In this section:
There are no simple explanations as to why people take their own life and often the reasons are not clear to others. A person’s desire to take their own life may be driven by a number of factors. It is often related to a desire to escape intolerable emotional or physical pain or a sense of hopelessness.
There are a number of factors that are known to increase a person’s risk (risk factors):
- Poor physical or mental health;
- A history of deliberate self-harm;
- Social or financial problems;
- Discrimination;
- Low educational achievement;
- Legal problems;
- Imprisonment;
- Lack of parental bonding;
- Family violence or disharmony;
- Lack of friends;
- Experiences of bullying;
- Experiences of harassment;
- Experiences of abuse; and
- Social isolation.
There are also some things that may reduce the possibility that an individual or group of individual’s will become suicidal (protective factors):
- Good physical and mental health;
- Economic security;
- Self-esteem;
- A spiritual or religious belief;
- A personal sense of meaning or purpose to life;
- Personal resilience and problem-solving skills;
- Connectedness to family and school;
- Responsibility for children;
- Functional family communication patterns;
- The presence of a significant other person in an individual’s life;
- Community and social integration; and
- Non-stigmatised community attitudes to mental illness.
