History UsefulNotes / Suicide

* '''Persistent lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities''' ''[-("Persistent" meaning at least two weeks -- obvious sign of depression)-]'' There's a spectrum here -- it can range from just not participating in their hobbies, to actively disposing of their hobbies, to outright retreating into their homes and not leaving the house. An extreme sign is when the person is ''trying'' to enjoy themselves but cannot even feel anxious about their lack of enthusiasm.

** 1-800-273-8255 American Veteran Crisis Line

For any tropers who feel this way... YouAreNotAlone. [[UsefulNotes/SuicidePrevention There are numbers you can call. Please, talk to someone.]]

Despite [[SuicideAsComedy what many works may lead you to believe]], suicide is a serious and extremely sensitive topic. Helping the suicidal is hard to do since many have little to no knowledge of psychology. The warning signs are [[GoodbyeCruelWorld much more nuanced]] and [[DrivenToSuicide variable]] than what the media portrays. The pervasive mishandling of the issue, especially by Hollywood, leads to many deaths that could have been prevented if the proper measures had been taken. However, this page is not the end-all guide to diagnosis: This will merely debunk the common misconceptions surrounding suicide, as well as shed light on the reasons for them.

It should be noted that UsefulNotes/{{Depression}} is one of the leading reasons behind suicide, which is why this page will also discuss the symptoms of depression. If left untreated, a depressed person may consider suicide anyway if they believe that nobody cares enough to confront them about it.

Depression can be either situational or chronic, and is sometimes linked to family history. Cultural views of depression are naturally quite negative, but the specific kind of negativity varies: Western societies view it as a condition that requires support and professional aid, while Eastern societies (in particular Central Asia) either do not see it as serious, or they consider it a stigma and actively ''refuse'' to deal with it. Japan in particular has the combination of stigmatizing depression while viewing suicide in a positive light, and as such has the ninth-highest suicide rate in the world.

But even in Western societies, the stigma around depression is such that sufferers will ''not'' ask for help immediately. Occasionally, they will even insist that they feel normal and [[DontYouDarePityMe refuse help if offered]]. Constantly refusing help despite evidence that they need it is as much of a warning sign as asking for it: If someone suspects that their friend or loved one is feeling any sort of distress, they should keep offering help no matter how often the person refuses. It is ''extremely'' important that family and friends remain as supportive as possible, because the person is already under considerable mental stress--giving up on them may reinforce or even cause feelings of worthlessness, and suicide may be more likely than if they'd never gotten help in the first place.

While it is impossible to pin down a single cause of depression, there are many diagnosable symptoms that almost entirely stem from widespread changes in brain activity. Sufferers become either agitated (in the clinical sense: experiencing constant irritation, stress, and anxiety) or lethargic (both mental and physical capabilities are severely diminished), but the common result is that neither are able to feel ''happy'', or even their former baselines of "normal." A correlation (note that the direction of causation is still debated) is also seen between depression/suicide and over-general memory; the inability to pinpoint specific happy or depressed periods, leading to the [[AccentuateTheNegative understatement of the former and overstatement of the latter]].

The brains of depression sufferers show significant decreases in serotonin, disturbance of normal sleeping patterns (insomnia is most common, but hypersomnia (excessive sleeping and oversleeping) is also possible, as is a mix of both - wide awake all night, can't keep your eyes open during the day), and a decreased immune system. Drug prescriptions to remedy the imbalances generally have good results, but they themselves are not sufficient as a treatment plan; a balanced treatment of depression should involve therapy first, with medication second, and even without the physical recovery of a suicide attempt, getting over depression can take anywhere from months to several years.

Depression, however, is not the only mental illness that can lead to suicide, though it is the most common. The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is actually the ''most'' likely to cause suicide of all mental disorders. Untreated or badly treated schizophrenia also has a higher rate than depression. Post-traumatic stress disorder and complicated grief also cause suicide, both directly and because depression is often co-morbid to both. Major depression, however, is the most common mental illness to cause suicide, not due to depressed people being more suicidal than some who have other illnesses, but simply because it's a far more common mental illness with suicide as a possible outcome.

The first scientific study, and indeed the [[UnbuiltTrope first sociological study]], ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_(book) Suicide]]'', was written by Émile Durckheim in 1896, studying suicide among different religions and social classes and finding, among other, suicide less common among Catholics, Jews, those with low education and civilians than Scandinavians, singles and soldiers.

[[AC:Common Misconceptions]]

Note that these are sometimes exaggerations of real symptoms and often overlap with depression-sufferers.

