Warning Signs of Suicidal Thoughts

[Image Description: There is a dark purple and teal suicide prevention ribbon with a light gray background. My First Former Buddy Club President logo is in the bottom left corner of the graphic.]




CONTENT WARNING #1: I would like to mention that I am not a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. All content posted on my influencer page is for educational purposes only with no intent to provide any professional services. Social media should never be used as a substitute for mental nor medical health care nor legal advice. If you suspect that you or any loved ones are experiencing any mental health concerns, it is okay to get help, and I highly recommend seeking help from a psychologist, psychiatrist, and/or therapist who is qualified to do so. You can also visit my hotline resources page by clicking on this hyperlink: Hotline Resources.

CONTENT WARNING #2: FYI that all because a person exhibits these warning signs does not mean that they are having suicidal thoughts for sure.



    Nearly 800,000 people die by suicide every year, which is approximately one death every 40 seconds. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the world for people ages 15-24, fourth leading cause of death for adults aged 18-65, and tenth leading cause of death for all ages in the United States of America. There are plenty of people under 15 years old who die by suicide or attempt suicide as well unfortunately. An approximated quarter million people become suicide survivors every year. People who attempt or die by suicide do not want to die. They attempt or die by suicide because they desperately want to end their emotional pain (and sometimes additional physical pain), and they are not in the right headspace when they choose to do so. A person's thinking abilities as part of their brain function changes in moments of suicidal crisis. Their change in brain function causes cognitive inflexibility, which appears as difficulty with seeing other options, decision making, problem solving, and handling change. People in moments of suicidal crisis do not have access to their usual abilities to use these skills.

    Learning and knowing the warning signs of suicidal thoughts can help to better recognize when someone may be struggling with their mental health and save lives. Suicide warning signs are statements, questions, behaviors, moods, and thoughts to look out for when you are concerned that someone may be having suicidal thoughts. Typically, warning signs of suicidal thoughts show up as changes in behavior or present new behaviors. It is important to keep an open mind that just because you cannot see something does not mean that it is not there. Some people may exhibit these warning signs without openly admitting to wanting to kill or hurt themselves. The other warning signs that they exhibit may be an alternative way of crying for help. Some people also actually internalize their suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns because they do not know how to ask for help and/or are afraid to ask for help.

    In addition, just because you see these warning signs does not guarantee that an individual is having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting themselves in other ways for sure. It is important to never assume who is and is not struggling with suicidal thoughts and/or any hardships for these reasons. Sometimes people who need help look like people who do not need help. Either way it is important to never shame anyone who exhibits any of these warning signs of suicidal thoughts or opens up about their suicidal thoughts. Understanding suicide is an important way to take part in suicide prevention. Everyone is going through something that no one knows anything about. So, always be kind❤️‍🩹


👥Populations at risk for suicide:
1. People with mental health concerns and/or any of the following mental health conditions:
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) also known as clinical depression
  • Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Panic disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Intellectual Disabilities (ID)
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • Eating Disorders (ED)

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2. People with chronic and/or terminal illnesses (Since people with PTSD or symptoms associated with PTSD are at risk for developing chronic illnesses and/or terminal illnesses and people with chronic and/or terminal illnesses are at risk for anxiety and depression, people with chronic/terminal illnesses are also at risk for suicidal thoughts.)


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3. People who have been told that they "do not look disabled/suicidal/traumatized/like a trauma survivor/a person with (some other type of atypical circumstances or diversity)"


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4. People who are grieving suicide loss and/or other deaths of loved ones


5. People with a family history of mental illness, suicide attempts, or suicide loss


6. Trauma survivors, especially if the traumatic event that they experienced was painful, loss, or life-changing


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7. People with unemployment or job loss


8. Victims of bullying


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9. People who have faced discrimination/prejudice against their disability/disabilities, abilities, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, etc.


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10. People who struggle with building and keeping relationships


11. People in social isolation


12. People who are experiencing or have experienced abuse/neglect


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13. People whose legal rights are being violated


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14. People in toxic relationships or friendships


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15. People with toxic family members


16. People who are going through a breakup or divorce


17. People who have been rejected from colleges or universities or removed from programs


18. People who are lonely


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19. People who are shy, quiet, distant, or introverted


