Suicide Warning Signs

• Talk of death, suicide, or harming oneself
• Chronic panic or anxiety
• Constant insomnia
• Altered personality or appearance
• Changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Dropping grades (for those still in school)
• Giving away treasured possessions
• Becoming more isolated - pulling away from normal social activities
• Talk of depression, life is not worth living

• Loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities
• Dissatisfaction with life
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Loss of energy
• Feeling useless or hopeless
• Irritability
• Great concern with health problems
• Sadness or crying
• Worry and/or self-criticism
• Difficulty concentrating and/or making decisions
• Loss of appetite and weight

• Severe depression
• Hypochondriasis
• Psycho-physiologic reactions
• Alcoholism
• Drug Dependency
• Psychotic States
• Inhibited or Absent Grieving

• A depressive syndrome of varying degrees of severity
• A history of delayed or prolonged grief
• Symptoms of guilt, self-reproach, panic attacks, and somatic expressions of fear such as choking sensations and hyperventilation
• Somatic symptoms representing identification with the deceased, those of the terminal illness
• Physical distress under the upper half of the sternum accompanied by expressions such as
• "There is something stuck" or "I feel there is a demon inside me."
• Searching behavior - trying to locate the deceased symbolically or actually
• Recurrence of depressive symptoms and searching behavior on holidays or anniversaries
• A feeling that the death occurred yesterday, even though the loss took place months or years ago
• Unwillingness to move the material possessions of the deceased
• Change in relationships e.g. replacement of deceased with someone else
• Diminished participation in religious and ritualistic activities
• The inability to discuss the deceased without crying or the voice cracking, particularly when the death occurred over a year ago
• Recounting themes of loss

• Recurring thoughts or nightmares about the event.
• Re-experiencing the event through vivid memories or flash backs.
• Having trouble sleeping or changes in appetite.
• Experiencing anxiety and fear, especially when exposed to events or situations reminiscent of the trauma.
• Being on edge, being easily startled or becoming overly alert.
• Feeling guilty about surviving the event or being unable to solve the problem, change the event or prevent the disaster.
• Feeling depressed, sad and having low energy.
• Experiencing memory problems including difficulty in remembering aspects of the trauma.
• Feeling "scattered" and unable to focus on work or daily activities.
• Feeling overwhelmed by what would normally be considered everyday situations and diminished interest in performing normal tasks or pursuing usual interests.
• Having difficulty making decisions.
• Feeling irritable, easily agitated, suspicious, or angry and resentful.
• Feeling fearful and a sense of doom about the future
• Feeling emotionally "numb."
• Withdrawing, disconnecting. Avoiding social situations
• Feeling different from others.
• Spontaneously crying, feeling a sense of despair and hopelessness.
• Feeling extremely protective of, or fearful for, the safety of loved ones.
• Not being able to face certain aspects of the trauma, and avoiding activities, places, or even people that remind you of the event.
• Relying increasingly on alcohol or drugs to get through the day.