Every suicide has a distinct sad story behind it. Most suicides are caused as a result of depression, ill-health, or due to some stressful event in life that the person is not in a position to handle and therefore decides to end his life. However, a suicide is usually accompanied by certain warning signs. The most common warning signs of suicide as listed below.

• Withdrawing from family or friends, staying aloof, maintaining a cold distance with relatives and friends;
• Talking about death or suicide and/or preoccupation with death, reflecting the person’s obsession with death;
• Unusual personality changes accompanied by a strong sense of guilt, shame or emptiness in the life of the person.
• Frequent statements from the person, depicting hopelessness, helplessness or worthlessness;
• Loss of interest in things one cares about, or loss of interest in any such activity which the person usually loved to do.
• Feeling intensely hopeless, helpless, worthless, pessimistic and or guilty.
• Subjecting oneself to substance abuse.
• Experiencing disturbances in eating and sleeping patterns frequently.
• Exhibiting strange and unusual behavior such as augmented irritability, increased crying, anxiety and panic attacks.
• Hastily making final exit arrangements such as preparing the will
• Making oneself free from all major responsibilities and giving away prized possessions, belongings, and even pets.
• Dependence on drugs or alcohol.
• Exhibiting poor performance at school, college or work place.
• Frequent absences from school or work place.

A suicide is a complex problem. It is very difficult to understand the mental frame of the person, or to decide what technique he might use for the suicide act. But one thing is definite, any person who threatens or even throws slight hints of committing a suicide, will definitely use different means and techniques to accomplish this. Therefore, a suicide threat should never be ignored. It is important that people, who are often thinking about suicide, get professional help.