Suicidal Signs

Often times, a suicidal person may indicate in some way that they plan to attempt suicide. Here are some warning signs you should know about. (NOTE: Refrain from using the phrase "commit(ed) suicide." Instead, use "completed suicide" or "died by suicide" when describing a fatal suicide attempt).

Warning Signs:

A tendency toward isolation and social withdrawal
Substance abuse
Expression of negative attitude toward self
Expression of hopelessness or helplessness
Loss of interest in usual activities
Giving away valued possessions
Expression of a lack of future orientation (i.e. "It won't matter soon anyway").
A person who has been extremely depressed in the past may e at an increased risk for suicide if the depression begins to cease, as they may now have the psychological energy to follow through on a suicidal ideation.

If you or someone you care about displays any of these warning signs, please do not hesitate to call The Trevor Lifeline at: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) to speak with a trained volunteer counselor.

Some Facts About Suicide:

In the United States, more than 32,000 people die by suicide each year (Centers for Disease Control 2005)
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, accounting for over 12% of deaths in this age group. Only accidents and homicides occur more frequently (National Adolescent Health Information 2006).
Suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses (CDC 2008)
For every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2003)
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey 2007)
More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt (D'Augelli AR - Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002)
Nearly half of young transgender people have seriously thought about taking their lives and one quarter report having made a suicide attempt (Grossman AH, D'Augelli AR - Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior 2007)
Questioning youth who are less certain of their sexual orientation report even higher levels of substance abuse and depressed thoughts than their heterosexual or openly LGBT-identified peers (Poteat VP, Aragorn SR, et al - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009).
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth who come from a rejecting family are nearly nine time more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Ryan C - Family Acceptance Project 2009)

Additional Facts about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth

Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experience harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National Climate Survey 2007)
Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g. called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) (GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth in our Nation's Schools 2009)
LGBT youth in rural communities and those with lower adult educational attainment face particularly hostile school climates (JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM - Journal of Youth & Adolescence 2009)
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens (Marshal MP, Friedmand MS, et all - Addiction 2008)
It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness 2006) 63% of homeless LGB youth will attempt suicide at least one--more than two times as many as their heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al - Child Welfare 2005)