A suicidal person is one who is experiencing a personal

suicide crisis A suicide crisis, suicidal crisis or potential suicide is a situation in which a person is attempting to kill themselves or is seriously contemplating or planning to do so. It is considered by public safety authorities, medical practice, and eme ...

; that is the person is attempting

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

, is seeking a means to die by suicide, or is contemplating suicide.

Recognizing a suicidal person

A suicidal person may exhibit certain behaviors. A person who has a preoccupation with death, talks excessively about suicide, or becomes socially withdrawn may be contemplating suicide. Other behaviors in suicidal people include reckless behaviors (such as increased drug and alcohol use, or taking unnecessary risks like dangerous driving), unexpected or unusual farewells to family and friends, and seeking out means to kill themselves (such as acquiring pills, guns, or other lethal objects).

Causes

''See Discussion on causes of suicide for more information.'' In many cases, suicide is an attempt to escape a situation that causes unbearable suffering. A majority of those that die by suicide suffer from depression,

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

, or

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

problems such as

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

.Melinda Smith, M.A., Jaelline Jaffe, Ph.D., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D
"Suicide Prevention: Understanding and Helping a Suicidal Person"
2007-11-26. Retrieved on 2008-02-26. Some that die by suicide have organic disorders such as

brain trauma A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic br ...

and

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

.''Causes of Suicide''
Retrieved on 2008-02-26

Views on suicidal people

Legal

For much of history, people that attempted suicide were seen as violating laws against murder. By the eleventh century, courts "regarded suicide as 'murder of oneself'" and was "therefore viewed...as a criminal act."Russell, Harold E. & Beigel, Allan. ''Understanding Human Behavior for Effective Police Work''. Third Edition. (Basic Books, 1990) page 226-7 These legal repercussions for suicide have existed until modern times. England had laws against suicide until 1961, and between 1946 and 1956 "over 5,000 eoplewere found guilty f attempting suicideand sentenced to either jail or prison."''Police Work'', pg 227 The United States too had laws against suicide as late as 1964, and Islamic holy law also forbids suicide.Wolin, Richard
''Are Suicide Bombers Morally Defensible?''
/ref>

Other factors

Other factors that influence suicidal people are families with a history of suicide and cultural or religious beliefs that glorify suicide.

Notes and references