Depression and suicide: Stop the downward spiral

Depression can affect all aspects of your life -- even end it.

The National Institute for Mental Health reports that most people who kill themselves have a mental illness, abuse substances or both. And the majority have depression. Thus, the best way to prevent suicide is early recognition and treatment of depression and other conditions that may cause someone to feel like ending his or her life.

Who's at risk?

Older white males have the highest rates of suicide. But people of both genders and all ages do kill themselves. So, you can't really rule anybody out.

In addition to depression and other mental illness, risk factors for suicide include:

• family history of suicide
• an earlier suicide attempt
• firearm in the home
• family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
• exposure to suicide of friend or family member (especially true for teenagers)

Very preventable

Although severe depression may lead to suicide, most people with depression do not kill themselves.

When suicide does occur, the tragedy is that it could have been stopped in most cases. The problem is that when people are suicidal, their thinking may not be rational.

"Killing" depression

In Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness, writer William Styron describes suicide as something he wanted to do to kill his depression -- something that would make the pain go away. This feeling is common for people who want to end their lives because of depression.

Mike's story

Take the example of Mike. The 50-year-old entrepreneur has suffered from depression since his 20s. Mike tried to kill himself in the late 1980s, but was unsuccessful.

He says, "I lost everything but my life. My business, an apartment I loved, many belongings. I had become so sick that I stopped getting out of bed."

Mike recalls not feeling afraid to die. "You're so ready for everything to be over. It's easy to imagine getting in your car and driving at a hundred miles per hour on the highway into a bridge abutment."

To keep from reaching that point again, Mike takes daily medication. "I would never consider going off my medication. Ever. I truly believe it saves my life."

Stopping suicide

Signs that someone might want to kill him- or herself include:

• giving away valued belongings and/or writing a will
• withdrawing from family and friends
• lack of interest in the future
• comments like "You'd be better off without me." "Maybe I won't be around anymore."

If you think someone is considering suicide, the worst thing to do is nothing.

• Do help that person find professional help right away. Contact his or her therapist or physician. Call "911" or the nearest emergency service if he or she is close to, or is, harming him or herself.
• Do not accuse the person of being dramatic or lazy, of trying to get attention.
• Do not tell the person to "snap out of it." That's impossible for anyone with depression.

Related Links

Allina Behavioral Health Services

Depression inventory

Childhood depression: Recognizing and managing it

Teen depression and suicide

Mental health support groups

First published: 11/20/2001
Last updated: 05/18/2007

Reviewed by: Timothy P. Gibbs, MD, child and adolescent Psychiatry lead and chairperson, Behavioral Health Services, Abbott Northwestern Hospital; Steve Schneider, manager, Behavioral Health Services, New Ulm Medical Center