Understanding Suicidal Thoughts

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If you are someone who has ever experienced suicidal thoughts, know that you are not alone. Having thoughts of suicide may not be as uncommon as you think. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 12.2 million adults reported having serious suicidal thoughts in the year 2020. There isn’t a singular cause for why these thoughts may occur. Some people experience suicidal thoughts related to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, others after a traumatic event or loss, and others from an accumulation of general life stressors. 

The content of suicidal thinking can also look very different across people. Some suicidal thoughts can be more passive, and sound like I wish I was dead or I wouldn’t be upset if something happened to me and I died. They can also be more active and include what you would do to hurt yourself and/or actively making a plan to end your life. Sometimes suicidal thoughts can be scary and distressing. For others, they might be a source of comfort- to imagine a way out of life’s current hardships. Whatever your relationship with your suicidal thoughts looks like, it is important to talk about them with a mental health professional, especially if you’re unsure whether you’re able to keep yourself safe.

It is not always easy to talk about these kinds of thoughts with loved ones or even with a therapist. There can be concerns about how someone might react- Will they judge me? Will they panic? Will my therapist try to hospitalize me? Will this push people I love away? Will they think I’m a burden? Will they think something is seriously wrong with me?  

Despite these challenges, finding a mental health professional that you trust is essential. Depending on your specific needs, therapy can help in many different ways. It can:

  • Help you better understand your suicidal thoughts and where they come from

  • Change your relationship to suicidal thinking 

  • Provide tools to help cope with suicidal thoughts when they occur

  • Address life stressors that contribute to your thoughts of suicide

  • Increase your sense of hope about life improving

  • Help you build a life that feels worth living 

If you are contemplating suicide, please call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for support.