* Misconception: '''A suicidal person must have substantial reason to feel that way.''' Many people are only familiar with the extreme form of DrivenToSuicide, where a single and severe emotional trauma makes the person's reason for killing themselves clear. While this can certainly be the case, even [[TraumaCongaLine a long string of disappointments or a series of moderate disappointments in a short enough time]] can become unbearable. In the case of a family history of depression, there really might be no situational reason to explain their depression; they just had [[CosmicPlaything bad luck with genetics.]]
** In the case of anorexia nervosa or a first episode of bipolar mania, there may be ''zero'' external reason appearing. Anorexics are often (though not always) driven [[ThePerfectionist perfectionists]] in all walks of life, and it is said perfectionism that leads to suicidality - the feeling that one is not good enough, while their life may seem absolutely charmed or perfect ''as a direct result'' of their devotion to perfectionism. Persons with bipolar mania, especially before diagnosis/treatment/recognition, often have lots of energy and drive and ambition and exaggerated belief in their own abilities - which can actually lead to their living a "larger than life" life and seeming on top of their world (and themselves feeling that way) - except that hallucinations or generally feeling invincible, or the mania switching to depression can lead to suicidal behavior.
** That said, going too far in the other direction and assuming that suicidality is only out of a known biological mental illness is also a huge misconception and mistake. It ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, especially in situations involving UsefulNotes/{{abuse}} to the point where the abuse (especially emotional abuse) has entirely destroyed someone's self-concept or taken away their will to live. Do not immediately assume that a suicidal person's family or religious organization is somehow always "on their side" or "trying to save them from themselves" - these are two groups that ''can'' and sometimes ''do'' inflict such pervasive emotional abuse. Also, some people with no or only mild apparent previous mental illness ''can'' be DrivenToSuicide by a sudden tragedy - sudden loss of a meaningful person such as a relative or spouse/lover to death and severe financial loss are two huge risk factors. In this case, they think that they're literally facing a FateWorseThanDeath.[[note]]There is actually a strong connection between economic recessions/depressions/austerity and suicides, one ''not'' explained by the lack of or postponement of seeking mental health services during such - ''financial loss itself'' is the suicide-inspiring factor.[[/note]]
* Misconception: '''All suicidality is a result of an episode of [[TheMentallyDisturbed mental illness]]; suicidal people are all [[InsaneEqualsViolent "crazy" or "psychotic."]]''': This is HollywoodPsychology in action. While psychosis is a frequent factor in suicide (note the high rate among untreated/badly treated schizophrenics, and mixed manic/depressed episodes in Bipolar 1 are close behind for it, while eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, and major depressive disorder also have alarmingly high rates), many people attempt or even commit suicide simply because the pain of their life situation has exceeded their ability to cope with said pain, and many times this is a result of hyperrealistic pessimism or traumatic events (including abuse, rape, the loss of loved ones, extreme financial loss, and/or social ostracism), ''not'' loss of touch with reality. As said above, it ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, and even [[SeenItAllSuicide doing it out of sheer annoyance and]] [[SuicideIsPainless boredom with life]] is possible.\\
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While there is some argument that clinical depression is a part of the inability to cope with pain, to fail to recognize and legitimize the suffering of victims who are in serious, legitimate pain for reasons ''outside their own mind'' often only makes the situation worse. This is especially true with those who are contemplating suicide for financial reasons, as mentioned above, because something as simple as keeping them from becoming homeless or providing them with a sufficiently paying job/unemployment assistance/food/needed medical care can itself end the feeling of hopelessness and save their lives.
* Misconception: '''Men are serious when they attempt suicide, but women are only doing it for attention or as a cry for help.''' Every single suicide due to depression is a cry for help. The truth is that, for a variety of reasons ([[JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs media portrayal]] of attempts by each gender for one, differing ease of access to the violent methods is another), men tend to use more violent methods of suicide such as firearms or carbon monoxide poisoning - methods that are likely to be successful - while women tend to use drugs or knives - methods that are much less likely to be successful. Furthermore, women tend to be diagnosed with certain personality disorders (particularly borderline personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder) that frequently result in suicide attempts that often ''do'' have a manipulative component far more often than men are. Unfortunately, the belief that men are serious while women are only looking for attention can be found in some older professional handbooks, and has led many to think that a man who attempts suicide is worthy of assistance, while a woman who attempts suicide is just an over-emotional {{attention whore}} who needs to be ignored or belittled so she "doesn't learn from the attention to do it again". (It is true that women attempt suicide more often than men but men succeed more often, but it's not necessarily 100 women attempting suicide once to every 20 men who attempt suicide once: it's quite possibly 20 women attempting suicide five times each for every 20 men who attempt suicide once and succeed.)
* Misconception: '''Calling police is always the solution.''' Calling authorities on someone or pressing a "suicide notify" button on a post is a last resort - which too many people take as the proper response. The only time one should call authorities is if there is an active threat of harm to ''others'' involving the method of choice, or the person is actively violent toward anyone trying to help. If you have any sort of preexisting friendship with the person threatening suicide (or are even just an acquaintance), it's generally better to try to talk to them and encourage them to talk to others, or to contact close friends of the person that can help. This is because:
** Police involvement, especially police involvement that ends badly, can shut off communication and encourage someone who needs, above all else, to talk and share and be open with their emotions to instead shut down. Due to fear of consequences (misplaced or not) they can [[PoorCommunicationKills close off communication]] and/or [[StepfordSmiler pretend happiness]] [[PoorCommunicationKills rather than openly communicating pain]].
** Not all police officers are understanding of suicide attempts and suicidality, especially among women and LGBT people or with people they've had prior contacts with for suicide attempts or otherwise have negative histories with. Some police officers ''are'' understanding; others may assume it's a false alarm when it is in fact very real. You may have an understanding cop answer the call; you may have the call answered by a cop who has never handled a suicidal person before, or who panics, or who [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom does any number of things that can make the situation worse]].
** Police involvement can raise the risk of violence. An unstable but nonviolent person can be killed or seriously injured by police perceiving a threat where there is none, and someone with the potential to become violent may be pushed over the edge by police involvement. Police don't ''want'' a situation to turn violent, and they certainly don't want a suicidal person to die, but police involvement is not appropriate for most suicide attempts.
** Regardless of the above: '''If someone is an ''immediate'' danger to themselves, calling 9-1-1 (or whatever your local emergency number is) ''IS'' the proper course of action'''. Don't get the idea in your head that you can, without any training, "[[TalkingDownTheSuicidal talk someone down]]" or restrain them to keep them from harming themselves if they're committed to the act. The general rule of thumb is: if they're talking about suicide, talk to them; if they're taking immediately lethal action, you need to notify emergency services ASAP.
** If the person is in serious medical danger, ''do not prioritize avoiding police involvement over their life.'' Do whatever it takes to get them medical attention in time.
** If, based on your history with the person and their own history of interactions with others, you truly believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that their suicide threat or attempt is an attempt to manipulate, police involvement is an effective way to call their bluff.
* Misconception: '''People even experiencing thoughts of suicide (much less attempting it) are [[AxCrazy dangerously violent]].''' While suicide is the ultimate act of violence toward ''oneself,'' most people who consider or even attempt it are ''not'' homicidal toward others, ''and never will be.'' In fact, the majority of suicide attempts are conducted in privacy/isolation both because the person is often alone/isolated, ''and'' does not want to harm anyone else with the attempt; ''and'' some attempters pick less lethal methods such as drugs or cutting for this very reason. If someone is expressing suicidal thoughts, don't treat them like they are dangerous or evil for doing so; this will only alienate them further.
** As an addenda to this, pretty much the only time suicidal people are dangerous to anyone ''but'' themselves is if they express interest in [[TakingYouWithMe murder-suicide as revenge/Taking You with Me]][=/=]RoaringRampageOfRevenge[=/=]SuicideByCop or the like and pursue such plans, if they choose a method that is guaranteed to hurt/kill others or cause major property damage, have stated that they will harm anyone who attempts to stop them (and you know them well enough to have good reason to believe that [[SincerityMode they are not bluffing]]), or ''if'' they are armed with a weapon such as a gun or long knife/sword ''and'' [[BulletHolesAndRevelations interrupted mid-attempt with]] [[GunStruggle someone violently trying to take the weapon away]].
* Misconception: '''There is nothing a person who is not a police officer, psychologist, or psychiatrist can do to prevent suicide.''' There ''are'' things a relatively untrained person (especially a friend or significant other) can do ''before'' the point of "immediately lethal action" is reached if they are present. Those include making sure there are no firearms/sharp knives, razors, or other cutting implements/drugs or chemicals with a lethal overdose capacity/hanging methods accessible to the person (a quick look around the room should suffice at first), talking to and listening to the person ''as someone who cares about them,'' and providing distractions. As noted below, suicide is often an impulsive act, and if the impulse can be resisted, many such suicides can be prevented. Also, some people are ''far'' more willing to talk to and listen to a lover or friend than they are the police or a doctor, and there ''are'' ways of being there for someone and providing support for someone that aren't formal or the result of training but do help far more than professional help does. Finally, believing too much in this misconception leads people to isolate depressed or suicidal people in fear of them or their emotions, believing that they are only capable of being "handled" by professionals - which worsens depression and feelings of being removed from/dissociated from humanity.
** Removing access to firearms, especially, is ''very'' important. Guns are ''the'' most lethal and irreversible suicide method (shooting yourself in the head has less than a 10% chance of survival, and those who do survive are often left far more permanently physically damaged for the rest of their lives than people who overdose or cut) and there is evidence that their mere presence increases contemplation of suicide.
** Also, even if someone doesn't appear to be immediately suicidal, if they appear to be very drunk, very high on stimulants, in a manic swing, compromised or have been going through major life changes, removing firearms, lethal dose amounts of substances, and hanging/jumping methods is a ''very'' good idea to prevent accidental suicide. As is making ''damn'' sure they don't have access to a vehicle.
** This is especially important (so much so that laypeople obtaining some degree of at least suicide prevention "first aid" training is a viable strategy for preventing suicide) in communities that don't relate well to outsiders at all (military or emergency services veterans) or who are more likely to distrust police and/or mental health professionals (among many others, urban poor or minorities, some LGBTQ people, sex workers, and some artists/musicians). While professionals may be the ideal, there ''are'' people who will be angered or frightened by professional involvement as opposed to gratefully receiving it, and nonprofessional help from their own community before a situation becomes immediately lethal is often the best chance they have at staying alive and/or getting professional help.
* Misconception: '''It is easy to tell when someone is suicidal.''' It has a basis in fact, as most people become unhappy before attempting suicide, but there are different ways of showing such an emotion and many are ''not'' seen as suicidal until someone discovers the body or takes them to the emergency room. This is due to the person believing their existence is unwanted, not revealing their emotions to be less of a burden to others, or denying their feelings in an attempt to make them go away. Finally, they may attempt to work through it themselves or be too proud to accept help, as it is "only in their head." They often force themselves to appear [[StepfordSmiler happy, amused]], or "normal," in which the only people who could tell the difference are close friends and family members--of which the vast majority do not have medical backgrounds, and thus don't have the training to deal with it appropriately. On the other side, those who ''do'' have family in the medical field may hide their symptoms because "a [[TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes doctor/nurse/psychologist's kid shouldn't have any problems]]."
** Conversely, a sudden lift in a depressed person's spirits does ''not'' necessarily mean they've "gotten over it" and are starting to recover. [[https://www.depressioncomix.com/posts/134/ Paradoxically]], some seriously depressed people will actually feel ''better'' just before attempting suicide. This is because they believe that they have finally figured out a way to escape their angst, and are therefore feeling hopeful for the first time in ages.
*** In many cases, it's the extent of the depression that prevents suicide attempts. The depressed person simply does not have the motivation to kill themselves. If they improve, [[GoneHorriblyRight the motivation can increase without an improvement in feelings]], [[https://www.depressioncomix.com/posts/050/ and the person attempts suicide]]. [[http://biopsychiatry.com/antidepressants/warnings.html This can prove a problem for those on antidepressants]].
*** This is also why mixed episodes in bipolar 1 and cocaine or methamphetamine use in bipolar 1 are so dangerous - often, the person is depressed or agitated yet at the same time having the focus and motivation mania or stimulant use provides, while the mania is not full enough to also provide relief from the depression, or "coming down" from the cocaine or meth high leaves them depressed again and yet fully motivated and focused to do something about it - and unfortunately the "something" often isn't "get help" but "commit suicide" or "make a half-hearted attempt at suicide that actually works too well."
* Misconception: '''All suicides are planned for a long time.''' Many times, ''suicide is impulsive,'' especially in the severely traumatized, the bipolar, people who have suffered a traumatizing event such as rape or the loss of a loved one, and/or those who use drugs with a rush-crash pattern from alcohol to meth, and a viable strategy for preventing it is to get the person to wait out the impulse to commit suicide, with no judgment on their feelings, but simply "running down the clock" and keeping them in a safe or safer environment while they are experiencing the impulse to die until it legitimately recedes, at least for the time being. For some of these persons (those suffering from trauma/PTSD and/or complicated grief), treatment itself involves making a suicide "emergency plan" or "safety plan" that relies on their seeking out people and things to help them get past the impulses, because ''nothing'' will entirely eradicate said impulses and a UsefulNotes/{{trigger}} can bring them back.
** For example, if you know that every year, your late lover's birthday/a date meaningful to you both/a holiday/something similar is a trigger for these impulses, you can plan to be in a safe location away from methods to easily commit suicide (whether it be a hospital or simply a relatively-suicide-proofed room with someone trustworthy who can protect you from yourself or who can take you to a hospital or other safe place without police being involved), you can try to monitor other areas of your life to not add other temptations or triggers (e.g. not getting drunk if it makes you a sad drunk, avoiding media that depicts similar deaths/avoiding tributes and memorials if they upset you more) and you can consider ways of distracting yourself until the time passes.
* Misconception: '''Suicidality consists of a defined attempt using a usual method.''' Especially for both the chronically mentally ill and even more so for the severely traumatized, many times, there may not even ''be'' a specific intent or attempt. Instead, a pattern develops of simply "[[DespairEventHorizon giving up on life]]" or "[[NotAfraidToDie not caring if one lives or dies]]", which can manifest in everything from unsafe sex and sexual practices (e.g. unprotected casual sex, EroticAsphyxiation or other "edge play" without a SafeWord or in bad condition) to dangerous use of drugs and substances (e.g. drinking until blackout drunk and becoming TheAlcoholic, intentionally going near overdose range, using dirty needles, etc) to unsafe and dangerous driving or work practices. Suicidal self-harmers will sometimes abandon caution while self-harming (e.g. not caring if the cut goes too deep), suicidal people with eating disorders may find it harder to stop because there is no "Oh no, I can die" factor preventing them, and suicidal alcoholics or drug users may not care that they're overdosing or becoming ill. Suicidality is, for these persons, a ''spectrum,'' of safe and healthy (or at the very least harm-reducing and responsible) behavior to acts that may or even are likely to result in serious injury or death. This in combination with suicide on impulse (mentioned above) is how accidental suicide happens - people who don't care whether they live or die taking risks that have a large chance of death.
* Misconception: '''[[StatusQuoIsGod Everything goes back to normal right away.]]''' While the short-term problem may be dealt with, it can take several months to go back to normal even without the physical recuperation of a suicide attempt. Major depression involves severe chemical imbalance in the person's brain, and relapsing or attempting suicide again after a year is common among nearly half of all sufferers. Even after therapy, it can take several years for the person to genuinely return to normal; further complication is when the person themselves thinks that this is true. They may hide their symptoms of relapse to keep others from worrying, or go for years without further treatment in the mistaken belief that they "should be back to normal." Even worse are the cases where the suicide is taken for a joke or forced to be abandoned, and the depressing events continue.
** And the very worst situations are when someone is ''left'' in an abusive or traumatic situation, with no real help to get out of the situation offered. An inventory for abuse of all sorts should ''always'' be taken with someone (especially a person with no source of income outside of their spouse, a minor, or someone who fits the profile of a human trafficking victim) who attempts suicide, and if someone ''is'' living in a situation of abuse or violence, concrete help should be provided (not just "here's a domestic violence pamphlet, call me") to get them out of that situation.
* Misconception: '''All suicides leave [[GoodbyeCruelWorld suicide notes]], so if a suicide victim doesn't leave a note, either the attempt wasn't serious or it wasn't really suicide.''' Again, utter nonsense perpetuated by Hollywood. Most suicides don't leave notes. In some countries, fewer than one in ten suicides leave notes. It's more common in the U.S. specifically because of media depictions.
* Misconception: '''The average suicide victim is a young adult.''' This varies hugely from country to country, but in most Western countries, elders commit suicide at a much higher rate than younger people, and contrary to conventional wisdom, it's not due to age or health but almost wholly due to depression.
** Extreme debt or financial loss often has a worse impact with increasing age, as well - a teenager or young adult who has a strong support system may well ''not'' be DrivenToSuicide by a sudden job loss or finding themselves in extreme debt, while someone in their middle thirties through fifties may well be.
* Misconception: '''[[SuicideIsShameful Anyone who considers or attempts suicide is being selfish and cowardly.]]''' This is a very pervasive stereotype, and also one of the most untrue. People attempt suicide for a variety of reasons, whether that's due to a long history of depression or recent traumas, and oftentimes people in the grip of depression who are considering suicide attempt it out of a desire for it "all to be over." The best way to help someone who's attempted or is about to attempt suicide is not to tell them they're being 'selfish' or 'inconsiderate', but to assist them in getting the help they need. Sometimes, the suicidal person will feel that they are burdening society with their existence and ''actually feels selfish for ''not'' killing themselves'' (in other words, they consider themselves to be TheLoad or even TheMillstone in relation to the rest of the world).
** The ''inverse'' is sometimes the case. People who [[BungledSuicide survive or intentionally botch their suicide]] won't always be happy at first. Some may in fact feel worse, because either [[DeathSeeker they couldn't even manage to]] ''[[DeathSeeker die]]'' [[DeathSeeker properly]], they feel like they've been [[YankTheDogsChain cheated out of relief]], or they feel they "chickened out" and have now burdened their loved ones with financial and emotional stress--the exact thing they wanted to avoid--with no relief to show for it, or have found themselves in legal trouble that will force others to pick up the pieces for them. It is a ''very'' twisted form of SurvivorGuilt that is often confusing for loved ones to deal with.
* Misconception: '''All teens aren't really serious about suicide.''' This applies to children as well - some people believe that teenagers are doing it for the attention, and the children are just joking/can't really want to die. But there are teens who are genuinely suffering, and reasons that may seem ridiculous or overblown to adults are still extremely real and legitimate to the suffering child. If a teen or child is forced to abandon a suicide attempt, and life continues as normal, this can just make it worse and the child/teen more likely to actually commit suicide.
* Misconception: '''If someone isn't serious about suicide, they likely won't commit it.''' This ties into the aforementioned misconception about suicide notes, the one that teens aren't really serious, and in general the (false) idea that most suicides are not impulsive acts. Accidental suicide doesn't require intent at all - [[NotAfraidToDie simple ambivalence or not caring as to whether one lives or dies]] can be enough. Most suicides are impulsive, with survivors reporting regretting attempts [[HappilyFailedSuicide almost as soon as they were underway]]. Finally, even some "joke suicides" such as someone engaging in an action likely to cause death on a [[SuicideDare dare]]/as a joke have "[[GoneHorriblyRight succeeded]]," as a short browse of the Website/DarwinAwards will show.
* Misconception: '''Medication and/or hospitalization alone will fix it.''' Unfortunately, too many people have this view of mental illness (especially depression) as [[TheMentallyDisturbed something people just need to "snap out of," or something that can be "fixed"]]. While medication and hospitalization can help some, there are some caveats to believing both are some sort of instantly effective cures for depression.
** Again, as mentioned above, sometimes people contemplate or attempt suicide for actual, legitimate reasons outside their own minds. While hospitalization may help someone in a situation of abuse or extreme financial loss get over the impulse to commit suicide in the short term, it can also make things worse. Especially in regard to abuse, financial loss, or physical pain, addressing the immediate situation (whether placing the person in a domestic violence shelter rather than a hospital, meeting an immediate financial threat, or treating the physical condition/pain) is the best idea both to see if the person is actually severely mentally ill (e.g. are they considering suicide still once they are no longer being screamed at or beat up or at risk of being evicted or fired or in so much pain that death seems a better option), and in making help seem more attractive if they are (e.g. choosing voluntary outpatient treatment themselves, as opposed to their abuser and/or the police forcing them into a hospital and taking away their independence/being able to select lower-cost treatment options than hospitalization/being able to integrate their physical and mental health care).
** Hospitalization (''especially'' forced hospitalization and in some contexts, especially where abuse has been a part of the depression and/or if the abusers insisted on the hospitalization as punitive, or hospitalization in a context of labeling and shaming or forced treatment) can be a traumatic, painful experience in and of itself. While modern-day mental hospitals are ''not'' [[BedlamHouse generally what would be found in]] Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest or such, not every professional employed by one is necessarily understanding. The "psychiatric survivor" and "mental health consumer" movements have some very good commentary on this - in short, forced hospitalization should be a very last resort much as calling the authorities should be, and research should be done to find a hospital where patients are treated with kindness and respect.
** Related: a ''[[PsychoPsychologist bad]]'' [[PsychoPsychologist therapist]] is worse than ''[[ThereAreNoTherapists no]]'' [[ThereAreNoTherapists therapist]]. This is due to vulnerability to BreakThemByTalking. A therapist who is highly judgmental or commanding, one whose goal is to make someone "behave" or make them "normal," one who has little or no experience with the actual problems their patient has and sees them as a DSM category rather than a human being in legitimate pain, one who is beholden to a religion/method/seminar/similar, one who is very heteronormative in dealing with an LGBTQ person... all of the above are just a few ways a therapist can have very bad effects and make someone angry or fearful and possibly ''refuse to seek professional help ever again.''
** Similarly, emergency rooms may make things much worse during the intake process. While there ''are'' plenty of understanding doctors and nurses out there, there is sadly a perception in emergency medicine that people being brought in for suicide attempts and psych "frequent fliers" in general are wastes of time and resources who keep them from tending to patients with "real" injuries, and it is not unheard of for emergency departments to subject people being brought in for suicide attempts to painful or humiliating procedures on intake that are ''officially'' "better safe than sorry" measures, but are really intended to punish them for the perceived drain on time and resources. If they are indeed a "frequent flyer", even the psych wards may treat them poorly, especially if they are treatment-resistant or noncompliant or if they have historically not gotten along with the staff. The likelihood of this happening increases greatly if the patient has certain diagnoses on their record; borderline personality disorder (which has an ''extremely'' high suicide rate), in particular, carries such a strong stigma in psych settings that many mental health practitioners will actively try and find other diagnoses to avoid saddling a client with that label because they are acutely aware that it often creates barriers to proper care and results in poor treatment by psychiatric staff.
** Co-morbid depression originating from abuse, grief, and/or PTSD is very difficult to ''treat'', much less cure, because the space between "correcting chemical imbalance" and dealing with legitimate emotions from a horrifyingly traumatic experience is very difficult to define. That doesn't mean recovery is impossible - it just means it is very long, mostly from talk therapy, and that most (currently legal) medication's utility is limited because [=SSRIs=] can cure any existing chemical imbalances - but not make painful experiences or memories any less so.
** Antidepressants and neuroleptics are ''not'' always the correct medication. A complete physical for physical causes of the depression or depression-like symptoms ''absolutely needs'' to be conducted, as does a full mental evaluation for other mental causes. Someone can be anemic and needing iron (and treatment for the anemia-causing disease). Someone can be suffering from hyperthyroid or hypothyroid - both conditions which absolutely cause symptoms easily confused with depression and bipolar alike.
** On the subject of neuroleptics, they generally should be seen as a last resort in cases of depression. Not because they're "antipsychotic drugs" (a stigma entirely unwarranted) but because they are very powerful drugs with often heavily sedating direct effects and severe side effects (the biggest one being extreme obesity and diabetes for modern neuroleptics) and another side effect of causing actual brain damage. They should rarely if ever be used as first-line maintenance treatment for unipolar depression (despite ad campaigns like "Add Abilify") because they can worsen it and cause lasting damage beyond that of the depression itself - and a doctor suggesting them as such generally means one needs another doctor. They ''are'' an evidence-based first-line treatment (especially short term) for bipolar 1 ''manic episodes,'' though even there, much medical opinion leans toward using them as emergency as needed and using lithium and/or anticonvulsant drugs as maintenance medication.
** The depression could also be a rare type - e.g. the serotonin and serotonin uptake system is fine, but the endorphin/endogenous opiate systems are where the problem is, or it is due to a lack of or excess of a sex hormone, or it is due to a physical brain injury...
** Finally, even in cases where the depression is solely the result of a chemical imbalance of brain chemicals, it takes around two weeks for medication to reach its full effect, and somewhat longer for talk therapy to begin to work. ''Do not give up'' or insist on adding more/stronger meds because it's not instant, and do give yourself and your mind and body time to heal.
* Misconception: '''Depressed or suicidal people must be living wrong; getting religion/getting sober/committing to a natural lifestyle/manifesting positive thoughts will fix it!''' This is one of the most damaging and often suicide-inspiring misconceptions of depression there is, because it is UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming, plain and simple. It makes the guilt and self-blame a depression sufferer already has far worse to believe that their suffering is their own fault. It's also one that can lead people suffering from depression to make life choices that at best do nothing and at worst destroy their lives with no benefit.
** People of ''any and all religions'' suffer abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar, loss/trauma, and/or other reasons to feel suicidal. ''No'' religious belief is a cure for depression or anxiety (or any other illness) in and of itself, especially when the cause of depression or anxiety is entirely biochemical or hormonal or the like. While religious belief and prayer ''does'' have some positive effect on depression or anxiety for ''some'' believers and religious groups ''can'' provide needed social support, some religious groups can also inflict such pervasive emotional and/or financial abuse that they worsen or even cause depression and suicide, can drive people (especially those who are LGBTQ) to believe they are "sinful"/"evil"/"not doing enough" or add a religious element to the depression/suicidality such as "God hates me" or "I deserve hell". Religious belief ''can'' be helpful to those who already have it and/or who are seeking it for the reasons of prayer/meditation/ritual being comforting and social support via meetings/assemblies/etcetera, but it isn't a cure-all, can make things worse and having depression doesn't mean you're unspiritual or a "sinner" or lack faith. Also, if a religious group offers to heal your mind but ''requires'' or insists on increasingly large financial donations to help you, this is a red flag of something that ''can'' drive people to suicide and definitely won't help.
*** Also, if you are severely depressed (or alternately, in a manic or psychotic episode), while you may be pondering religious ideas or thoughts, you should wait until you are in a better frame of mind. Many highly demanding or even outright abusive or fraudulent religious sects actively recruit mentally ill/troubled people. In such a state you ''are'' more vulnerable to making very bad decisions.
** While alcohol and some drugs (especially in addictive use patterns) ''do'' cause depression and suicidality, getting sober, while it may be healthy and important, isn't an instant cure-all for depression either for most people. Quitting some substances (alcohol, opiates/heroin, and amphetamine-class drugs especially) can produce a horrific suicidal depression "crash" as part of the withdrawal especially if done cold turkey, even in people who aren't depressed to begin with (and delirium tremens or uncontrolled opiate withdrawal can itself kill, while cold turkey speed withdrawal will just make you wish you were dead). If you were self-medicating depression or bipolar consciously or unconsciously with the alcohol or drugs, being sober won't cure the depression. The only time sobriety can be an "instant cure" is if there was no underlying depression, (as in, the drinking pattern or drug use ''directly'' caused depression in someone who wasn't previously ill - example being someone who realizes they become sad and weepy when they drink and stops drinking, or an MDMA user who realizes "suicide Tuesdays" are really making him or her suicidal and quits using MDMA). While becoming sober is a commendable health decision, and joining AA or NA or the like can provide social support, it's one that is often ''not'' as simple as "quit and you'll be 100 percent not-depressed" or "quit and you won't feel suicidal ever again."
*** Sometimes, total sobriety is sometimes a ''bad'' idea for suicide prevention - if the depression is ''due'' to a problem with endorphin production for example, your treatment ''itself'' may include "drugs" such as cannabis or even an opiate (of course, prescribed by your treating doctor) to ''properly'' treat it. With trauma/grief induced depression or suicidality, impulse distraction may involve getting drunk or high enough to forget that one wants to die right now - and while that's not good, it's [[LesserOfTwoEvils a better choice than suicide]]. PTSD or complicated grief sufferers sometimes use cannabis for this reason to deal with trigger-induced suicidal impulses - unlike alcohol or even some prescribed meds, the lethal dose is almost impossible to achieve, and combined with a safe environment, getting stoned ensures safety. For these people, trying to deal with said impulses sober is more likely to result in suicide.
*** Another case where drug use actually ''saves'' lives from suicide involves chronic pain. Chronic severe pain (or even chronic moderate but ''unrelenting'' pain) is a frequent cause of suicide both because of itself and the depression it often induces. While non-drug approaches (and non-narcotic approaches) can work sometimes, if they do not work or if the person is in too much pain to try them at that point, depriving them of pain relief/pain reduction via opiates, other medications, and/or cannabis may very well lead to their suicide.
** Despite what the GranolaGirl and AllNaturalSnakeOil provider will tell you, committing to a more natural lifestyle is also not an instant depression cure. While exercise ''is'' a valuable tool for depression and anxiety relief (studies have proven exercise is as valuable as SSRI antidepressants to overcoming depression) and sunshine (unless you suffer from porphyria), fresh air and a good diet etcetera will make you feel better, none are cure-alls, some parts of the "more natural lifestyle" can become just as bad at guilt-inducing as religion by making you feel guilty for "not doing enough"/"not being natural enough" and moving to a farm or collective or isolated location might worsen depression or anxiety via isolation and financial restriction and possibly provide better access to firearms, dangerous machinery or poisons. If you are so depressed you are suicidal, "going natural" won't, in and of itself, fix it.
** [[ThinkHappyThoughts Positive thoughts and "faith" and manifestation]] ''CANNOT'' fix suicidal depression. A suicidally depressed person ''physically cannot'' maintain positive thinking any more so than they could wish away a broken arm, especially in the absence of anything realistic to be positive or happy about, as such things as "The Secret" and prosperity faith healers demand that one do. This does not make them a bad or evil person or a "[[TheEeyore black hole of negativity]]". It is simply part of the pain they are suffering. To tell people that if only they could think positively, all their problems would be solved and they'd be able to manifest a new boyfriend, millions of dollars in the bank, and perfect health (among other things) is offensive and can be triggering and suicide-inducing if they believe it (leading them to blame and hate themselves and feel guilty that they can't do it or can't maintain it in the face of no proof of improvement). It's the equivalent of telling someone with major injuries from a car accident or fall to just get up and go run the Ironman Triathalon and believe they weren't ever hurt in the first place.
*** If preventing suicide was as easy as "thinking positively," and "having faith," bipolar 1 manic episodes would have ''zero'' suicide risk - as opposed to the ''increased'' risk of suicide that they actually have. Persons who are in a manic state are definitely having ''too much'' of faith and positive thoughts - it's called "grandiosity" and a "feeling of invincibility" - ''so much so'' that it is out of touch with reality and that they are likely to commit accidental suicide by taking risks that have a large chance of death (e.g. believing they can walk on a freeway without being hit by cars, using firearms with no regard for [[UsefulNotes/GunSafety safe practices]], believing they are truly physically invincible or simply not thinking of how risky an activity is until they are already risking their life).

