Delaware County Suicide Prevention Awareness
Suicidal Behavior Triggers
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Certain stressful events may bring about suicidal behavior. These are "triggers." They are things that happen to or around an individual. They may push someone with one or more risk factors toward suicidality. Some common triggers are:

- The break up of a close personal relationship (e.g., engagement or marriage), losing old friends, or interpersonal conflicts

- The death of a close relative or friend

- Suicide loss, especially a child, parent, spouse, or sibling

- Financial loss or incurring major indebtedness

- Rejection (e.g., not getting a job or promotion, not be accepted to a college or graduate school, etc.)

- Loss of self-esteem or status (e.g., losing a job, failing at school, being cut from a team, etc.) or feelin humiliated

- Becoming seriously ill or disabled

- Facing arrest, trial, prison, or other legal difficulty

It is thought that triggers interact with risk factors to produce suicidal thoughts (ideation), which may lead to other more serious forms of suicidal behavior.