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Suicide and suicidal behavior - Overview

Definition of Suicide and suicidal behavior:

Suicide is the act of deliberately taking one's own life. Suicidal behavior is any deliberate action with potentially life-threatening consequences, such as taking a drug overdose or deliberately crashing a car.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Suicidal behaviors can accompany many emotional disturbances, including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. More than 90% of all suicides are related to a mood disorder or other mental illness.

Suicidal behaviors often occur in response to a situation that the person views as overwhelming, such as:

  • Aging
  • Death of a loved one
  • Dependence on alcohol or other drug
  • Emotional trauma
  • Guilty feelings
  • Serious physical illness
  • Social isolation
  • Unemployment or financial problems

The elderly have the highest rate of suicide, but there has been a steady increase among adolescents. Risk factors for suicide in adolescents include:

  • Access to firearms
  • Family member who committed suicide (almost always someone who shared a common mood disorder)
  • History of deliberate self-harm
  • History of neglect or abuse
  • Living in communities where there have been recent outbreaks of suicide in young people
  • Romantic breakup

Suicide attempts that do not result in death far outnumber completed suicides. Many unsuccessful suicide attempts are carried out in a manner that makes rescue possible. These attempts often represent a desperate cry for help.

The method of suicide can be relatively nonviolent (such as poisoning or overdose) or violent (such as shooting oneself). Males are more likely to choose violent methods, which probably accounts for the fact that suicide attempts by males are more likely to be completed. Many suicides involve a firearm, especially in elderly men.

Relatives of people who seriously attempt or complete suicide often blame themselves or become extremely angry, seeing the attempt or act as selfish. However, when people are suicidal, they often mistakenly believe that they are doing their friends and relatives a favor by taking themselves out of the world. These irrational beliefs often drive their behavior.

  • Reviewed last on: 1/15/2009
  • Christos Ballas, MD, Attending Psychiatrist, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Zuckerbrot RA, Cheung AH, Jensen PS, Stein RE, Laraque D. GLAD-PC Steering Group. Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC):I. Identification, assessment, and initial management. Pediatrics. 2007;120:e1299-e1312.

Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. Health Care Guidelines: Major Depression in Adults in Primary Care. 10th edition. May 2007.

Bridge JA, Iyengar S, Salary CB, et al. Clinical response and risk for reported suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in pediatric antidepressant treatment: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA. 2007;297:1683-1696.

Cheung AH, Zuckerbrot RA, Jensen PS, Ghalib K, Laraque D, Stein RE. GLAD-PC Steering Group. Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC):II. Treatment and ongoing management. Pediatrics. 2007;120:e1313-e1326.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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