[[AC:Signs and Symptoms of Depression and/or Suicidal Thoughts]]

* '''Persistent feelings of sadness or worthlessness, for at least two weeks.''' (Obvious sign of depression.) A common description by sufferers is that [[EmptyShell they feel "empty" or "hollow" inside]]. Unfortunately, with teens, it is often dismissed as typical moodiness. This leads to the perfect storm of feeding their self-destructive thoughts, making them reluctant to seek help from adults, and instilling the belief that they have to ''prove'' their unhappiness is genuine--regrettably, [[GoneHorriblyRight some of those attempts work]].
* '''Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities for at least two weeks.''' (Obvious sign of depression.) An extreme sign is when the person is trying to enjoy themselves, but cannot even feel anxious about their lack of enthusiasm. They may simply stop participating in their hobbies (this ranges from simply not doing it anymore, to actively disposing of things related to said hobbies), but some people retreat into their homes altogether and rarely leave the house.
* '''Intensely elevated mood with no apparent reason (such as happy life events or cocaine/amphetamine/MDMA use) and a general sense of invincibility or grandiosity, combined with extreme risk-taking behavior as listed below and lasting for at least two weeks.''' (Obvious sign of bipolar mania.) An extreme sign would be someone who is acting as if they are on a constant cocaine or amphetamine high, but not actually using either substance, and who is taking risks such as walking in traffic believing they won't be hit or gambling away their rent money believing they will win it all back with more.
* '''Frequent breakdowns and crying episodes.''' (Known, but exaggerated.) This is rarely witnessed first-hand, despite common media depictions due to serving the RuleOfPerception so well for depression. Depressed people in real life will more often seek out quiet and isolated places during such episodes, either because they want privacy or because they want others to notice that they're gone. Whether male or female, the sufferer may have an (un)conscious desire to be found, as the act has a dual purpose of validating their feelings and giving them "proof" that someone cares about them. Alternately, though...
** '''[[HairTriggerTemper Unusual or constant anger/irritability or irrational rage.]]''' This is more common in male sufferers (due to many cultures viewing anger/rage/violence as more acceptable for men [[MenDontCry than crying]], and to a lesser degree due to how the male brain is wired and due to testosterone itself - men are hormonally less prone to crying episodes), and it's also common as a result of mixed states in bipolar, or bipolar people who are heavy drinkers or stimulant users.
** '''[[TheStoic Absolute lack of displayed emotion]]''' and/or '''[[ElectiveMute The loss of ability to speak and/or express emotions at all.]]''' This is, as well as being far more common in male sufferers of depression, ''also'' highly common in victims of abuse or other PTSD sufferers, and far more rarely, is one of the cardinal "negative" symptoms of schizophrenia. If someone ''cannot express emotion at all,'' even in a legitimately emotional situation, and/or especially if they literally are unable to speak - this is a ''major'' sign of something being wrong.
* '''Sleeping too much, or being unable to sleep.''' (Known, but may not be recognized as a symptom in itself.) This is frequently due to the chemical imbalances. Bipolar mania or mixed states can also produce insomnia, whereas major depression can produce either oversleeping or insomnia.
* '''[[YourMindMakesItReal Unexplained, frequent aches or pains]] due to the immune system shutting down.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) A variant of this is when minor injuries or illnesses take too long to heal, such as a cold persisting for a month or scrapes and bruises lasting for days. Those with no medical experience often cannot connect this to depression.
* '''Feeling cold in inappropriate weather, or the coldness persisting in adequate warmth.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) This may be the reason for the stereotypical depictions of a black-clad "emo" teen, as dark colors absorb and retain heat better than light clothes. It is also one of the most frequently-overlooked symptoms, as wearing sweaters is not unusual in certain climates and even the sufferer him/herself may not realize that this is a symptom.
* '''Changes in appetite and the subsequent weight gain/loss.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) As stated before, depression involves large-scale physiological changes, and subsequently affects the person's appetite. On the other hand, this can be hard to detect as those with decreased appetite will either remind or force themselves to eat normally, and those with increased appetite may hide the bulk of their overeating. Both sides may play it off as insignificant, or even [[SadClown joke about it]] to keep people from worrying. Extreme weight loss, lack of or intense attempts to suppress appetite, and/or being dangerously underweight are also the primary symptom of anorexia - and sudden unintentional weight ''gain'' in someone with anorexia often can inspire suicidal thoughts out of disgust with one's body/with one's "lack of control" over their weight.
** All of the above four symptoms are ''also'' warning symptoms of thyroid conditions - hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, and/or Hashimoto's disease, Graves' disease, or thyroid cancer where the thyroid levels can vary between too low and too high. If you have any one of those four and "depression/bipolar" symptoms, ''insist'' on seeing a thyroid specialist endocrinologist or oncologist and proper testing for all of the above. All of these illnesses mimic depression and bipolar - and if untreated, they ''can'' kill you in many other ways than driving you to suicide.
* '''Sudden loss of care for dangerous activities, beyond that possibly explained by apathy or experience.''' Someone may begin driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving far more recklessly or at higher speeds than usual, act out in "road rage," get into repeated or serious non-fatal vehicle accidents or otherwise become an outright dangerous driver. Someone previously known for being levelheaded and able to defuse or avoid conflict may suddenly start blowing up at the slightest provocation, make absolutely no attempt to keep minor disputes from getting out of hand or even intentionally feed into them, and repeatedly get into physical altercations. Someone may overwork or work in a dangerous manner (e.g. removing protective equipment or ignoring safety precautions, especially when doing so could lead to death or serious injury, working until the point of physical collapse from lack of sleep or pain). Someone may suddenly take up risky or dangerous hobbies, or, if they previously rode dirt bikes or skydived or chased storms for example, ignoring their usual safety precautions while doing so, or may allow a previously controlled illness from diabetes to an eating disorder to get out of control, and it can also overlap with the symptom below. The key here is that while people tend to become more lax on safety the more they do something due to apathy and familiarity, the changes are more obvious than that and persistent - it is someone who consistently acts in a manner that hints at "not caring about living or dying."
* '''Changes in consumption of alcohol, recreational drugs, work hours, and/or forms of escapism.''' This is a more recently recognized sign and appears to be more common among adult athletes, entertainers, musicians, doctors, lawyers and law enforcement, high-level business and finance workers, and others who live high-stress and yet relatively high income and high access to any or all of said options for escape. Much like overeating and under eating and oversleeping and insomnia, either side of the coin can be present. For example, one depressed / suicidal musician might lock himself in his studio and work nonstop using work to avoid the pain and another who used to work nearly nonstop might suddenly quit and do no work at all. A lawyer who drank relatively little to begin with might go OffTheWagon or, alternately, a lawyer known for heavy drinking suddenly goes sober and begins self-recrimination as a part of "recovery." The key here is major changes ''either way'' that are either not connected to any apparent reason ''or'' that are tied to an obvious triggering event.

