What leads to suicide?

There’s no single cause for suicide. Suicide most often occurs when stressors and health issues converge to create an experience of hopelessness and despair. Depression is the most common condition associated with suicide, and it is often undiagnosed or untreated. Conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance problems, especially when unaddressed, increase risk for suicide. Yet it’s important to note that most people who actively manage their mental health conditions go on to engage in life. Risk factors are characteristics or conditions that increase the chance that a person may try to take their life.

Health risk factors:

Mental health conditions
- Depression
- Substance use problems
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Personality traits of aggression, mood changes and poor relationships
- Conduct disorder
- Anxiety disorders
Serious physical health conditions including pain
Traumatic brain injury

Individual Risk Factors:

Previous suicide attempt
Mental illness
Social isolation
Criminal problems
Financial problems
Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
Job problems or loss
Legal problems
Substance use disorder

Relationship Risk Factors:

Adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse and neglect
Bullying
Family history of suicide
Relationship problems such as a break-up, violence, or loss
Sexual violence

Environmental Risk Factors:

Access to lethal means including firearms and drugs
Prolonged stress, such as harassment, bullying, relationship problems or unemployment
Stressful life events, like rejection, divorce, financial crisis, other life transitions or loss
Exposure to another person’s suicide, or to graphic or sensationalized accounts of suicide

Community & Societal
Risk Factors:

Community:

Barriers to health care
Cultural and religious beliefs such as a belief that suicide is noble resolution of a personal problem
Suicide cluster in the community

Societal:

Stigma associated with mental illness or help-seeking
Easy access to lethal means among people at risk (e.g. firearms, medications)
Unsafe media portrayals of suicide