The new European research and innovation project ResPECT, aims to develop a trustworthy, multilingual and GDPR-compliant AI Assistant: to improve patient care.
Developing a new European AI assistant to improve patient care
read more
Suicide
Did you know?- 7,000 people in the UK take their own life each year
- 90% of people who die by suicide have a mental health condition at the time of their death
- For young men suicide is the leading cause of death
What is Suicide?
Suicide is the act of ending your own life with intent.
Before suicide, a person may experience severe depression and/or suicidal feelings. Suicidal feelings are thoughts about ending your life or feeling that others would be better off without you. These suicidal feelings can lead to thoughts about ways to make plans around taking your own life.
It’s important to remember that though these feelings are temporary, and with the right help and support you can get through it.
What are the signs and symptoms?
By recognising signs and symptoms of suicidal thoughts, people will be able to help others and save one another. It is important to recognise these symptoms and direct the person to the right support. Everyone reacts differently to suicidal thoughts and experiences, but here are the signs that someone may have suicidal thoughts:
Feelings
- Hopelessness: the feeling that things will not get better or that there is no point of living.
- Uselessness: the feeling that you add no value to anything or to anyone.
- Pain: the feeling of suffering and agony and that you can’t imagine it ending.
- Sadness: feeling continuous low moods and tearful.
- Worthlessness: feeling that everyone would be better off without you.
- Curiosity: fascinated by death.
Behaviours
- Talking about death, dying or suicide: making jokes or subtle comments related to the theme.
- Giving away treasured possessions: those who intend to commit suicide may give away treasured possessions to ensure things are in order after they pass away.
- Making final arrangements: making or changing their will, saying their final goodbyes or making amends to someone who they have wronged.
- Changes in personality: abrupt and sudden changes in personality such as an extrovert becoming withdrawn or isolated. May self-loathe or have low self-esteem.
- Gaining access to lethal means: signs of buying a gun, stockpiling pills.
- Increased alcohol or drug use: people who are feeling suicidal may use alcohol or drugs as a means to escape what they are feeling.
Finding this insight useful?
Want to see more like it?
By funding research we can transform what it means to experience mental illness, advancing treatments and improving the lives of millions of people.
Your donation spent on research projects at some of the world's top institutions. You will be supporting studies in psychology, neuroscience, data science, sociology, psychiatry and more.
With your help, we can find solutions for people living with depression, PTSD, anxiety, eating disorders and psychosis both now and in the future.
What are the causes of suicide?
There are many reasons as to why you may start to feel suicidal, typically, particular difficulties that you encounter in life. Here are some examples of common causes:
Physical or mental health problems
Long-term physical pain and illness or mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia may make a person more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
Past experiences
If you have experienced any form of bullying, discrimination, or any form of abuse such as domestic, sexual or physical abuse. Perhaps cultural pressure such as a forced marriage, or during pregnancy, childbirth or postnatal depression. All these events could lead to having suicidal thoughts.
Bereavement
Losing a loved one through death, or the end of a relationship may lead to feelings of overwhelming sadness and worthlessness.
Living problems
Struggles with housing such as being homeless, having financial problems, being in prison, or adjusting to big changes such as retirement may lead to thoughts of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts.
Medication
Research has shown that side effects of medication such as antidepressants, antipsychotic medication and mood stabilisers could increase the chances of suicidal feelings.
Particular groups are more prone to suicide
- Men: In the UK and England, the highest suicide rate is among men aged 45-49.
- Low or Middle-income countries: 77% of global suicides occur in low or middle-income countries.
- LGBT: Research has shown that mental health problems are linked to homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, stigmas and discrimination as well as difficult experiences of coming out.
What are the common treatments for suicide?
Helplines and listening services
Helplines and listening services provide information and confidential support when you need it. This may help you with the overwhelming feelings you are facing and help you to recover.
Samaritans: Telephone Number - 116 123
Provides 24 hours helpline offering emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair and thoughts that lead to suicide.
SOS Silence of Suicide: Telephone Number - 0300 1020 505
A safe place for people who need emotional support, understanding, compassion and kindness.
The OLLIE Foundation: This foundation provides confidential help and advice to young people, and anyone worried about young people. It delivers a number of training programs, mental health support sessions, all free for young people.
Peer Support
Peer support aims to combat loneliness by bringing together people who have had similar experiences to support each other. This can be face-to-face, via telephone or text messages.
Talking therapies
CBT - Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Therapy such as CBT where someone can explore their thoughts, feelings and behaviour can help them understand why they are experiencing suicidal feelings. They will also help devise a plan about ways to resolve these feelings.
Crisis Services
Crisis services give help and support during a mental health crisis on short notice. Services such as Crisis Resolution and home treatment (CRHT) teams, and Crisis House offer this support.
Information and advice:
For immediate help:
If you or someone else, is about to take their own life, make sure to reach out for immediate help:
- Call 999 if the person is actively in the process of harming themselves, or if you feel like you are about to
- Call the Samaritans: 116 123
- Call a GP and ask for an emergency appointment
For more information and advice:
Information and advice can help you gain a better understanding of suicide, understanding the disorder will ensure you make informed decisions of where to get help as well as treatments to use.
Helplines and listening services:
Helplines and listening services provide a safe, confidential space to talk about your thoughts and feelings. This may help relieve distress and pain that you may be experiencing right now:
- Samaritans: 116 123
- SOS Silence of Suicide: 0300 1020 505
- Campaign Against Living Miserably: 0800 58 58 58
- The Mix: 0808 808 4994
- Papyrus HOPELINEUK: 0800 068 41 41
- Switchboard: 0300 330 0630
Other services:
The following services provide a place where you can talk about specific struggles and experiences you are going through, if other services are not as helpful:
- Gender Identity Research & Education Society (See more)
- Maytree Suicide Respite Centre (See more)
- Mood Diaries (See more)
- Stay Alive (See more)
- Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (See more)
What are the recent developments in research for suicide?
MQ Mental Health Research funds a number of different studies that cover suicide. Here are some of the recent findings:
Investigating the long-term risks of suicide in young people with both mental and physical health disorders.
Existing evidence in the field of young people with comorbidities of physical and mental illnesses, and their long-term outcomes, is limited. This project aims to address this by using large population-level data to investigate the risks of suicide and other forms of early mortality that are associated with comorbid mental and physical health problems in young people.
Sensitive periods for the effects of depression on suicide risk
Dr Lussier and his team aim to determine the extent to which the timing of child and adolescent depression interacts with genetic susceptibility to influence suicide risk in early adulthood. He also plans to assess the role of DNA methylation and how it might link depression to future suicide risk.
Why are people with eating disorders at higher risk of suicide?
This research project combines data science and perspectives from people with lived experience in order to map out why people with eating disorders are at a higher risk of suicide.
The project aims to build and test a theoretical model that describes the mechanisms between different eating disorders and thoughts of suicide and self-harm.
Want to see more of our mental health research? See how our world-class researchers are working tirelessly to better understand, diagnose and treat mental illness.
Related Posts
Why people with severe mental illness are more likely to be hospitalised with infections
People living with severe mental illness already face significant inequalities in physical health. New research is helping us better understand one important part of this picture: why infections lead to hospital admissions more often in this group, and why outcomes can be worse.
People with severe mental illness face a higher risk of dying from infections, new study finds
People living with severe mental illness already face huge health inequalities. Now, new research led by MQ researcher Dr Amy Ronaldson shows that this group is also significantly more likely to die from common infections.
STAY UPDATED 📢