World Suicide Prevention Day: Recognizing the Warning Signs
Understanding how to recognize warning signs can help reduce the loss of life to suicide.
Every year on September 10th, the World Health Organization marks another important observance: “World Suicide Prevention Day,” raising global awareness of the problem and how to prevent it. Thailand’s Department of Mental Health has stated that suicide is preventable, and encourages people to check for warning signs and know where to find help — noting that after 2021, the completed suicide rate reached its highest level in 17 years.
Risk Factors for Suicide
• Economic factors — during COVID-19, many people lost their jobs or their businesses, some businesses had to close, leaving people in debt and without income
• Relationship factors — conflict with family members or people close to someone, including scolding, gossip, pressure, or physical abuse, the loss of a family member, or being bullied
• Illness-related factors — a history of psychiatric illness, such as bipolar disorder, depression, or schizophrenia
• Substance use and alcohol factors — drugs and alcohol substantially increase the risk of suicide, acting as a direct factor by suppressing the part of the brain responsible for impulse control, allowing suppressed emotions, anger, and aggression to surface, which can lead someone to think about and act on suicidal impulses immediately. Substance and alcohol use are also indirect factors — along with gambling — since they can cause someone to lose money, lose their job, and experience stress and depression as a result
These risk factors aren’t distant or unlikely, given how often such problems occur today, along with rising stress and pressure in society even as people’s mental resilience continues to decline. Many people have experienced the loss of someone they know or someone close to them to suicide, and such losses can profoundly affect a person’s own emotions, mental health, and family — potentially leading to stress, anxiety, depression, and a feeling that there’s no way out, all of which raise the risk of suicide even further. Understanding this issue, knowing how to recognize warning signs, and knowing how to offer initial help are therefore valuable — and if put into practice, can help reduce the loss of life within our communities.
5 Warning Signs of Possible Suicide Risk
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Speech — such as saying they no longer want to live, wanting to die, wanting to disappear, feeling like a burden to others, or saying goodbye in advance
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Behavior — withdrawing from others, increased drinking or drug use, seeking out ways to harm themselves (hanging is the most common method of suicide), sleep disturbances, or taking excessive amounts of sleeping pills
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Mood — despondency, sadness, quick anger, or mood swings
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A previous suicide attempt
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A family history of suicide
How to Help Prevent Suicide
To help prevent suicide, people close to someone, family members, or friends should watch for warning signs. If you notice sadness, boredom, withdrawal, repetitive negative thinking, insomnia, a pessimistic outlook, or posts that sound like a farewell, an unwillingness to keep living, or a sense of hopelessness — signs that suggest depression and a risk of suicide — step in promptly to talk, help, and listen, following these three principles:
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Look out for and notice anyone showing thoughts of self-harm or signals of suicide risk
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Listen with understanding — invite them to talk and express their feelings, without criticism or judgment; attentive listening is one of the most effective things you can do
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Connect them with help — such as recommending they call the Mental Health Hotline at 1323, available 24 hours a day, encouraging them to see a healthcare professional, or helping get them to a nearby hospital
But if you or someone close to you shows behavior that puts them at risk of suicide as a result of drug or alcohol dependence, consulting a drug treatment center as a way to help prevent suicide is one option that can connect someone struggling with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts to appropriate help and treatment. Day One Rehabilitation Center has an experienced team of specialists who provide counseling and treatment for a wide range of mental health issues, including various forms of therapy such as counseling, psychiatric treatment, and medication, tailored to the severity of the condition and the needs of each person in treatment.
Reference: https://dmh.go.th/news/view.asp?id=2267 : Department of Mental Health
For more information, contact us at 99/1 Moo 6, Si Chula, Mueang Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Nayok 26000, Thailand +66 64-645-5091 Mon – Sun: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (ICT)