While these are the major signs, it is not the case with everyone and there are many more symptoms that may be particular to a specific person.

It should be noted that a great deal of depression and suicide involves appearances and (often) self-imposed pressures: Depression stems from both an inability to express emotions and the underlying, if warped, desire to protect their loved ones from such "unsafe" or "wrong" emotions. The major issue during therapy is that the ''person'' accepts that they have a problem, that they need help and that the steps for returning to normal will not happen right away. Generally, a good therapist will help their client figure most of it out by themselves instead of trying to set deadlines or goals for them. This is also why therapy is overwhelmingly one-on-one or in groups of fellow sufferers, rather than with family members or friends--the emotional involvement would impede the person's progress for a number of reasons.

To those who only know the media portrayals (which are greatly watered-down, particularly the physical side of depression), seeing what a genuinely depressed person would look and act like would be a huge shock, and most sufferers are understandable in their refusal to let loved ones into the actual therapy sessions.

There are numerous other sites that go into detail about suicide and depression, but knowing what's wrong is only half the battle: '''If you or anyone you know is showing signs of depression, seek professional help immediately.''' If the professional seems controlling, condemnatory, dismissive, or especially insistent that you convert to their religion or similar, ''keep looking'' even if it means going elsewhere.

[[AC:And one more note...]]

Suicide statistics and official reports of deaths from suicide are often very skewed and inadequate. Some of the problems in determining an accurate death toll from suicide/successful suicide attempts are as follows:
* An undercounting of deaths from suicide itself, due to accidental suicides often being listed as accidents (this is especially a problem with vehicle accidents, work accidents and overwork) and occasionally even being considered as acts of bravery or heroism or tenaciousness when said "bravery" or "heroism" or "tenaciousness" was unnecessary or useless, and is actually suicidal behavior. It is arguable that if all accidental and stress deaths that were actually suicides were counted as such, the suicide tolls would be somewhat higher.
* At the same time, too many ''homicides'' are counted as suicides. This includes all cases of abusers or bullies or others [[DrivenToSuicide driving someone to outright suicide]] or so damaging them mentally that suicidality is the ultimate result. This includes cases written off as SuicideByCop that were actually the result of PoliceBrutality, and other police brutality or police negligence related deaths in custody. This includes outright murders that just happen to look like suicides, either whether intentionally set up to be so by the killer, or that just turned out that way, as well as suicide pacts and cases of kink gone horribly wrong when it involves a person who could demand activities be SafeSaneAndConsensual. It applies to those who intentionally and knowingly [[LeaveBehindAPistol leave suicide methods for people who they know to be unstable or at risk.]] It also applies to people who create situations almost guaranteed to lead to accidental or overwork deaths among those who aren't safety-conscious. If all cases of felony homicide, negligent homicide, or homicide were subtracted from the suicide death toll, the effect would be significant and [[NightmareFuel potentially]] [[ParanoiaFuel terrifying.]]

* Misconception: '''All suicidality is a result of an episode of [[TheMentallyDisturbed mental illness]]; suicidal people are all [[InsaneEqualsViolent "crazy" or "psychotic."]]''': This is HollywoodPsychology in action. While psychosis is a frequent factor in suicide (note the high rate among untreated/badly treated schizophrenics, and mixed manic/depressed episodes in Bipolar 1 are close behind for it), many people attempt or even commit suicide simply because the pain of their life situation has exceeded their ability to cope with said pain, and many times this is a result of hyperrealistic pessimism or traumatic events (including abuse, rape, the loss of loved ones, extreme financial loss, and/or social ostracism), ''not'' loss of touch with reality. As said above, it ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, and even [[SeenItAllSuicide doing it out of sheer annoyance and]] [[SuicideIsPainless boredom with life]] is possible.\\

** Not all police officers are understanding of suicide attempts and suicidality, especially among women and GLBTQIA people or with people they've had prior contacts with for suicide attempts or otherwise have negative histories with. Some police officers ''are'' understanding; others may assume it's a false alarm when it is in fact very real. You may have an understanding cop answer the call; you may have the call answered by a cop who has never handled a suicidal person before, or who panics, or who [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom does any number of things that can make the situation worse]].

The brains of depression sufferers show significant decreases in serotonin, disturbance of normal sleeping patterns (most often insomnia, but oversleeping is not unheard of), and a decreased immune system. Drug prescriptions to remedy the imbalances generally have good results, but they themselves are not sufficient as a treatment plan; a balanced treatment of depression should involve therapy first, with medication second, and even without the physical recovery of a suicide attempt, getting over depression can take anywhere from months to several years.

* '''Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities for at least two weeks.''' (Obvious sign of depression.) An extreme sign is when the person is trying to enjoy themselves, but cannot even feel anxious about their lack of enthusiasm. They may simply stop participating in their hobbies, but some people retreat into their homes altogether and rarely leave the house.

** Similarly, emergency rooms may make things much worse during the intake process. While there ''are'' plenty of understanding doctors and nurses out there, there is sadly a perception in emergency medicine that people being brought in for suicide attempts and psych "frequent fliers" in general are wastes of time and resources who keep them from tending to patients with "real" injuries, and it is not unheard of for emergency departments to subject people being brought in for suicide attempts to painful or humiliating procedures on intake that are ''officially'' "better safe than sorry" measures, but are really intended to punish them for the perceived drain on time and resources. If they are indeed a "frequent flyer", even the psych wards may treat them poorly, especially if they are treatment-resistant or noncompliant or if they have historically not gotten along with the staff.

* Misconception: '''Men are serious when they attempt suicide, but women are only doing it for attention or as a cry for help.''' Every single suicide due to depression is a cry for help. The truth is that, for a variety of reasons ([[JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs media portrayal]] of attempts by each gender for one, differing ease of access to the violent methods is another), men tend to use more violent methods of suicide such as firearms or carbon monoxide poisoning - methods that are likely to be successful - while women tend to use drugs or knives - methods that are much less likely to be successful. Unfortunately, the belief that men are serious while women are only looking for attention can be found in some older professional handbooks, and has led many to think that a man who attempts suicide is worthy of assistance, while a woman who attempts suicide is just an over-emotional {{attention whore}} who needs to be ignored or belittled so she "doesn't learn from the attention to do it again". (It is true that women attempt suicide more often than men but men succeed more often, but it's not necessarily 100 women attempting suicide once to every 20 men who attempt suicide once: it's quite possibly 20 women attempting suicide five times each for every 20 men who attempt suicide once and succeed.)

** The ''inverse'' is sometimes the case. People who [[BungledSuicide survive or intentionally botch their suicide]] won't always be happy at first. Some may in fact feel worse, because either [[DeathSeeker they couldn't even manage to]] ''[[DeathSeeker die]]'' [[DeathSeeker properly]], they feel like they've been [[YankTheDogsChain cheated out of relief]], or they feel they "chickened out" and have now burdened their loved ones with financial and emotional stress--the exact thing they wanted to avoid--with no relief to show for it. It is a ''very'' twisted form of SurvivorGuilt that is often confusing for loved ones to deal with.
* Misconception: '''All teens aren't really serious about suicide.''' This applies to children as well - some people believe that teenagers are doing it for the attention, and the children are just joking/can't really want to die. But there are teens who are genuinely suffering. If a teen or child is forced to abandon a suicide attempt, and life continues as normal, this can just make it worse and the child/teen more likely to actually commit suicide.

** Not all police officers are understanding of suicide attempts and suicidality, especially among women and GLBTQIA people or with people they've had prior contacts with for suicide attempts. Some police officers ''are'' understanding; others may assume it's a false alarm when it is in fact very real. You may have an understanding cop answer the call; you may have the call answered by a cop who has never handled a suicidal person before, or who panics, or who [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom does any number of things that can make the situation worse]].

