Understanding Suicide: Risk Factors, Prevention, and How to Get Help
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Suicide: Risk Factors, Prevention, and How to Find Help

Suicide: Risk Factors, Prevention, and How to Find Help
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Updated on February 28, 2023
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Suicide is among the top eight leading causes of death in the United States for people age 10 to 64.

 It’s a tragic and complex problem with significant human costs to individuals, families, and communities.
While certain mental health conditions may raise the risk of suicide, the desire to end one’s life is rarely caused by any one thing. Risk factors can help identify people in need of extra support, and sometimes there are warning signs, but all too often suicide seems to come out of nowhere.

Recognizing suicide risk isn’t as simple as performing a wellness check. And the red flags, if there are any, can be subtle. Here’s what to look for and where to find help.

Defining the Problem

While most people understand the term “suicide” to mean voluntarily taking one’s own life, the decision to stop living is one that people arrive at in many ways. There are also different levels of concern:

  • Suicide is death caused by self-directed behavior with the intent to end one’s life.
  • A suicide attempt is self-directed injurious behavior with the intent to die, but it might not result in death or injury.
  • Suicidal ideation refers to thinking about, considering, or planning suicide.
Also known as suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation can take two forms:

  • Passive In this case, a person has thoughts of death but no suicidal plan or intent to harm themselves. This can include thoughts that one would be better off dead, indifference about life, or a passive wish to die, like wanting to sleep forever or wishing for a disease or accident. These thoughts may not be imminently dangerous, but it could lead to reckless behavior or more active thoughts of suicide.
  • Active This is when a person has some kind of plan to act on their suicidal thoughts. Active suicidal thoughts exist on a spectrum and can range from idle thoughts to forming an actual plan.

Suicide Discussion

Suicide Discussion

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Prevalence in the United States

Despite increased public health awareness and prevention efforts, suicide rates remain high. More than 49,000 Americans died by suicide in 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available). In the same year, men died by suicide 3.8 times as often as women, and white men accounted for more than 68 percent of suicide deaths. There were also an estimated 1.5 million suicide attempts that year.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among individuals between age 10 and 34, and firearms accounted for more than half of all suicide deaths.

What Are the Risk Factors?

There’s no one personality profile for someone who’s vulnerable to suicide. A wide variety of factors can come into play, both physical and mental.

Mental Health Conditions

Mental illness is a major risk for suicide. Some studies suggest that as many as 90 percent of people who die by suicide have experienced some form of mental or behavioral issue, including the following:

Other Risk Factors

Beyond mental wellness, other health and environmental factors can lead people to have thoughts of suicide:

Younger people are at higher risk, especially those struggling with sexual orientation in an environment that isn’t supportive. LGBTQ+ youth are more than 4 times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

Social media is also a factor for teens and young adults. Students who reported frequent social media use were more likely to be bullied at school and, in turn, more likely to have seriously considered making a suicide attempt.

Signs of Suicidal Behavior

People are often cautioned to look for red flags for suicidal behavior, but not all people show clear warning signs. These behaviors may give some indication that someone is considering taking their own life:

  • Communicating feelings of hopelessness or feeling trapped
  • Talking about wanting to die
  • Talking about being a burden to others
  • Talking about feeling unbearable pain
  • Increased substance abuse
  • Acting unusually anxious, agitated, or reckless
  • Significant mood swings
  • Increased anger or rage
  • Withdrawing or feeling isolated
  • Changes in sleep patterns (too much or too little)

Any warning signs should be taken seriously in adults and children, and don’t assume these behaviors are a way to get attention. If any of these things are happening, seek help right away.

Prevention and Intervention

When people have a better understanding of the risk factors and warning signs for suicide, they are more likely to reach out for help for themselves or others. If you sense that someone you know is at risk, follow these steps.

Ask Specific Questions

Asking if someone is thinking of ending their own life does not increase the likelihood that they will attempt suicide.

 Be direct and listen carefully to the answers. Try starting the conversation with questions like these:

  • “Are you having thoughts of suicide?”
  • “Have you had thoughts of suicide in the past?”
  • “When did you begin feeling this way?”
  • “How can I help you through this difficult time?”
  • “Have you considered getting help? What steps have you taken to get help?”

Provide Support

One of the best ways to provide support is to listen without judgment and convey empathy. You might not know exactly how your loved one is feeling, but you can understand that they need a listening ear, emotional support, and warmth during a difficult time.

Avoid statements like “You have so much to live for” or “How can you possibly be thinking of this?” Remarks like these may trigger feelings of shame and cause further isolation.

Create a Help Plan

It can be difficult for people experiencing suicidal thoughts to connect to mental health professionals and services on their own.

