Suicide and depression are closely enough related for suicide to be taken in consideration when there is a moderate or severe depressed individual.

What does this mean? This means that "suicide radar" should be on at all times. When a depressive person is talking about suicide in any form, directly or indirectly, people around that person need to take that seriously. In addition, it means that suicide prevention must take place.

Suicide and Depression Facts

• Up to 15% of those clinically depressed die because of suicide.

• Reports of suicide attempts by women happens twice as often as men, even though men die from suicide, up to seven times as much as women do.

• Suicide by firearms is the most common method for both men and women.

• In the last decade, suicide rates for young people has increased dramatically.

• Depressive individuals are more vulnerable to suicide than healthy people.

• Suicide can be a fatal outcome of severe depression.

Severely depressed individuals feel hopeless, desperate, ugly, helpless, angry, confused, horrible and lost. Indeed, they may be lost in their pain and suffering. This is why it is not strange for these people to think about suicide, plan one and commit it. In other words, depression hurts and it can hurt so bad that a depressed person can see only one way out and that is suicide.

Suicide and Depression: Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention consists of two main parts. The first part is dealing with depression or other illness and second is to minimize suicide risk factors.

How to help depressed person?

There are many ways to help a depressed individual. The first and most important thing is to get that person into treatment. Psychotherapy is mandatory; medication is up to a professional to decide if they are needed. Support is essential and very helpful. Give all the support you can give and do not become discouraged when you are rejected because the person you are trying to help is not rejecting you, their illness is.

Suicide and Depression: Suicide Risk Factors

• Serious medical illness (e.g. major depression, HIV, cancer, schizophrenia etc)

• Emotional trauma ( e.g. Divorce, death of loved one, loss of job etc)

• Previous suicide attempts

• Family history of suicide

• Alcohol abuse

• Consumption of illegal drugs

• Having and access to firearms

• Being involved in religious sects

• Being around suicidal individuals

• Social isolation

With most of these suicidal risk factors, they can be worked on and an individual’s condition can improve greatly if they are addressed in a proper way. For example, depression needs to be treated with psychotherapy and antidepressants, alcoholism should be addressed with alcohol counseling, access to firearms should be denied and so on. Suicide and depression are closely related as well as alcohol and depression. This means that alcoholism is nourishing depression and that depression is one step closer to suicide. Even though some suicide attempts are committed in order to get more attention from the person’s surroundings, no suicide attempt should be dismissed without giving it a serious thought. Talk about suicide should also be taken seriously, especially if a person is depressed or has been depressed in past, because suicide and depression are connected. Suicide and Depression: Conclusion It is better to be fooled than to miss an opportunity to save someone’s life. Planning and talking about suicide should be a red flag to everybody around the person that has those plans and talks about suicide. Suicide attempts are a cry for help and they should be answered. Go from Suicide and Depression back to Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Home What is Depression / Alcohol and Depression Anti Depression / Bipolar Disorder / Causes of Depression / Depression Test / Symptoms of Depression / Teen Depression / What is Atypical Depression / What is Chronic Depression / What is Clinical Depression / What is Depression Self Help / Light Therapy for Depression / What is Major Depression Disorder / Depression Hurts