!!Some RealLife stories
* The mental illness most likely to cause suicide (both intentional and accidental) is anorexia nervosa. Up to 45% of anorexics will attempt suicide or will do something that is likely to cause death. Untreated or badly treated schizophrenia is next up, with an over 30% death by suicide rate - due to hallucinations and delusions in part, but equally due to its often co-morbid depression, the realization of a limited life of stigmatization even among the treated, and/or the difficulty "negative symptoms" such as lack of appropriate emotion and difficulty expressing oneself can produce. Uncomplicated major depression actually has a suicide rate of 3 to 15 percent with bipolar being slightly higher.
* Some ''physical'' conditions also carry high rates, due to co-morbid depression, societal treatment, extreme pain, belief that death will happen anyway, or other factors, and sometimes a combination of all of the above. Being transgender or intersex in an unaccepting environment (e.g. one that does not allow transition and/or shuns the transgender/intersex) has an ''equal'' rate of suicide to anorexia nervosa, the mental illness worst for it, as noted below with 41-45% including attempts, somewhat lower including successful attempts. Chronic pain syndromes are notorious for high rates, with one example being trigeminal neuralgia, an often-disabling facial pain syndrome with few successful treatments and for which "successful treatment" is very hit or miss and individualized. It is almost equal to untreated schizophrenia for suicide rates. Thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto's or Graves' disease can create ''identical'' symptoms to depression, bipolar, or other mental illnesses, and/or the physical suffering they induce if undetected and untreated/improperly treated can easily rival any other severe, chronic condition, and their rates may well be a section of those generally attributed to depression or bipolar or unknown cause. Finally, terminal illness is itself often correlated with a high rate, because those who know they are going to die soon anyway often wish to choose the circumstances and speed of death, especially if the illness is known for painful, prolonged suffering.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Howard_Armstrong Edwin Howard Armstrong]], inventor of FM radio. Left penniless and distraught by his rivals' lawsuits, he jumped from a 13th storey window in 1954, aged 64.
* Two other 20th century writers that committed suicide, besides Hemingway: Creator/SylviaPlath and Creator/AnneSexton. Sylvia Plath killed herself by inhaling the fumes from a gas oven after her husband, fellow poet Ted Hughes, cheated on her and left her for another woman (Assia Wevill, who six years later committed suicide in the same way). Anne Sexton suffocated in carbon monoxide in her garage while wearing her mother's coat--after ''years'' of mental illness, blaming herself for her mother's cancer, and feeling responsible for her divorce in 1971.
*** The (somewhat nebulous) connection between creative writers--especially female poets--and higher rates of mental illness/suicide is known as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath_effect Sylvia Plath effect]].
** Another 20th century author to commit suicide: Virginia Woolf--inevitably pushed over the edge by years of depression, mental illness (particularly, hearing voices), and feeling guilty about being a burden to her husband. The ''Norton Anthology of 20th-Century British Literature'' cites the fear of being arrested by the Gestapo as a reason for suicide. She filled her coat with rocks and walked into the Ouse River near her house. (This had to have been particularly painful, as she was a good swimmer.)
** John Berryman, another poet, who killed himself by jumping off the Washington Avenue Bridge onto the west bank of the Mississippi River. As Music/NickCave put it:
--->Berryman was best;\\
He wrote like wet paper mache\\
Uh-huh, but he went the Heming Way.
** Austrian writer Stefan Zweig explained in his suicide note that he couldn't bear to watch Europe tear itself apart again. Reading his autobiography gives you a good idea of just how nostalgic he was for a golden version of Europe that had been destroyed since the first world war.
** Truman Capote may have committed suicide, or he may have accidentally overdosed. He wouldn't let Joanne Carson call an ambulance, though, so even if he didn't actively kill himself, he didn't really want to live.
** Creator/HunterSThompson, in pain from illness and generally tired of life, wrote "Football Season Is Over" and called it a day with a pistol.
** Creator/RobertEHoward made plans to end his life when his mother's health started failing. After his mother entered her final coma and a nurse told him that she would never again regain consciousness, Howard went to his car and shot himself in the head, dying the day before his mother did.
* More intelligent animals, such as dogs, cats, monkeys, and apes, have been known to be driven to suicide by the loss of a master, mate, or companion, either passively by starvation and dehydration, or actively by jumping off a precipice or lying in front of oncoming traffic. Of course, the same behavior sometimes happens in some ''humans'' who lose a spouse or lover or close friend or even someone they just deeply care about - there is a reason that recent or very painful loss or grief is mentioned as a reason for (especially impulsive) suicide above. Whether it is a pathological mental illness or a legitimate (if not ''good'') reaction to some of the most horrific pain anyone can experience is a matter of [[FlameWar intense debate]].
** Not only that, but older dogs and cats know that their life is at an end, and starve themselves. This usually convinces their owners to have them put down. Proves that animals know about death.
** It's possible that the one fatality of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940) Tacoma Narrows Bridge]], Tubby the spaniel, committed suicide - he rejected a rescue team, and attacked them when they tried to save him by force.
** Cetaceans are voluntary breathers. They can decide to end their lives at any time by just not taking that next breath. Ric O'Barry holds that this was the case with Kathy, the dolphin who usually played ''{{Series/Flipper}}''.
* It could be argued that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin Louis Slotin]], a Manhattan Project nuclear physicist, committed accidental suicide of the "not caring about his own life" variety: he expressed disdain with his life and his work on the project, and then began to take risks including climbing under an operating nuclear reactor and becoming increasingly careless with a repeated experiment, down to not wearing his dosimeter and, when he did the experiment for the last and what would be fatal time, using a screwdriver on the core and removing protective shims. The result was the prompt critical accident that killed him.
* The Russian ''bylina'' tales tell of Chuds (Baltic Finno-Ugric peoples), who rather committed mass suicides than surrendered to invading Russians. They dug underground dungeons, took their valuables and posessions there, and then collapsed the structures when the Russians came to loot, [[TakingYouWithMe killing themselves and the attackers both.]] Such caves have been found.
* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the Japanese government deliberately frightened the civilian populations, most notably in Okinawa, about the supposed atrocities that the Allies would inflict should they take their islands to the point where many committed suicide. Only one-third of the civilian population of Saipan survived the American invasion, and most of the deaths were suicide.
** This was not limited to Imperial Japan. During the fall of [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Nazi Germany]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_suicides_in_1945_Nazi_Germany thousands of people committed suicide]] (including, as noted below, [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler its leader]]) to avoid capture or the humiliation of defeat. And not only did the German leadership kill themselves, but also ''tens of thousands of ordinary German citizen''s, especially in the Eastern terrirories. Sadly, somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as the Germans had behaved in atrocious manner in the conquered East, and they were now subjected to the vengeance of the Red Army - including mass raping of all German women. Killing oneself was seen as [[BetterToDieThanbeKilled the lesser evil]] to being captured by the Russians and then raped, robbed and murdered as revenge on what the Germans had themselves done. Often families, including under-age children, killed themselves together. The mass suicides also acted as the [[DefianttoTheEnd final sign of spite, impudence and defiance]]: such mass suicides were utterly uncommon in the Christian world, and especially shocked the Western allies, whilst the Germans themselves saw it as "snatching the Russians their most prized loot - women to rape" and making their victory empty.
* Scandinavians in general do have alarmingly high suicide rate. Given to [[GrimUpNorth hostile climate]], long and dark winters and Scandinavians' high average IQ (Emile Durkheim showed high intelligence ''[[http://www.suicideireland.com/2010110153/General/suicide-overview/All-Pages.html increases]]'' the risk of suicide), no personal bankruptcy laws and a work culture which does not tolerate failure, it is no surprise. Suicide is usually considered as "just another way to die" in Scandinavia.
* Likewise, Finno-Ugric nations tend to be especially prone to suicide. Hungary and Finland have traditionally had far higher suicide rates than world average. The suicide reduction programs in Finland have worked and lowered this sad rate during the recent years.
* Japanese culture in general sees depression as shameful and suicide as a honorable "way out." That combination ''alone'' leads to many suicides and much suicidal behavior, and since there's many other combinations (from the idea of behavior that would and should be seen as suicidal to be simply being a hard worker or fighting against the odds or being honorable in the case of overwork or working past injuries or similar, or, at worst with things like alcoholism and drugs, just to be ignored and brushed under the rug so to speak, to suicide being seen as a legitimate form of apology when one has wronged someone else in some corners), the suicide rate in Japan is a ''huge'' societal problem, and the country has one of the world's largest suicide rates and some of the very least effective responses to suicide attempts and suicidal behavior ''possible.''
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing Alan Turing]] was a man key in decoding the Enigma machines in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and who even invented the first electronic computer to do so. Accidentally outed as gay when he reported a liaison who tried to burgle his house, Turing was found guilty of "gross indecency", and reluctantly chose chemical castration by hormone treatment over prison. Despite retaining his freedom, Turing was also fired and barred from the university where he worked, and his hormone "treatment" probably lead to his depression and weight gain. Infamously, Turing soon killed himself by eating an apple containing cyanide compounds he used in his work, possibly to make it plausible to his mother that his death was accidental. However, this has recently been questioned by modern historians. The death may indeed have been accidental; Turing had a home chemistry lab where he could conceivably have gotten into cyanide by accident, and the apple was never tested.
* Painter Creator/VincentVanGogh is now known as a major post-impressionist artist, but his life was extremely hard. He was very talented, but only managed to sell two of his 2 000 artworks, living his life more or less in poverty. He also suffered from schizophrenia, possible bipolar disorder and depression during his last years. Eventually, the voices in his head got the best of him, and Van Gogh shot himself on the 27th of July 1890.
* Professor Henry Bedson, the head of the microbiology department at University of Birmingham Medical School, committed suicide in 1978 after samples of live smallpox he was studying traveled through the vents and infected a woman working in the same building, killing her.
* In AncientRome, committing suicide was a common way out for upper-class individuals who expected to receive a death sentence in the near future. In fact, people sentenced to death were often allowed to take their own life instead of being executed. The ''Annals'' of Tacitus mention dozens of such cases.
** Committing suicide prior to trial was preferable to a death sentence because it allowed your heirs to inherit your estate. If you were executed, your wealth was forfeited to the state.
* Speaking of AncientRome, quite a few Roman politicians were driven to suicide in the dying days of the Republic including:
** Cato the Younger, as with the murder of Pompey and the essential collapse of any resistance to Julius Caesar (which from Cato's perspective was a tragedy since Pompey's coalition was the legitimate government of the Roman Republic), he lacked any desire to live in a world where the Republic had essentially ceased to exist. Caesar was quite displeased with this--Pompey had been murdered and now another of the most powerful men of the Republic died, but neither of these worthy opponents fell at his hands in battle. Cato was highly honored in Rome for his incorruptibility and intransigence and, indeed, Octavian likened himself to Cato.
** A generation later, more famously, Marc Antony committed suicide in the aftermath of his crushing defeat at the Battle of Actium, his lover Cleopatra following him to the grave not long afterwards.
* During the fall of Constantinople, several women including nuns commited suicide. The reason why [[RapePillageAndBurn is obvious]].
* In a pretty horrific example, Mitchell Henderson became an infamous [[MemeticMutation meme]] ("an hero") by committing suicide... after which {{troll}}s made up the idea that he did so because his iPod was stolen.
* The infamous case of [[http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=20020526&id=VOJPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0ggEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6973,4696794 Shawn Woolley]], the game addict who was (supposedly) driven to suicide by ''VideoGame/EverQuest''. In reality his mother drove him to it. Everybody just blamed ''[=EverQuest=]'' because [[NewMediaAreEvil it was more convenient]].
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Chubbuck Christine "Chris" Chubbuck]] committed suicide by shooting herself ''on the air'' in TheSeventies. Those in the studio initially thought it was [[DudeNotFunny a tasteless prank]]... until they realized it wasn't. Poor Christine died some hours later.
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_dwyer Robert "Bud" Dwyer]] did something similar. And then {{Filter}} [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDiC83Usn2s wrote a song about it]].
* Music/KurtCobain of {{Music/Nirvana}} shot himself at his home. Surrounded by UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories that he was murdered mostly based around some of the misconceptions outlined above. Notably that a note found with his body "doesn't read like a suicide note" even though it is a long rambling apology to his fans for his apathy towards his success and his shame at not appreciating them.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]] arguably killed himself after former "friends" threatened to go public about his homosexuality.
** The notably fatalistic Tchaikovsky drank unboiled water during a cholera outbreak. It may have been a deliberate suicide attempt; it may have been just not caring any more whether he lived. His life was something of a shambles, despite his musical successes to that point.
* To put it politely, it isn't exactly an unfounded stereotype when you hear about poets always committing suicide. The "Confessional Poetry" movement of the Modernist era is a particularly morbid example. Again, to put it politely, all of the examples given in the opening paragraph on the article for the movement on Wiki/TheOtherWiki took their own lives.
* [[KidsAreCruel School bullies]] drive their victims to suicide so often that there's a specific term for it: "bullycide". Just part of growing up... right?
** Also has spread to the internet in places like [=MySpace=], where some people are hounded and tormented by other people to the point where they announce their plans to kill themselves and their tormentors ''[[SuicideDare cheer them on]]''. There has been one case that made the news where a teenage girl named Megan Meier was harassed over and over again over a personal issue in her life and she killed herself. It was revealed that the tormentor was an adult woman who knew the girl in person and didn't like her. There are [[MoralEventHorizon no words]].
** Combine KidsAreCruel and AdultsAreUseless, and you have the case of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Phoebe_Prince Phoebe Prince]].
* France Télécom employees: 46 have committed suicide from January 2008 to April 2010, due to a management style based on permanent harassment and stress.
** Questionable. France Télécom employs 180,000 people (from engineers to civil servants from its government-owned days). 46 out of France Télécom's 180,000 employees means the suicide rate of France Télécom employees is 25 per 100,000; very close to the [[http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/fran.pdf average suicide rate of France]], slightly below by some estimates, slightly above by others. In other words, being France Télécom employees was most likely incidental to their suicides.
** [[http://reason.com/blog/2009/10/06/is-french-capitalism-causing-m A somewhat facetious and unsympathetic look]] at the phenomenon by the people at Reason Magazine draws this conclusion.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Speight Mark Speight]], a presenter on the British children's art program ''[=SMart=]''. He was discovered to have hung himself near [[UsefulNotes/TheLondonUnderground Paddington Station]] after his fiancée died.
* 41% of trans people have attempted suicide (but lived to be able to report this) [[http://transequality.org/PDFs/Executive_Summary.pdf]]. For obvious reasons, there really isn't a way to know how many completed suicides there has been among trans people, and also many other LGBT individuals, especially [[TearJerker young people and teenagers]].
* More about the Werther Effect: After German author Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe wrote ''Literature/TheSorrowsOfYoungWerther'' (mentioned above), young men who were deeply affected by the novel because of its subject manner (a young man in unrequited love with a beautiful young woman who was attached to a much older man) would visit Goethe and confess their own unrequited loves to him, then they'd depart and commit suicide.
** Of course, most copycat suicides from the book didn't involve the young man in question meeting Goethe in person; so many young German men were found drowned with ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' on their bodies that Goethe prefaced the second edition with the text, "Be a man, and do not follow me!"
* [[http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/09/29/Sex_Video_Drives_Rutgers_Freshman_to_Suicide This story]] of a student who committed suicide after [[ForcedOutOfTheCloset being outed as gay]] due to a [[DeadlyPrank prank.]]
* Including the young man in the news story above, at this writing, 6 gay teens across the United States have taken their own lives in just one week. [[GayngstInducedSuicide For every LGBT kid who commits suicide, another 20 try]].
* Ian Curtis of Music/JoyDivision hung himself, due most likely to his collapsing marriage and bouts of severe epilepsy, combined with pre-existing depression.
* [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/bering-in-mind/2010/10/20/being-suicidal-what-it-feels-like-to-want-to-kill-yourself/ A useful article]] on what it feels like to want to commit suicide.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Adolf_Hitler#Suicide Perhaps the only time to win an argument by using]] GodwinsLaw.
* The award-winning photojournalist Kevin Carter (who was the subject of the Music/ManicStreetPreachers song of the same name) killed himself due to the many [[HumansAreBastards horrific things]] he had [[CreatorBreakdown seen and photographed]] over the years.
* Speaking of the Manic Street Preachers, their former lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey James Edwards might be an example. Depressed, self harming, anorexic, and an alcoholic, Richey went missing in early February 1995 and has never been seen since. While a body has never been found, his car was found not far from the Severn Bridge, a notorious suicide spot.
* Baku Hatakeyama, best known for playing Ki Ranger in ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger'', killed himself for that very reason. Unable to escape IAmNotSpock as Ki Ranger, and unable to find work in general, with financial problems as well, committed suicide, much to the regret of Aka Ranger Naoya Makoto.
* The creator of the webcomic ''Webcomic/SexyLosers'' has chronic depression. His most recent webcomic, ''Webcomic/DepressionComix'', depicts his personal experiences of what it's like to live with depression, including self-harm and thoughts of suicide.
* Creator/GeorgeSanders committed suicide, apparently, due to [[SeenItAllSuicide boredom and overall hatred for the world]].
--> ''Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck. [signed]''
* Music/YoshikiHayashi's father committed suicide when his son was still a young teenager, out of either depression and/or severe physical health problems that went undiagnosed at the time (knowledge of thyroid conditions causing mental health issues was fairly limited in the 1970s). This had an obviously very painful influence on Yoshiki's life, and the song "Tears" is both dedicated to his father and to someone else...
** [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide]] committed suicide by accident in 1998. It may or may not have been a "true" suicide, as there is plenty of evidence he had plans for the future and did not actively plan to kill himself, (and the actual death could have been anything from a drunken attempt at self-treatment of neck pain to a drunken sexual act) but it was also obvious that at the end hide was losing control of his life and his use of certain substances, primarily alcohol, and didn't seem to care whether he lived or died. He is the other person to whom "Tears" is dedicated.
* See the note above on Confessional Poetry? VisualKei is a close competitor, with many suicides and alleged suicides as well as survived attempts. This results from the general view of suicide in Japan as well as factors specific to the scene and the people who usually tend to become a part of it.
** Accidental suicide is also a ''huge'' problem in the Visual Kei scene (as it tends to be in HeavyMetal / HardRock in general) because of a combination of a lot of highly driven, competitive young men who unfortunately also often suffer from untreated mental illnesses (often eating disorders or substance abuse), NoOSHACompliance, and relatively easy access to alcohol and drugs.
* In the summer of 2011, three UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague "enforcers," guys whose job on the team had been to get into fights, died; one, Derek Boogard, from an overdose of painkillers, and two, Rick Rypien & Wade Belak from what is generally though to be suicide, though Belak's family has tried to argue otherwise. It was only after their deaths that it came out that the latter two had struggled with depression for a long time, and then that they were hardly the only enforcers so affected, and together these three deaths opened a public discussion about the physical and emotional toll their career takes on enforcers.
* Creator/RobinWilliams took his own life after a long struggle with depression and alcoholism, although there's some evidence it may have also been due to his suffering a terminal illness, Lewy body dementia. Humor website ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' [[http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/robin-williams-why-funny-people-kill-themselves/ observed]] that [[SadClown depression is extremely common among comedians]], and revealed that they monitor their blog comments for indications of suicidal tendencies [[YouAreNotAlone so they can offer support and encouragement]].
* [[Music/BrokenHope Joe Ptacek]] shot himself in 2010. The reason why is still unknown; Jeremy Wagner (who was still good friends with him) had been talking with him for a while and the two were apparently formulating plans for bringing back Broken Hope. By all accounts, he appeared upbeat and positive, seemed to be healthy, and sounded like he was feeling optimistic about the Broken Hope reunion and life in general. If Wagner ever did find out why, it seems highly unlikely that he would be willing to talk about it.
* The death of Justin Lowe of After the Burial fame may have been this, or it may have merely been an accidental fall. In either case, he had apparently had a mix of mental illness, drug usage, high levels of stress, and general frustration with life brewing for quite a while that eventually manifested as a full-on (and very public) psychotic breakdown on Facebook, where he posted a lengthy, rambling story about what appeared to be a conspiracy involving his bandmates, Sumerian Records, and a large portion of the people in his life seeking to ruin him. After being placed in the care of his family, Lowe vanished sometime around July 20, 2015, and while his car was found abandoned in a parking lot near the Minnesota half of the Arcola High Bridge, he was not found until the day after, when a hiker found a body that was determined to be his. The death was ruled to be consistent with a fall, but authorities were not able to determine whether it was accidental or intentional. On one hand, he was clearly not in his right mind and may have acted with a total disregard for caution that led to his fall; on the other hand, the Arcola High Bridge is a notorious suicide spot and his breakdown indicated that he believed that he was going to get to the bottom of the supposed conspiracy, and being released to the care of his family may have constituted an ultimate failure for him that spurred him to take his own life.
* On May 17, 2017, Music/ChrisCornell of Music/{{Soundgarden}} was found unexpectedly dead immediately after performing a concert in Detroit, with a fitness band around his neck. The death was later confirmed to be a suicide by hanging, which shocked many as in the days and weeks leading to his death, he tweeted and posted many optimistic messages on social media. His friend, Chester Bennington of Music/LinkinPark, killed himself the same way on July 20, which would have been Cornell's 53rd birthday.
* Todd Honeycutt of Enfold Darkness hanged himself in former bandmate Elijah Whitehead's garage days after leaving the band in August of 2017. Honeycutt had been severely depressed for some time, and while he was universally beloved by fans and was an important part of ''Adversary Omnipotent'', their long-awaited and very well-received sophomore album, his relationship with his bandmates had grown increasingly frayed, and a Facebook post made less than a week prior to his death indicated that he felt that his bandmates didn't respect him and merely saw him as the bassist that they had settled on.
* [[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/10/13/jumpers Kevin Hines and Keith Baldwin]] are two of a handful of people who have survived suicide attempts by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Both men reported, as have many other survivors, that they regretted their decision to jump almost immediately and spent the entire fall realizing they had just made a terrible decision.
--> "I instantly realized that everything in my life that I’d thought was unfixable was totally fixable-- except for having just jumped." --Keith Baldwin
--> "My first thought was What the hell did I just do? I don’t want to die." --Kevin Hines