20. People who are experiencing financial difficulties


21. People who are suffering from hunger


22. People living in poverty or who are homeless


23. People with alcohol/drugs/smoking addiction


24. People with abandonment issues


25. People with incarcerated loved ones


26. People in the LGBTQ+ communities


    It is also important to acknowledge that people do not have to be from either of the above populations to show warning signs of suicidal thoughts. Since people can have suicidal thoughts for several different reasons, there are people with what at least appear to be positive lifestyles that struggle on the inside as well and who are too afraid to speak up about their life concerns, such as:
  • People who appear strong
  • People who appear happy
  • People who seem like they have their life altogether
  • Smart people
  • Attractive people
  • People with friends
  • Extroverts
  • Funny people
  • Independent people
  • Busy people
  • People who come from middle class families
  • People who come from rich/wealthy families
  • People with nice clothes
  • People with well-kempt hair
  • People who always have food
  • People who live in nice homes
  • People who have high paying salaries
  • People who are happily or unhappily single, dating, engaged, or married
  • Parents/guardians
  • People with small or large families
  • Middle siblings
  • Youngest or oldest siblings
  • Children who are an only child
  • People with involved positive support systems
  • People with what appears to be involved positive support systems
  • People with no visible concerns (Unfortunately, sometimes people will show no signs of needing help as well because they internalize it due to their fear of speaking up.)


💬If a person talks about. . .
1. Wanting to kill or hurt themself


2. Asking other people if they have ever thought of killing or hurting themself


3. Wanting to know the best way to kill themself


4. Making plans for suicide


5. Having no desire to live or nothing to live for due to their sense of purpose being diminished


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6. Wanting to disappear


7. Being a burden to others


8. The world being a better place without them


9. Extreme criticism of oneself also known as negative self-talk


10. Saying goodbye


11. Feeling hopeless, anxious, depressed, ashamed, guilty, and/or lonely


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12. Feeling trapped


13. Having unbearable emotional and/or physical pain


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14. Not knowing how to ask for help


15. Says, "Who even am I?"


16. Says, "I'm fine."


17. Says, "I don't feel good."



⚠️May exhibit any of the following behaviors:
1. Looking for a way to end their lives, such as but not limited to:
  • Searching online for methods
  • Searching for weapons

2. Finding or searching for access to weapons


3. Repetitive suicide attempts


4. Self-harm


5. Frequent use of alcohol or drugs


6. Frequent smoking


7. Suddenly seeming happy and calm possibly because the individual has finalized their plan to die by suicide to end their pain


8. Social withdrawal from activities, family, and/or friends


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9. Lack of interest in activities, hobbies, interests, aspirations, etc. that they once loved


10. Lack of self-care


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11. Unwilling to do anything


12. Sleeping too much or too little


13. Fatigue


14. Restlessness also known as lethargy


15. Self-loathing


16. Giving away belongings


17. Posting pictures, videos, and captions about suicide, death, sadness, and/or other dark topics too frequently


18. Writing, reading, and/or drawing about suicide, death, sadness, and/or other dark topics


19. Researching about suicide, death, sadness, and/or other topics too frequently


20. Difficulty with building and maintaining relationships


21. Aggression, agitation or picking fights


22. Reckless driving


23. Difficulty with self-regulation
  • Calming oneself
  • Impulsivity
  • Compulsions
  • Overeating
  • Difficulty with stopping or controlling worrying
  • Frequently worrying about different things
  • Difficulty with relaxing

24. Meltdowns


25. Tantrums


26. Screaming


27. Lack of motivation to get out of bed


28. Low energy


29. Hiding


30. Frequent nurse visits


31. Refusal to answer


32. Blank stares


33. Refusing to get needs met
  • Due to fear
  • Due to shame and embarrassment with special help

34. Difficulty with paying attention


35. People pleasing



🧠One or more of the following moods:
1. Relief or sudden improvement


2. Depression


3. Anxiety


4. Stress


5. Lack of enthusiasm


6. Easily irritable or annoyed


7. Agitation or anger


8. Humiliation or shame


9. Fear of something awful happening


10. Guilty


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11. Lonely


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11. Numb


12. Feeling on edge


13. Hopeless


14. Extreme mood swings also known as mood shifts



💭May have any of the following co-occurring thoughts:
1. Suicidal ideation, which is thoughts of dying by suicide without a specific planned method or intent to act on these thoughts


2. Believing that their absence would not matter


3. Intrusive thoughts


4. Rumination also known as fixation


5. Rigid mindset


6. Perfectionism


7. All or Nothing Thinking also known as Black and White Thinking or fixed mindsets
  • "I'm not good enough."
  • "I can't do this."
  • "I can never do anything right."
  • I am stupid."
  • "I am an idiot/moron."
  • "I am unimportant."
  • "I am not loved/unlovable."

8. Irrational or far-fetched thinking


9. Low self-esteem






If you are affected by suicidal thoughts, you are not alone and there is hope. If you or someone you know needs support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 if you live in the USA or text "CONNECT" to the Crisis Text Line at 686868 if you live in Canada.

You can also visit my hotline resources page by clicking on this hyperlink: Hotline Resources




For messages of hope:



In addition, the below blog posts are resources for how to show support for people with warning signs of suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns the best that you can without being their therapist/mental health professional. There are also resources to educate you about the importance of understanding mental health concerns and risks:





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