Suicide is intentionally killing oneself.
Being suicidal may include:
- Thoughts
- Plans
- Threats
- Self-Injury
- Suicide attempts
- Deciding when to kill oneself
- An attempt means trying to kill oneself, but not dying as a result
Although suicidal feelings are almost always a reaction to emotional distress, they can develop and manifest in a variety of ways
- Covertly: The person may not be consciously aware of suicidal feelings, but may be behaving in ways that put his/her life at risk.
- Overtly: The person spends hours thinking about dying and expends a lot of energy developing plans, gathering supplies, and making preparations.
- Impulsively: The person may never think seriously about suicide until his/her feelings suddenly become overwhelming and the pain is too much to manage.