* [[http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/09/29/Sex_Video_Drives_Rutgers_Freshman_to_Suicide This story]] of a student who committed suicide after being outed as gay due to a [[DeadlyPrank prank.]]
* Including the young man in the news story above, at this writing, 6 gay teens across the United States have taken their own lives in just one week. For every LGBT kid who commits suicide, another 20 try.

* In the summer of 2011, three NationalHockeyLeague "enforcers," guys whose job on the team had been to get into fights, died; one, Derek Boogard, from an overdose of painkillers, and two, Rick Rypien & Wade Belak from what is generally though to be suicide, though Belak's family has tried to argue otherwise. It was only after their deaths that it came out that the latter two had struggled with depression for a long time, and then that they were hardly the only enforcers so affected, and together these three deaths opened a public discussion about the physical and emotional toll their career takes on enforcers.

* Scandinavians in general do have alarmingly high suicide rate. Given to [[GrimUpNorth hostile climate]], long and dark winters and Scandinavians' high average IQ (Emile Durkheim showed [[http://www.suicideireland.com/2010110153/General/suicide-overview/All-Pages.html high intelligence ''increases'' the risk of suicide)]], no personal bankrupt laws and work culture which does not tolerate failure, it is no surprise. Suicide is usually considered as "just another way to die" in Scandinavia.

* Painter VincentVanGogh is now known as a major post-impressionist artist, but his life was extremely hard. He was very talented, but only managed to sell two of his 2 000 artworks, living his life more or less in poverty. He also suffered from schizophrenia, possible bipolar disorder and depression during his last years. Eventually, the voices in his head got the best of him, and Van Gogh shot himself on the 27th of July 1890.

* Music/ChrisCornell of Music/{{Soundgarden}} was found unexpectedly dead immediately after performing a concert in Detroit, with a fitness band around his neck. The death was later confirmed to be a suicide by hanging, which shocked many as in the days and weeks leading to his death, he tweeted and posted many optimistic messages on social media.

* Misconception: '''Men are serious when they attempt suicide, but women are only doing it for attention or as a cry for help.''' Every single suicide due to depression is a cry for help. The truth is that, for a variety of reasons ([[TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs media portrayal]] of attempts by each gender for one, differing ease of access to the violent methods is another), men tend to use more violent methods of suicide such as firearms or carbon monoxide poisoning - methods that are likely to be successful - while women tend to use drugs or knives - methods that are much less likely to be successful. Unfortunately, the belief that men are serious while women are only looking for attention can be found in some older professional handbooks, and has led many to think that a man who attempts suicide is worthy of assistance, while a woman who attempts suicide is just an over-emotional {{attention whore}} who needs to be ignored or belittled so she "doesn't learn from the attention to do it again". (It is true that women attempt suicide more often than men but men succeed more often, but it's not necessarily 100 women attempting suicide once to every 20 men who attempt suicide once: it's quite possibly 20 women attempting suicide five times each for every 20 men who attempt suicide once and succeed.)

* Music/KurtCobain of {{Music/Nirvana}} shot himself at his home. Surrounded by ConspiracyTheories that he was murdered mostly based around some of the misconceptions outlined above. Notably that a note found with his body "doesn't read like a suicide note" even though it is a long rambling apology to his fans for his apathy towards his success and his shame at not appreciating them.

** As an addenda to this, pretty much the only time suicidal people are dangerous to anyone ''but'' themselves is if they express interest in [[TakingYouWithMe murder-suicide as revenge/Taking You with Me]][=/=]SuicideByCop or the like and pursue such plans, if they choose a method that is guaranteed to hurt/kill others, have stated that they will harm anyone who attempts to stop them (and you know them well enough to have good reason to believe that [[SincerityMode they are not bluffing]]), or ''if'' they are armed with a weapon such as a gun or long knife/sword ''and'' [[BulletHolesAndRevelations interrupted mid-attempt with]] [[GunStruggle someone violently trying to take the weapon away]].

* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the Japanese government deliberately frightened the civilian populations, most notably in Okinawa, about the supposed atrocities that the Allies would inflict should they take their islands to the point where many committed suicide. Only one-third of the civilian population of Saipan survived the American invasion, and most of the deaths were suicide. And not only did the German leadership kill themselves, but also ''tens of thousands of ordinary German citizens'', especially in the Eastern terrirories. Sadly, somewhat [JustifiedTrope justified]], as the Germans had behaved in atrocious manner in the conquered East, and they were now subjected to the vengeance of the Red Army - including mass raping of all German women. Killing oneself [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled was seen as the lesser evil]] to being captured by the Russians and then raped, robbed and murdered as revenge on what the Germans had themselves done. Often families, including under-age children, killed themselves together. The mass suicides also acted as the [[DefiantToTheEnd final sign of spite, impudence and defiance]]: such mass suicides were utterly uncommon in the Christian world, and especially shocked the Western allies, whilst the Germans themselves saw it as "snatching the Russians their most prized loot - women to rape" and making their victory empty.
** This was not limited to Imperial Japan. During the fall of [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Nazi Germany]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_suicides_in_1945_Nazi_Germany thousands of people committed suicide]] (including, as noted below, [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler its leader]]) to avoid capture or the humiliation of defeat. And not only did the German leadership kill themselves, but also ''tens of thousands of ordinary German citizen''s, especially in the Eastern terrirories. Sadly, somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as the Germans had behaved in atrocious manner in the conquered East, and they were now subjected to the vengeance of the Red Army - including mass raping of all German women. Killing oneself was seen as [[BetterToDieThanbeKilled the lesser evil]] to being captured by the Russians and then raped, robbed and murdered as revenge on what the Germans had themselves done. Often families, including under-age children, killed themselves together. The mass suicides also acted as the final sign of spite, impudence and defiance: such mass suicides were utterly uncommon in the Christian world, and especially shocked the Western allies, whilst the Germans themselves saw it as "snatching the Russians their most prized loot - women to rape" and making their victory empty.

* The Russian ''bylina'' tales tell of Chuds (Baltic Finno-Ugric peoples), who rather committed mass suicides than surrendered to invading Russians. They dug underground dungeons, took their valuables and possibles there, and then collapsed the structures when the Russians came to loot, [[TakingYouWithMe killing themselves and the attackers both.]] Such caves have been found.
* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the Japanese government deliberately frightened the civilian populations, most notably in Okinawa, about the supposed atrocities that the Allies would inflict should they take their islands to the point where many committed suicide. Only one-third of the civilian population of Saipan survived the American invasion, and most of the deaths were suicide.
** This was not limited to Imperial Japan. During the fall of [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Nazi Germany]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_suicides_in_1945_Nazi_Germany thousands of people committed suicide]] (including, as noted below, [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler its leader]]) to avoid capture or the humiliation of defeat.

While it is impossible to pin down a single cause of depression, there are many diagnosable symptoms that almost entirely stem from widespread changes in brain activity. Sufferers become either agitated (in the clinical sense; experiencing constant irritation, stress, and anxiety) or lethargic (both mental and physical capabilities are severely diminished), but the common result is that neither are able to feel ''happy'', or even their former baselines of "normal." A correlation (note that the direction of causation is still debated) also seen between depression/suicide and over-general memory; the inability to pinpoint specific happy or depressed periods, leading to the [[AccentuateTheNegative understatement of the former and overstatement of the latter]].

Depression, however, is not the only mental illness that can lead to suicide, though it is the most common. The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is actually the ''most'' likely to cause suicide of all mental disorders. Untreated or badly treated schizophrenia also has a higher rate than depression. Post-traumatic stress disorder and complicated grief also cause suicide, both directly and because depression is often co-morbid to both. Major depression, however, is the most common mental illness to cause suicide not due to depressed people being more suicidal than some who have other illnesses, but because it's a far more common mental illness with suicide as a possible outcome.

** In the case of anorexia nervosa or a first episode of bipolar mania, there may be ''zero'' external reason appearing. Anorexics are often (though not always) driven perfectionists in all walks of life, and it is said perfectionism that leads to suicidality - the feeling that one is not good enough, while their life may seem absolutely charmed or perfect ''as a direct result'' of their devotion to perfectionism. Persons with bipolar mania, especially before diagnosis/treatment/recognition, often have lots of energy and drive and ambition and exaggerated belief in their own abilities - which can actually lead to their living a "larger than life" life and seeming on top of their world (and themselves feeling that way) - except that hallucinations or generally feeling invincible, or the mania switching to depression can lead to suicidal behavior.
** That said, going too far in the other direction and assuming that suicidality is only out of a known biological mental illness is also a huge misconception and mistake. It ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, especially in situations involving UsefulNotes/{{Abuse}} to the point where the abuse (especially emotional abuse) has entirely destroyed someone's self-concept or taken away their will to live. Do not immediately assume that a suicidal person's family or religious organization is somehow always "on their side" or "trying to save them from themselves" - these are two groups that ''can'' and sometimes ''do'' inflict such pervasive emotional abuse. Also, some people with no or only mild apparent previous mental illness ''can'' be DrivenToSuicide by a sudden tragedy - sudden loss of a meaningful person such as a relative or spouse/lover to death and severe financial loss are two huge risk factors. In this case, they think that they're literally facing a FateWorseThanDeath.[[note]]There is actually a strong connection between economic recessions/depressions/austerity and suicides, one ''not'' explained by the lack of or postponement of seeking mental health services during such - financial loss ''itself'' is the suicide-inspiring factor.[[/note]]
* Misconception: '''All suicidality is a result of an episode of mental illness; suicidal people are all "crazy" or "psychotic."''': This is HollywoodPsychology in action. While psychosis is a frequent factor in suicide (note the high rate among untreated/badly treated schizophrenics, and mixed manic/depressed episodes in Bipolar 1 are close behind for it), many people attempt or even commit suicide simply because the pain of their life situation has exceeded their ability to cope with said pain, and many times this is a result of hyperrealistic pessimism or traumatic events (including abuse, rape, the loss of loved ones, extreme financial loss and/or social ostracism), ''not'' loss of touch with reality. As said above, it ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, and even doing it out of sheer annoyance and [[SuicideIsPainless boredom with life]] is possible. While there is some argument that clinical depression is a part of the inability to cope with pain, to fail to recognize and legitimize the suffering of victims who are in serious, legitimate pain for reasons ''outside their own mind'' often only makes the situation worse. This is especially true with those who are contemplating suicide for financial reasons, as mentioned above, because something as simple as keeping them from becoming homeless or providing them with a sufficiently paying job/unemployment assistance/food/needed medical care can itself end the feeling of hopelessness and save their lives.

* Misconception: '''Calling police is always the solution.''' Calling authorities on someone or pressing a "suicide notify" button on a post is a last resort - which too many people take as the proper response. The only time one should call authorities is if there is a threat of harm to ''others'' involving the method of choice, or the person is actively violent toward anyone trying to help. If you have any sort of preexisting friendship with the person threatening suicide (or are even just an acquaintance), it's generally better to try to talk to them and encourage them to talk to others, or to contact close friends of the person that can help. This is because:

** Not all police officers are understanding of suicide attempts and suicidality, especially among women and GLBTQIA people or with people they've had prior contacts with for suicide attempts. Some police officers ''are'' understanding; others may assume it's a false alarm when it is in fact very real. You may have an understanding cop answer the call; you may have the call answered by a cop who has never handled a suicidal person before, or who panics, or who does any number of things that can make the situation worse.

