SUICIDAL IDEATION
Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thinking, is the contemplation of ending one’s own life. These types of thoughts may arise in people who feel completely hopeless or believe they can no longer cope with their life situation. Suicidal ideation can vary greatly from fleeting thoughts to preoccupation to detailed planning.
Most people with suicidal ideation do not carry out an actual attempt, but some do. For every 25 attempts, there is one suicide death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, and the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year-olds.
It is important to take people seriously when they express having suicidal thoughts. Research has shown that about one-fifth of people who die by suicide had talked to their doctor or other healthcare professional about their decision.
Symptoms or warning signs may include hopelessness, racing thoughts, insomnia or oversleeping, mania, loss of appetite or overeating, loneliness, alcohol abuse, excessive fatigue or low self-esteem.
Research has found a variety of risk factors for suicidal ideation including the following:
mood and mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder;
adverse life or family events, such as divorce, death of a loved one or loss of a job;
chronic illness or pain;
previous suicide attempt;
military experience;
witnessing family violence;
strained or non-existent relationship with opposite-sex parent in early to late adolescence;
owning a gun;
being the victim of abuse or bullying;
unplanned pregnancy;
and drug or alcohol abuse.
Patients with borderline personality disorder face an extraordinarily high risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. One study showed that 73% of patients with borderline personality disorder have attempted suicide, with the average patient having 3.4 attempts.
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The main difference in vocabulary choices among suicidal persons is their use of words that connote absolutism. These are words that reflect their absolutist, rigid, dichotomous thinking. While earlier studies were using two terms, absolute and extreme, interchangeably, Al-Mosaiwi and Johnstone were able to tease the terms apart in that it was the prevalence of absolutist words that was strikingly different between suicidal persons and other groups.
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Frequently Used Absolutist Words – What to Listen For
Absolutely
All
Always
Complete
Completely
Constant
Constantly
Definitely
Entire
Ever
Every
Everyone
Everything
Full
Must
Never
Nothing
Totally
Whole
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If you have a friend who seems to be suffering from a sense of impending doom, depression, or problems that seem insurmountable, listen to the words your friend is using. Encourage your friend to seek help in dealing with the problems she is facing and if you notice a change in word choice and a growing sense of hopelessness, urge her to get help quickly. In addition to the increased frequency of these absolutist terms, individuals with suicidal ideation are also more likely to use curse words as intensifiers of their feelings and thoughts. Be alert to any changes in the vocabulary and intensity of a friend or loved one's feelings when they are coping with feelings of desperation or depression. If their words indicate a sense of helplessness or feeling that there is no solution to their current problems, encourage them to seek help from trained professionals. We all send out signals of our mood state, but sometimes they may be more significant than first realized.