Suicide - Warning Signs
Emotional Warning Signs
- Feeling distant from others, outside looking in
- Extreme tension in their bodies
- Flashes of themselves taking their own life
- Funeral fantasies
- High anxiety
- Fear of themselves
- Thoughts that repeat in a circular fashion
- Seeing no meaning in life
- Afraid of being alone
- Lack of motivation
- A sense of guilt that leads to fear of discovery
- Difficulty concentrating
- Loss of interest in things without developing new interests
- Too much or not enough sleep
- Desire to use alcohol and/or other drugs to escape from discomfort
- Belief that they are unlovable or evil
- Powerful fear of losing love
Behavioral Signs
- Making plans to depart such as giving away important possessions and saying implicit good byes
- Isolation from family and friends
- Loss of interest in career or study
- Sudden mood changes
- Taking up or changing patterns of substance use
- Apathy about appearance and hygiene or extreme fastidiousness
- Sudden mood changes
- Sudden calm after anxious state
- Risk taking behaviours
- Low energy and lack of motivation
- Physical withdrawal from touch
- Changes in eating patterns (overeating or loss of appetite)