* Misconception: '''People even experiencing thoughts of suicide (much less attempting it) are [[AxCrazy dangerously violent]].''' While suicide is the ultimate act of violence toward ''oneself,'' most people who consider or even attempt it are ''not'' homicidal toward others and never will be. In fact, the majority of suicide attempts are conducted in privacy/isolation both because the person is often alone/isolated, ''and'' does not want to harm anyone else with the attempt; ''and'' some attempters pick less lethal methods such as drugs or cutting for this very reason. If someone is expressing suicidal thoughts, don't treat them like they are dangerous or evil for doing so.
** As an addenda to this, pretty much the only time suicidal people are dangerous to anyone ''but'' themselves is if they express interest in [[TakingYouWithMe murder-suicide as revenge[=/=]Taking You With Me]][=/=]SuicideByCop or the like and pursue such plans, if they choose a method that is guaranteed to hurt/kill others, have stated that they will harm anyone who attempts to stop them (and you know them well enough to have good reason to believe that they are not bluffing), or ''if'' they are armed with a weapon such as a gun or long knife/sword ''and'' interrupted mid-attempt with someone violently trying to take the weapon away.

** Conversely, a sudden lift in a depressed person's spirits does ''not'' necessarily mean they've "gotten over it" and are starting to recover. Paradoxically, some seriously depressed people will actually feel ''better'' just before attempting suicide. This is because they believe that they have finally figured out a way to escape their angst, and are therefore feeling hopeful for the first time in ages.
*** In many cases, it's the extent of the depression that prevents suicide attempts. The depressed person simply does not have the motivation to kill themselves. If they improve, [[GoneHorriblyRight the motivation can increase without an improvement in feelings]], and the person attempts suicide. [[http://biopsychiatry.com/antidepressants/warnings.html This can prove a problem for those on antidepressants]].

* Misconception: '''All suicides are planned for a long time.''' Many times, ''suicide is impulsive,'' especially in the severely traumatized, the bipolar, people who have suffered a traumatizing event such as rape or the loss of a loved one, and/or those who use drugs with a rush-crash pattern from alcohol to meth, and a viable strategy for preventing it is to get the person to wait out the impulse to commit suicide, with no judgment on their feelings but simply "running down the clock" and keeping them in a safe or safer environment while they are experiencing the impulse to die until it legitimately recedes, at least for the time being. For some of these persons (those suffering from trauma/PTSD and/or complicated grief), treatment itself involves making a suicide "emergency plan" or "safety plan" that relies on their seeking out people and things to help them get past the impulses, because ''nothing'' will entirely eradicate said impulses and a UsefulNotes/{{trigger}} can bring them back.

* Misconception: '''Everything goes back to normal right away.''' While the short-term problem may be dealt with, it can take several months to go back to normal even without the physical recuperation of a suicide attempt. Major depression involves severe chemical imbalance in the person's brain, and relapsing or attempting suicide again after a year is common among nearly half of all sufferers. Even after therapy, it can take several years for the person to genuinely return to normal; further complication is when the person themselves thinks that this is true. They may hide their symptoms of relapse to keep others from worrying, or go for years without further treatment in the mistaken belief that they "should be back to normal." Even worse are the cases where the suicide is taken for a joke or forced to be abandoned, and the depressing events continue.

* Misconception: '''All suicides leave suicide notes, so if a suicide doesn't leave a note either the attempt wasn't serious or it wasn't really suicide.''' Again, utter nonsense perpetuated by Hollywood. Most suicides don't leave notes. In some countries fewer than one in ten suicides leave notes. It's more common in the US specifically because of media depictions.
* Misconception: '''The average suicide victim is a young adult.''' This varies hugely from country to country, but in most Western countries elders commit suicide at a much higher rate than younger people, and contrary to conventional wisdom it's not due to age or health but almost wholly due to depression.

* Misconception: '''Anyone who considers or attempts suicide is being selfish and cowardly.''' [[SuicideIsShameful This is a very pervasive stereotype]], and also one of the most untrue. People attempt suicide for a variety of reasons, whether that's due to a long history of depression or recent traumas, and oftentimes people in the grip of depression who are considering suicide attempt it out of a desire for it "all to be over." The best way to help someone who's attempted or is about to attempt suicide is not to tell them they're being 'selfish' or 'inconsiderate', but to assist them in getting the help they need. Sometimes, the suicidal person will feel that they are burdening society with their existence and ''actually feels selfish for ''not'' killing themselves'' (in other words, they consider themselves to be TheLoad or even TheMillstone in relation to the rest of the world).
** The ''inverse'' is sometimes the case. People who [[BungledSuicide survive or intentionally botch their suicide]] won't always be happy at first. Some may in fact feel worse, because either [[DeathSeeker they couldn't even manage to]] ''[[DeathSeeker die]]'' [[DeathSeeker properly]], they feel like they've been [[YankTheDogsChain cheated out of relief]], or they feel they "chickened out" and have now burdened their loved ones with financial and emotional stress--the exact thing they wanted to avoid. It is a ''very'' twisted form of SurvivorGuilt that is often confusing for loved ones to deal with.

* Misconception: '''If someone isn't serious about suicide, they likely won't commit it.''' This ties into both the aforementioned misconception about suicide notes, the one that teens aren't really serious, and in general the (false) idea that most suicides are not impulsive acts. Accidental suicide doesn't require intent at all - simply ambivalence or not caring as to whether one lives or dies. Most suicides are impulsive, with survivors reporting regretting attempts [[HappilyFailedSuicide almost as soon as they were underway]]. Finally, even some "joke suicides" such as someone engaging in an action likely to cause death on a [[SuicideDare dare]]/as a joke have "[[GoneHorriblyRight succeeded]]," as a short browse of the DarwinAwards will show.

** Again, as mentioned above, sometimes people contemplate or attempt suicide for actual, legitimate reasons outside their own minds. While hospitalization may help someone in a situation of abuse or extreme financial loss get over the impulse to commit suicide in the short term, it can also make things worse. Especially in regard to abuse, financial loss, or physical pain, addressing the immediate situation (whether placing the person in a domestic violence shelter rather than a hospital, meeting an immediate financial threat, or treating the physical condition/pain) is the best idea both to see if the person is actually severely mentally ill (e.g. are they considering suicide still once they are no longer being screamed at or beat up or at risk of being evicted or fired or in so much pain that death seems a better option), and in making help seem more attractive if they are (e.g. choosing voluntary outpatient treatment themselves, as opposed to their abuser and/or the police forcing them into a hospital and taking away their independence/being able to select lower-cost treatment options than hospitalization/being able to integrate their physical and mental health care)
** Hospitalization (''especially'' forced hospitalization and in some contexts, especially where abuse has been a part of the depression and especially if the abusers insisted on the hospitalization as punitive, or hospitalization in a context of labeling and shaming or forced treatment) can be a traumatic, painful experience itself. While modern-day mental hospitals are ''not'' [[BedlamHouse generally what would be found in]] Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest or such, not every professional employed by one is necessarily understanding. The "psychiatric survivor" and "mental health consumer" movements have some very good commentary on this - in short, forced hospitalization should be a very last resort much as calling the authorities should be, and do the research to find a hospital where patients are treated with kindness and respect.
** Related, a ''[[PsychoPsychologist bad]]'' [[PsychoPsychologist therapist]] is worse than ''[[ThereAreNoTherapists no]]'' [[ThereAreNoTherapists therapist]]. This is due to BreakThemByTalking. A therapist who is highly judgmental or commanding, one whose goal is to make someone "behave" or make them "normal," one who has little or no experience with the actual problems their patient has and sees them as a DSM category rather than a human being in legitimate pain, one who is beholden to a religion/method/seminar/similar, one who is very heteronormative in dealing with an LGBTQ person... all of the above are just a few ways a therapist can have very bad effects and make someone angry or fearful and possibly ''refuse to seek professional help ever again.''

** On the subject of neuroleptics, they generally should be seen as a last resort in cases of depression. Not because they're "antipsychotic drugs" (a stigma entirely unwarranted) but because they are very powerful drugs with often heavily sedating direct effects and severe side effects (the biggest one being extreme obesity and diabetes for modern neuroleptics) and another side effect of causing actual brain damage. They should rarely if ever be used as first-line maintenance treatment for unipolar depression (despite ad campaigns like "Add Abilify") because they can worsen it and cause lasting damage beyond that of the depression itself - and a doctor suggesting them as such generally means one needs another doctor. They ''are'' an evidence-based first-line treatment (especially short term) for bipolar 1 ''manic episodes,'' though even there much medical opinion leans toward using them as emergency as needed and using lithium and/or anticonvulsant drugs as maintenance medication.

* Misconception: '''Depressed or suicidal people must be living wrong; getting religion/getting sober/committing to a natural lifestyle/manifesting positive thoughts will fix it!''' This is one of the most damaging and often suicide-inspiring misconceptions of depression there is. It makes the guilt and self-blame a depression sufferer already has far worse to believe that their suffering is their own fault. It's also one that can lead people suffering from depression to make life choices that at best do nothing and at worst destroy their lives with no benefit.

** Positive thoughts and "faith" and manifestation ''CANNOT'' fix suicidal depression. A suicidally depressed person ''physically cannot'' maintain positive thinking any more so than they could wish away a broken arm, especially in the absence of anything realistic to be positive or happy about, as such things as "The Secret" and prosperity faith healers demand that one do. This does not make them a bad or evil person or a "[[TheEeyore black hole of negativity]]". It is simply part of the pain they are suffering. To tell people that if only they could think positively all their problems would be solved and they'd be able to manifest a new boyfriend, millions of dollars in the bank and perfect health (among other things) is offensive and can be triggering and suicide-inducing if they believe it (leading them to blame and hate themselves and feel guilty that they can't do it or can't maintain it in the face of no proof of improvement). It's the equivalent of telling someone with major injuries from a car accident or fall to just get up and go run the Ironman Triathalon and believe they weren't ever hurt in the first place.

* '''Persistent feelings of sadness or worthlessness, for at least two weeks.''' (Obvious sign of depression.) A common description by sufferers is that they feel "empty" or "hollow" inside. Unfortunately with teens, it is often dismissed as typical moodiness. This leads to the perfect storm of feeding their self-destructive thoughts, making them reluctant to seek help from adults, and instilling the belief that they have to ''prove'' their unhappiness is genuine--regrettably, [[GoneHorriblyRight some of those attempts work]].

* '''Frequent breakdowns and crying episodes.''' (Known, but exaggerated.) This is rarely witnessed first-hand, despite common media depictions. Depressed people in real life will more often seek out quiet and isolated places during such episodes, either because they want privacy or because they want others to notice that they're gone. Whether male or female, the sufferer may have an (un)conscious desire to be found, as the act has a dual purpose of validating their feelings and giving them "proof" that someone cares about them. Alternately, though...

* '''Feeling cold in inappropriate weather, or the coldness persisting in adequate warmth.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) This may be the reason for the stereotypical depictions of a black-clad "emo" teen, as dark colors absorb and retain heat better than light clothes. It also is one of the most frequently-overlooked symptoms, as wearing sweaters is not unusual in certain climates and even the person in question may not realize that this is a symptom.
* '''Changes in appetite and the subsequent weight gain/loss.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) As stated before, depression involves large-scale physiological changes, and subsequently affects the person's appetite. On the other hand, this can be hard to detect as those with decreased appetite will either remind or force themselves to eat normally, and those with increased appetite may hide the bulk of their overeating. Both sides may play it off as insignificant, or even joke about it to keep people from worrying. Extreme weight loss, lack of or intense attempts to suppress appetite, and/or being dangerously underweight are also the primary symptom of anorexia - and sudden unintentional weight ''gain'' in someone with anorexia often can inspire suicidal thoughts out of disgust with one's body/with one's "lack of control" over their weight.

There are numerous other sites that go into detail about suicide and depression, but knowing what's wrong is only half the battle: '''If you or anyone you know is showing signs of depression, seek professional help immediately.''' If the professional seems controlling, condemnatory, dismissive or especially insistent that you convert to their religion or similar, ''keep looking'' even if it means going elsewhere.

* Music/ChrisCornell of Music/{{Soundgarden}} was found unexpectedly dead immediately after performing a concert in Detroit, with a fitness band around his neck. The death was later confirmed to be a suicide by hanging, which shocked many as in the days and weeks leading to his death he tweeted and posted many optimistic messages on social media.

* In WorldWarII, the Japanese government deliberately frightened the civilian populations, most notably in Okinawa, about the supposed atrocities that the Allies would inflict should they take their islands to the point where many committed suicide. Only one-third of the civilian population of Saipan survived the American invasion, and most of the deaths were suicide.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing Alan Turing]] was a man key in decoding the Enigma machines in WorldWarII, and who even invented the first electronic computer to do so. Accidentally outed as gay when he reported a liaison who tried to burgle his house, Turing was found guilty of "gross indecency", and reluctantly chose chemical castration by hormone treatment over prison. Despite retaining his freedom, Turing was also fired and barred from the university where he worked, and his hormone "treatment" probably lead to his depression and weight gain. Infamously, Turing soon killed himself by eating an apple containing cyanide compounds he used in his work, possibly to make it plausible to his mother that his death was accidental. However, this has recently been questioned by modern historians. The death may indeed have been accidental; Turing had a home chemistry lab where he could conceivably have gotten into cyanide by accident, and the apple was never tested.

* To put it politely, it isn't exactly an unfounded stereotype when you hear about poets always committing suicide. The "Confessional Poetry" movement of the Modernist era is a particularly morbid example. Again, to put it politely, all of the examples given in the opening paragraph on the article for the movement on TheOtherWiki took their own lives.

* Music/ChrisCornell of Music/{{Soundgarden}} was found unexpectedly dead immediately after performing a concert in Detroit, with a band around his neck. The death was later confirmed to be a suicide by hanging, which shocked many as days before his death he tweeted and posted many optimistic messages on social media.

The first scientific study, and indeed the [[UnbuiltTrope first sociological study]], ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_(book) Suicide]]'', was written by Émile Durckheim in 1896, studying suicide among different religions and social classes and finding, among other, suicide less common among Catholic, Jews, those with few education and civilians than Scandinavians, singles and soldiers.

