Suicide Clues and Warning Signs

You may not think that your child is at risk for suicide, but there may be clues and signs that can alert you to their distress that include:

  • Isolation from family and friends
  • Eating disturbances or stomach problems
  • Anger, irritability, engaging in high-risk behavior without thinking
  • Dropping grades
  • Feeling embarrassed or humiliated in front of peers
  • Recent disappointment or rejection
  • Sudden loss of freedom/fear of punishment
  • Victim of assault or bullying
  • Substance abuse
  • Giving away belongings
  • Talking about feeling hopeless or trapped
  • Talking about being a burden or not belonging
  • Writing or drawing about suicide or acting it out in play
  • Talking about suicide or wanting to die
  • Anxious and depressed, not sleeping
  • Diagnosis of a serious or terminal illness

There are other risk factors that may make some people more vulnerable to suicide including:

  • A family history of suicide
  • Bullying along with access to firearms and pills
  • Mental Health disorder
  • Substance Abuse