One way you can help is to gather a list of resources for treatment, such as the names of licensed psychotherapists or psychiatrists, as well as other services that can assist with personal care needs and with getting to and from appointments.

Enact a Safety Plan

If you think that a friend or loved one is showing signs of imminent danger, even if you’re not certain, take the following precautions:

  • Stay with the at-risk person until help arrives.
  • Remove all lethal means such as firearms, sharp objects, and prescription medications.
  • Get rid of all illicit substances and alcohol.
  • Take the person to the nearest hospital or call 911.

Where Can You Get Help?

There are a number of resources to help people who are suicidal or show risk factors for suicide. The starting point depends on the risk level.

  • Help and chat lines like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call 988) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) provide free and confidential support and assist individuals in crisis with local resources.
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are both recommended treatments for people experiencing suicidal ideation.
  • Some people experiencing suicidal ideation need medication. A licensed psychiatrist (a child or adolescent psychiatrist for young people) can complete a full workup and prescribe medications.
  • Call 911 in the event of imminent risk.
  • To learn more about preventing suicide, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website BeThe1To.com, which was created by the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

The Takeaway

  • Suicide is a serious and deeply complex public health issue that affects people across all ages and backgrounds. Its impact extends beyond individuals to families, friends, and entire communities.
  • Risk is influenced by multiple, overlapping factors. Mental health and behavioral conditions (such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) are strongly linked to suicide, but chronic pain, trauma, stress, and social isolation also play important roles.
  • Prevention centers on recognizing warning signs and taking action. Subtle changes in mood, behavior, or communication can signal risk. Asking direct questions, offering empathetic support, helping connect to care, creating safety plans, and using crisis resources like 988 can save lives.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Facts About Suicide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March 26, 2025.
  2. Suicide. Cleveland Clinic. July 22, 2024.
  3. Rizvi A et al. Suicidal Ideation. StatPearls. April 20, 2024.
  4. Suicide Statistics. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
  5. Risk Factors, Protective Factors, and Warning Signs. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
  6. McClelland H et al. Suicide Risk in Personality Disorders: A Systematic Review. Current Psychiatry Reports. August 29, 2023.
  7. Facts About Suicide Among LGBTQ+ Young People. The Trevor Project. December 15, 2021.
  8. Young E et al. Frequent Social Media Use and Experiences with Bullying Victimization, Persistent Feelings of Sadness or Hopelessness, and Suicide Risk Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 10, 2024.
  9. Warning Signs of Suicide . National Institute of Mental Health. 2025.
  10. 5 Action Steps to Help Someone Having Thoughts of Suicide. National Institute of Mental Health. 2024.
  11. The Myths & Facts of Youth Suicide. Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health.
  12. How to Talk to Someone Who is Suicidal. UC Health. September 18, 2023.
  13. Safety Planning for Suicide Prevention. Mount Sinai Health Partners.
  14. Suicidal Crisis Support. International Association for Suicide Prevention.
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Lee S. Cohen, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor, From NewYork-Presbyterian

Lee S. Cohen, MD, is an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, maintains a clinical practice focused on expert and complex diagnostics, and is considered an international expert in clinical psychopharmacology. He is also the director of the Clinical Neuroscience Center, involved in innovative development and discovery of new compounds for neuropsychiatric conditions and directly consults with multiple pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Dr. Cohen graduated from the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program at the CUNY School of Medicine at The City College of New York, an accelerated six-year BS/MD program. He then completed his MD at SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine.

He trained in pediatrics and adult psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, followed by a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He served for 20 years as the director of psychiatry at the Clinical Neuroscience Center at Mount Sinai West Hospital.

He is a senior reviewer for multiple journals, including the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, and the International Journal of Autism and Related Disabilities.

Cohen teaches and presents research domestically and internationally at meetings such as those of the American Psychiatric Association and at major universities around the country.

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Katie Hurley, LCSW

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Katie Hurley is a child and adolescent psychotherapist, parenting educator, public speaker, and writer. She covers mental health, child and adolescent development, and parenting for The Washington Post, PBS Parents, Psychology Today, Everyday Health, PsyCom, and US News and World Report, among other outlets, and is the author of the award-winning No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls, The Depression Workbook for Teens: Tools to Improve Your Mood, Build Self-Esteem, and Stay Motivated, and The Happy Kid Handbook: How to Raise Joyful Children in a Stressful World. Hurley received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and women’s studies from Boston College and her master of social work from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the founder of Girls Can! empowerment groups for girls between ages 5 and 11, and practices psychotherapy in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. She splits her time between Los Angeles and coastal Connecticut with her husband and two children.

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