** That said, going too far in the other direction and assuming that suicidality is only out of a known biological mental illness is also a huge misconception and mistake. It ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, especially in situations involving UsefulNotes/{{Abuse}} to the point where the abuse (especially emotional abuse) has entirely destroyed someone's self-concept or taken away their will to live. Do not immediately assume that a suicidal person's family or religious organization is somehow always "on their side" or "trying to save them from themselves" - these are two groups that ''can'' and sometimes ''do'' inflict such pervasive emotional abuse. Also, some people with no or only mild apparent previous mental illness ''can'' be DrivenToSuicide by a sudden tragedy - sudden loss of a meaningful person such as a relative or spouse/lover to death and severe financial loss are two huge risk factors. In this case, they think that they're literally facing a FateWorseThanDeath. [[note]]There is actually a strong connection between economic recessions/depressions/austerity and suicides, one ''not'' explained by the lack of or postponement of seeking mental health services during such - financial loss ''itself'' is the suicide-inspiring factor.[[/note]]
* Misconception: '''All suicidality is a result of an episode of mental illness; suicidal people are all "crazy" or "psychotic."''': This is HollywoodPsychology in action. While psychosis is a frequent factor in suicide (note the high rate among untreated/badly treated schizophrenics, and mixed manic/depressed episodes in Bipolar 1 are close behind for it), many people attempt or even commit suicide simply because the pain of their life situation has exceeded their ability to cope with said pain, and many times this is a result of hyperrealistic pessimism or traumatic events (including abuse, rape, the loss of loved ones, extreme financial loss and/or social ostracism), ''not'' loss of touch with reality. As said above, it ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, and even the SeenItAllSuicide out of sheer annoyance and boredom with life is possible. While there is some argument that clinical depression is a part of the inability to cope with pain, to fail to recognize and legitimize the suffering of victims who are in serious, legitimate pain for reasons ''outside their own mind'' often only makes the situation worse. This is especially true with those who are contemplating suicide for financial reasons, as mentioned above, because something as simple as keeping them from becoming homeless or providing them with a sufficiently paying job/unemployment assistance/food/needed medical care can itself end the feeling of hopelessness and save their lives.
* Misconception: '''Men are serious when they attempt suicide, but women are only doing it for attention or as a cry for help.''' Every single suicide due to depression is a cry for help. The truth is that, for a variety of reasons ([[TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs media portrayal]] of attempts by each gender for one, differing ease of access to the violent methods is another), men tend to use more violent methods of suicide such as firearms or carbon monoxide poisoning - methods that are likely to be successful, while women tend to use drugs or knives - methods that are much less likely to be successful. Unfortunately, the belief that men are serious while women are only looking for attention can be found in some older professional handbooks, and has led many to think that a man who attempts suicide is worthy of assistance, while a woman who attempts suicide is just an over-emotional {{attention whore}} who needs to be ignored or belittled so she "doesn't learn from the attention to do it again". (It is true that women attempt suicide more often than men but men succeed more often, but it's not necessarily 100 women attempting suicide once to every 20 men who attempt suicide once: it's quite possibly 20 women attempting suicide five times each for every 20 men who attempt suicide once.)
* Misconception: '''Calling police is always the solution.''' Calling authorities on someone or pressing a "suicide notify" button on a post is a last resort - which too many people take as the proper response. The only time one should call authorities is if there is a threat of harm to ''others'' involving the method of choice, or the person is actively violent toward anyone trying to help. If you have any sort of pre-existing friendship with the person threatening suicide (or are even just an acquaintance), it's generally better to try to talk to them and encourage them to talk to others, or to contact close friends of the person that can help. This is because:

** Regardless of the above: '''If someone is an ''immediate'' danger to themselves, calling 9-1-1 (or whatever your local emergency number is) ''IS'' the proper course of action'''. Don't get the idea in your head that you can, without any training, "[[TalkingDownTheSuicidal talk someone down]]" or restrain them to keep them from harming themselves if they're committed to the act. The general rule of thumb is: if they're talking about suicide, talk to them; If they're taking immediately lethal action, you need to notify emergency services ASAP.
** If the person is in serious medical condition, ''do not prioritize avoiding police involvement over their life.'' Do whatever it takes to get them medical attention in time.

While it is impossible to pin down a single cause of depression, there are many diagnosable symptoms that almost entirely stem from widespread changes in brain activity. Sufferers become either agitated (in the clinical sense; experiencing constant irritation, stress, and anxiety) or lethargic (both mental and physical capabilities are severely diminished), but the common result is that neither are able to feel ''happy'', or even their former baselines of "normal." A correlation (note that the direction of causation is still debated) also seen between depression/suicide and over-general memory; the inability to pinpoint specific happy or depressed periods, leading to the understatement of the former and overstatement of the latter.

* Misconception: '''a suicidal person must have substantial reason to feel that way.''' Many people are only familiar with the extreme form of DrivenToSuicide, where a single and severe emotional trauma makes the person's reason for killing themselves clear. While this can be the case, even a long string of disappointments or a series of moderate disappointments in a short enough time can become unbearable. In the case of a family history of depression, there really might be no situational reason to explain their depression; they just had [[CosmicPlaything bad luck with genetics.]]

** That said, going too far in the other direction and assuming that suicidality is only out of a known biological mental illness is also a huge misconception and mistake. It IS possible to be DrivenToSuicide, especially in situations involving UsefulNotes/{{Abuse}} to the point where the abuse (especially emotional abuse) has entirely destroyed someone's self-concept or taken away their will to live. Do not immediately assume that a suicidal person's family or religious organization is somehow always "on their side" or "trying to save them from themselves" - these are two groups that ''can'' and sometimes ''do'' inflict such pervasive emotional abuse. Also, some people with no or only mild apparent previous mental illness ''can'' be DrivenToSuicide by a sudden tragedy - sudden loss of a meaningful person such as a relative or spouse/lover to death and severe financial loss are two huge risk factors. In this case, they think that they're literally facing a FateWorseThanDeath. [[note]] There is actually a strong connection between economic recessions/depressions/austerity and suicides, one ''not'' explained by the lack of or postponement of seeking mental health services during such - financial loss ''itself'' is the suicide-inspiring factor.[[/note]]
* Misconception: '''All suicidality is a result of an episode of mental illness, suicidal people are all "crazy" or "psychotic."''': This is HollywoodPsychology in action. While psychosis is a frequent factor in suicide (note the high rate among untreated/badly treated schizophrenics, and mixed manic/depressed episodes in Bipolar 1 are close behind for it), many people attempt or even commit suicide simply because the pain of their life situation has exceeded their ability to cope with said pain, and many times this is a result of hyperrealistic pessimism or traumatic events (including abuse, rape, the loss of loved ones, extreme financial loss and/or social ostracism), ''not'' loss of touch with reality. As said above, it ''is'' possible to be DrivenToSuicide, and even the SeenItAllSuicide out of sheer annoyance and boredom with life is possible. While there is some argument that clinical depression is a part of the inability to cope with pain, to fail to recognize and legitimize the suffering of victims who are in serious, legitimate pain for reasons ''outside their own mind'' often only makes the situation worse. This is especially true with those who are contemplating suicide for financial reasons, as mentioned above, because something as simple as keeping them from becoming homeless or providing them with a sufficiently paying job/unemployment assistance/food/needed medical care can itself end the feeling of hopelessness and save their lives.

* Misconception: '''calling police is always the solution.''' Calling authorities on someone or pressing a "suicide notify" button on a post is a last resort - which too many people take as the proper response. The only time one should call authorities is if there is a threat of harm to ''others'' involving the method of choice, or the person is actively violent toward anyone trying to help. If you have any sort of pre-existing friendship with the person threatening suicide (or are even just an acquaintance), it's generally better to try to talk to them and encourage them to talk to others, or to contact close friends of the person that can help. This is because:

* Misconception: '''People even experiencing thoughts of suicide (much less attempting it) are dangerously violent.''' While suicide is the ultimate act of violence toward ''oneself,'' most people who consider or even attempt it are ''not'' homicidal toward others and never will be. In fact, the majority of suicide attempts are conducted in privacy/isolation both because the person is often alone/isolated, ''and'' does not want to harm anyone else with the attempt; ''and'' some attempters pick less lethal methods such as drugs or cutting for this very reason. If someone is expressing suicidal thoughts, don't treat them like they are dangerous or evil for doing so.

* Misconception: '''it is easy to tell when someone is suicidal.''' It has a basis in fact, as most people become unhappy before attempting suicide, but there are different ways of showing such an emotion and many are ''not'' seen as suicidal until someone discovers the body or takes them to the emergency room. This is due to the person believing their existence is unwanted, not revealing their emotions to be less of a burden to others, or denying their feelings in an attempt to make them go away. Finally, they may attempt to work through it themselves or be too proud to accept help, as it is "only in their head." They often force themselves to appear [[StepfordSmiler happy, amused]], or "normal," in which the only people who could tell the difference are close friends and family members--of which the vast majority do not have medical backgrounds, and thus don't have the training to deal with it appropriately. On the other side, those who ''do'' have family in the medical field may hide their symptoms because "a [[TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes doctor/nurse/psychologist's kid shouldn't have any problems]]."

*** In many cases, it's the extent of the depression that prevents suicide attempts. The depressed person simply does not have the motivation to kill themselves. If they improve, [[GoneHorriblyRight the motivation can increase without an improvement in feelings]], and the person attempts suicide. [[http://biopsychiatry.com/antidepressants/warnings.html This can prove a problem for those on antidepressants.]].

* Misconception: '''everything goes back to normal right away.''' While the short-term problem may be dealt with, it can take several months to go back to normal even without the physical recuperation of a suicide attempt. Major depression involves severe chemical imbalance in the person's brain, and relapsing or attempting suicide again after a year is common among nearly half of all sufferers. Even after therapy, it can take several years for the person to genuinely return to normal; further complication is when the person themselves thinks that this is true. They may hide their symptoms of relapse to keep others from worrying, or go for years without further treatment in the mistaken belief that they "should be back to normal." Even worse are the cases where the suicide is taken for a joke or forced to be abandoned, and the depressing events continue.

* Misconception: '''all suicides leave suicide notes, so if a suicide doesn't leave a note either the attempt wasn't serious or it wasn't really suicide.''' Again, utter nonsense perpetuated by Hollywood. Most suicides don't leave notes. In some countries fewer than one in ten suicides leave notes. It's more common in the US specifically because of media depictions.
* Misconception: '''the average suicide victim is a young adult.''' This varies hugely from country to country, but in most Western countries elders commit suicide at a much higher rate than younger people, and contrary to conventional wisdom it's not due to age or health but almost wholly due to depression.

* Misconception: '''anyone who considers or attempts suicide is being selfish and cowardly.''' [[SuicideIsShameful This is a very pervasive stereotype]], and also one of the most untrue. People attempt suicide for a variety of reasons, whether that's due to a long history of depression or recent traumas, and oftentimes people in the grip of depression who are considering suicide attempt it out of a desire for it "all to be over." The best way to help someone who's attempted or is about to attempt suicide is not to tell them they're being 'selfish' or 'inconsiderate', but to assist them in getting the help they need. Sometimes, the suicidal person will feel that they are burdening society with their existence and ''actually feels selfish for ''not'' killing themselves'' (in other words, they consider themselves to be TheLoad or even TheMillstone in relation to the rest of the world).
** The ''inverse'' is sometimes the case. People who survive or intentionally botch their suicide won't always be happy at first. Some may in fact feel worse, because either [[DeathSeeker they couldn't even manage to]] ''[[DeathSeeker die]]'' [[DeathSeeker properly]], they feel like they've been [[YankTheDogsChain cheated out of relief]], or they feel they "chickened out" and have now burdened their loved ones with financial and emotional stress--the exact thing they wanted to avoid. It is a ''very'' twisted form of SurvivorGuilt that is often confusing for loved ones to deal with.
* Misconception: '''all teens aren't really serious about suicide.''' This applies to children as well - some people believe that teenagers are doing it for the attention, and the children are just joking/can't really want to die. But there are teens who are genuinely suffering. If a teen or child is forced to abandon a suicide attempt, and life continues as normal, this can just make it worse and the child/teen more likely to actually commit suicide.
* Misconception: '''If someone isn't serious about suicide, they likely won't commit it.''' This ties into both the aforementioned misconception about suicide notes, the one that teens aren't really serious, and in general the (false) idea that most suicide is not an impulsive act. Accidental suicide doesn't require intent at all - simply ambivalence or not caring as to whether one lives or dies. Most suicides are impulsive, with survivors reporting regretting attempts [[HappilyFailedSuicide almost as soon as they were underway]]. Finally, even some "joke suicides" such as someone engaging in an action likely to cause death on a [[SuicideDare dare]]/as a joke have "[[GoneHorriblyRight succeeded]]," as a short browse of the DarwinAwards will show.
* Misconception: '''medication and/or hospitalization alone will fix it.''' Unfortunately, too many people have this view of mental illness (especially depression) as [[TheMentallyDisturbed something people just need to "snap out of," or something that can be "fixed"]]. While medication and hospitalization can help some, there are some caveats to believing both are some sort of instantly effective cures for depression.

* Misconception: '''Depressed or suicidal people must be living wrong, getting religion/getting sober/committing to a natural lifestyle/manifesting positive thoughts will fix it!''' This is one of the most damaging and often suicide-inspiring misconceptions of depression there is. It makes the guilt and self-blame a depression sufferer already has far worse to believe that their suffering is their own fault. It's also one that can lead people suffering from depression to make life choices that at best do nothing and at worst destroy their lives with no benefit.

*** If preventing suicide was as easy as "thinking positively," and "having faith," bipolar 1 manic episodes would have ''zero'' suicide risk - as opposed to the ''increased'' risk of suicide that they actually have. Persons, who are in a manic state are definitely having ''too much'' of faith and positive thoughts - it's called "grandiosity" and a "feeling of invincibility" - ''so much so'' that it is out of touch with reality and that they are likely to commit accidental suicide by taking risks that have a large chance of death (e.g. believing they can walk on a freeway without being hit by cars, using firearms with no regard for [[UsefulNotes/GunSafety safe practices]], believing they are truly physically invincible or simply not thinking of how risky an activity is until they are already risking their life).

** '''[[HairTriggerTemper Unusual or constant anger/irritability or irrational rage.]]''' This is more common in male sufferers (due to many cultures viewing anger/rage/violence as more acceptable for men than crying, and to a lesser degree due to how the male brain is wired and due to testosterone itself - men are hormonally less prone to crying episodes), and it's also common as a result of mixed states in bipolar, or bipolar people who are heavy drinkers or stimulant users.