [3].
Suicide is often committed in response to a cause of depression, such as breaking up, serious illness or injury (like the loss of a limb or blindness), the death of a loved one, financial problems or poverty, guilt or fear of getting caught for something the person did, drug abuse, and old age, among others. [4]
