Suicide Prevention
DATE 05/10/22
Suicide risk factors, suicide protective variables, and their interplay provide the foundation for suicide prevention. Attitudes and behaviours are both protective and risk factors. These variables can include a person's family history, biology, psychology, and sociocultural context, as well as environmental situations like easy access to very lethal suicide methods or simple access to help and therapy facilities.
Suicide Protective Factors
Protective factors lessen a person's likelihood of committing suicide or engaging in suicidal conduct. The following protective characteristics are listed in the Suicide Prevention Resource Center's Risk and Protective Factors: Effective mental health care; Connection to people, families, communities, and social institutions; Life skills (such as coping mechanisms and problem-solving techniques); Self-worth and a sense of direction or meaning in life; and Suicide prevention cultural, religious, or personal values
Risk factors for suicide
Risk factors raise a person's risk of committing suicide or engaging in suicidal conduct. Certain risk variables or risk factor combinations may have a greater effect on a person as a result of their age, gender, or ethnicity. Contrary to popular belief, stress is not the only cause of suicide or that it happens at random.
Biological, Psychological and Social Risk Factors for Suicide
- Previous suicide attempt
- Mental disorders - particularly mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and certain personality disorder diagnoses
- Alcohol and substance abuse disorders
- Family history of suicide
- History of trauma or abuse
- Hopelessness
- Impulsive and/or aggressive tendencies
- Some major physical illnesses
Environmental Risk Factors
- Job or financial loss
- Relational or social loss
- Easy access to lethal means
- Local clusters of suicide that have a contagious influence
- Stigma associated with help-seeking behavior
- Barriers to accessing health care, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Certain cultural and religious beliefs - for instance, the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma
- Exposure to the influence of others who have died by suicide, including media exposure
Socio-Cultural Risk Factors
- Stigma associated with help-seeking behavior
- Barriers to accessing health care, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Certain cultural and religious beliefs - for instance, the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma
- Exposure to the influence of others who have died by suicide, including media exposure
Selecting Useful Interventions for Suicide Prevention
Having knowledge of risk and protective factors helps to choose effective suicide prevention measures. But there is still much to understand, particularly about how these risk and protective factors interact over the course of a person's life and how community efforts to prevent suicide can most effectively use this knowledge.
Source: https://suicideprevention.nv.gov/Adult/Risk/#content
