Suicide means ending your own life. It is sometimes a way for people to escape pain or suffering. When someone ends their own life, we say that they ‘died by suicide’. A suicide attempt means that someone tried to end their life, but did not die.
Thinking about suicide is scary. You may have strong feelings that are hard to deal with. You may feel like things will never be better, but you are not alone. Many people think about suicide. Thinking about suicide does not mean that you will do it.
It does not mean that you are going crazy. Thinking about suicide is often a sign that you want to escape. There are ways to feel better. Remember, you are not alone. You can start by talking to someone else. You can talk to a family member or friend you trust.
In recent days, suicidal cases have been so frequent. If we could all understand the signs of a suicidal person, we could save many lives. The following are signs that one want to take away their life;
Suicide notes.
These are a very real sign of danger and should always be taken seriously.
Threats
Threats may be direct statements (“I want to die.” “I am going to kill myself.”) or indirect comments (“The world would be better without me.” “Nobody will miss me anyway.”). Teenagers might make indirect threats by joking, comments in school assignments like particularly creative writing or artwork, or online through social media. Younger children and those who may have some delays in their development may not be able to express their feelings in words, but may provide indirect clues in the form of acting-out through violent behaviour.
Previous attempts
If someone has attempted suicide in the past, they are more likely to try again. Be very observant of any friends who have tried suicide before (especially those who have recently attempted suicide).
Depression
When symptoms of depression include strong thoughts of helplessness and hopelessness, a child or adolescent is possibly at greater risk for suicide. Watch out for behaviours, comments or posts that indicate that your friend is feeling overwhelmed by sadness or pessimistic views of their future.
Masked depression
Sometimes risk-taking behaviours can include acts of aggression, gunplay, and alcohol/substance abuse. While your friend may not act depressed, their behaviour can suggest that they do not care about their own safety.
Final arrangements
This behaviour may take many forms. In adolescents, it might be saying goodbye to friends, giving away prized possessions, or deleting profiles, pictures or posts online.
Hurting oneself
Self-injury behaviours are warning signs for young children as well as teenagers. Common self-destructive behaviours include running into traffic, jumping from heights, and scratching/cutting/marking the body.
Inability to concentrate or think clearly
If a friend is going through tough times, this may be reflected through classroom behaviour, homework habits, academic performance, household chores, or even conversation. If they start skipping classes, getting poor grades, acting up in class, forgetting or poorly performing chores around the house or talking in a way that suggests they are having trouble concentrating, these might be signs of stress and risk for suicide.
Dramatic Changes
Parents, teachers and friends are often the best observers of sudden changes in suicidal students. Changes can include withdrawing from friends and family, skipping school or classes, becoming less involved in activities that were once important, avoiding others, inability to sleep or sleeping all the time, sudden weight gain or loss, disinterest in appearance or hygiene. Sudden unexplained happiness (after a prolonged period of sadness) can also be a suicide warning sign.
Plan/method/access
A suicidal child or adolescent may show an increased interest in guns and other weapons, may seem to have increased access to guns, pills, etc., and/or may talk about or hint at a suicide plan. The greater the planning, the greater the potential for suicide.
On seeing the above signs, you should use the following tips to save that life which is at risk. Whoever the person is, either a relative or a stranger, just take precaution and help.
Know the warning signs
Read over the list above and keep it in a safe place.
Do not be afraid to talk to your friends
Listen to their feelings. Make sure they know how important they are to you, but don’t believe you can keep them from hurting themselves on your own. Preventing suicide will require help from adults.
Make no deals
Never keep secret a friend’s suicidal plans or thoughts. You cannot promise that you will not tell-you have to tell to save your friend!
Tell an adult
Talk to your parent, your friend’s parent, your school’s psychologist or counsellor– any trusted adult. Don’t wait! Don’t be afraid that the adults will not believe you or take you seriously-keep talking until they listen! Even if you are not sure your friend is suicidal, talk to someone. This is definitely the time to be safe, not sorry!
Ask if your school has a crisis team
Many schools have organized crisis teams, which include teachers, counsellors, social workers, school psychologists and principals. These teams help train all staff to recognize warning signs of suicide as well as how to help in a crisis situation. These teams can also help students understand warning signs of violence and suicide. Whether or not you think someone at your school might be suicidal, find out if your school has a crisis team in place. If your school does not have a crisis team, ask your Student Council or faculty advisor to look into starting a team.
The next time you have a feeling that a person want to commit suicide, don’t just sit and talk about it, rather, take action to save life.