Suicidal Thoughts
- Suicidal Thoughts Overview
- Suicidal Thoughts Causes
- Suicidal Thoughts Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Suicidal Thoughts Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Support Groups and Counseling
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
- Related signs of suicide articles:
Signs of suicide - on WebMD
Signs of suicide - on MedicineNet
Suicidal Thoughts Overview
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call 1-800-SUICIDE.
Suicidal thoughts are troubling, especially when accompanied by depression, other mental illnesses, alcohol or drug abuse, or plans for suicide. This situation demands immediate evaluation. These thoughts can indicate serious illness.
The critical distinction is between a person's thoughts regarding death and suicide, and actually wanting to die. When doctors hear that someone wants to die, they refer to these thoughts as suicidal ideation and divide them into 2 categories.
- Suicidal ideation can be active and involve a current
desire and plan to die.
- Suicidal ideation can be passive, involving a desire to die but without a plan to bring about one's death.
If a person has an actual desire to die (in either form of suicidal ideation), he or she must seek immediate medical attention.
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Suicidal Thoughts
Life and Death in Context
There is an appointed time for everything, and there is a time for every event.
Whatever our beliefs may or may not be as to a specific "appointed time," each of us knows the inherent truth of the well-known Bible verse. One day, death comes to us and to everyone we love.
Mere knowledge of this inevitability does not lessen our suffering. Poet Maya Angelou wrote, "I answer the heroic question, 'Death, where is thy sting?' with 'It is here in my heart and mind and memories'"—a reflection that death takes from us the physical presence of people who are precious, with effects that often bring piercing pain and indescribable depression.
Although the walk through the valley of the shadow of death is the toughest part of life for the human spirit to endure, most of us move beyond the shadows and once again enjoy the sunlight. Let us gather insight into some of the feelings and experiences you may have in your walk through t...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on eMedicine
Suicide »
Suicide ranks as the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States.
