Bipolar Disorder  & Suicide

Suicide is the willful act of killing oneself. Suicide can also refer to an individual who has killed him or herself.

Suicidal ideation is defined as considering or fantasizing about taking ones own life. Ideation may range from vague or unformed urges to meticulously detailed plans and posthumous instructions.

Self-harm is not a suicide attempt. There is a non-causal correlation between self-harm and suicide both are most commonly a joint effect of depression. Deliberate self-harm is far more common than suicide, and the majority of DSH participants are females aged under 35, lacking any significant physical illnesses. Social issues are key as DSH is most common among those living in overcrowded conditions, in conflict with their families, with disrupted childhoods and history of drinking and violence. Borderline personality disorder is another frequent psychological factor. Individuals under these stresses become anxious and depressed and then, usually in reaction to a single particular crisis, they attempt to harm themselves. The motivation may be a desire for relief from emotional pain or a desire for attention, although the motivation will often be complex and confused. DSH may also result from an inner conflict between the desire to end life and the desire to continue living.

Many suicidal people engage in suicidal activities that do not result in death. These activities fall under the clinical designation of parasuicide. Those with a history of such attempts are almost 23 times more likely to eventually end their own lives than those who dont participate in such activities.

Sometimes, a person will make actions resembling suicide attempts while not being fully committed, or in a deliberate attempt to have others notice. This is called a suicidal gesture.Prototypical methods might be a non-lethal method of self-harm that leaves obvious signs of the attempt, or simply a lethal action at a time when the person considers it likely that he/she wi