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Suicidal behavior includes thoughts of suicide, attempts to commit suicide, and suicide itself. This problem mainly occurs in adolescents and young people aged 15-25 years. Adults take their own lives mainly after 70 years of age.

Only a small percentage of suicide victims have serious mental disorders. Most often, such radical solutions to problems are resorted to by people with minor disorders caused by prolonged depression, or those of an impulsive nature. It is important to promptly identify symptoms of suicidal behavior in your loved one, especially a child, in order to prevent terrible consequences.

Types and types of suicidal behavior

There are 2 types of manifestations of suicidal behavior:

1. Internal.

• Passive thoughts. A person thinks about death, but not about suicide. He believes that he has no reason to live, his departure will not upset anyone. Fantasies appear that life will suddenly end, for example, in a dream.
• Intentions. Specific thoughts about suicide appear. The patient chooses a method of suicide, thinks about the place and time of action.
• Intentions. The final decision is made. A person begins to realize his plan.

These three stages can be completed in a few minutes or take months or even years.

2. External.

• True. Long thoughts about the meaning of life and existing problems lead to the desire to commit suicide. Suicide seems to be the only way out. The decision to commit suicide is thoughtful and conscious. The patient does not tell anyone directly about his thoughts, so his death often comes as a complete surprise to those around him. Although from his behavior one can suspect that something is wrong.
• Demonstrative. They consist of hints and open threats to commit suicide. In this case, the suicide usually does not intend to take his own life. He just wants to be heard by others or receive something from them. Such a person does not know how to engage in dialogue or build normal relationships. If attempts to attract attention end in death, it is usually a tragic accident.
• Hidden. Such behavioral manifestations are characteristic of those who do not dare to deliberately hurt themselves or understand that suicide is not a solution. Nevertheless, patients try to hasten death, often unconsciously. They engage in extreme sports, drive while intoxicated or at high speed, run across busy highways, and become addicted to drugs.

Suicide attempt

A suicide attempt, which indicates a person's intent, is a powerful predictor of subsequent completed suicide. There is nothing more dramatic and painful than a cry for help from a suicidal person who has committed suicide. Some suicide attempts are not taken seriously. For example, a girl takes sleeping pills, confident that her attempt will be discovered. Or a man cuts himself in such a way that it cannot possibly end in death. Often family and friends take it easy. This also applies to cases where a person who tried to poison himself seeks to justify his behavior. Often people react to these events with an irritated remark: “She just wanted attention.” The point is that every suicide attempt should be taken seriously, no matter how harmless and frivolous it may seem. The most vulnerable are people who have attempted suicide in the past or have had close contact with someone who has attempted or accomplished this. Statistics show that 12% of those who make a suicide attempt, no later than two years later, definitely repeat it and achieve what they want. Four out of five suicide victims had attempted to do so in the past. After the first failed attempt, many conclude: “I’ll do it better next time.” And they remember this when they are in a state of crisis.

Causes of suicidal behavior

Many factors influence a person's desire to commit suicide. They can be divided into 5 groups.

1. Personal relationships:

• childhood psychological and physical trauma;
• cruel or indifferent attitude of parents;
• growing up in a single-parent family;
• cases of suicide among loved ones;
• living with alcoholics, drug addicts, and seriously ill patients;
• misunderstanding on the part of loved ones, conflicts in the family;
• divorce and separation from a loved one;
• parental divorce;
• death of a loved one;
• cheating partner;
• unhappy or unrequited love;
• sexual incompetence;
• non-acceptance of one's own sexual orientation or gender;
• experience of sexual violence.

2. Social interaction:

• problems and bullying in the team;
• excessive stress at work and study;
• inability to establish contact with others;
• influence from groups and individuals praising death;
• forced social isolation.

3. Antisocial behavior:

• fear of criminal liability;
• an attempt to avoid shame due to an act committed;
• desire for self-punishment.

4. Material and everyday difficulties:

• job loss;
• loss of money;
• low material income in the family;
• living in unfavorable living conditions.

5. Physical condition:

• chronic pain;
• incurable pathologies;
• appearance features;
• mental illness.

There are many other reasons for suicidal behavior. A combination of several factors increases the risk of wanting to commit suicide.

Detection of suicidal behavior

If you look closely at a loved one, you may notice signs that indicate he or she is suicidal. The behavior of suicide victims varies, but its unnaturalness is always striking.

Most often, someone who decides to commit suicide becomes withdrawn and silent, trying to isolate himself from everyone. He loses interest in his surroundings and reacts poorly to external stimuli. He is characterized by unemotionality, inappropriate actions and statements.

Unusual aggressiveness, prudence and composure often manifest themselves. Some become hyperactive, cheerful for no reason, and fussy. Elevated mood quickly gives way to lethargy. Lost appetite. Nightmares cause sleep disturbances.

A person who is suicidal begins to talk often about death and suicide. He directly or indirectly hints at his decision to die. There is an interest in books and films with death motifs. A potential suicide person constantly views depressive images and listens to sad music. He is often under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A suicidal person searches the Internet and print media for information about methods of suicide. A large number of pills or poisonous substances can be found in his personal belongings. Preparation for death also consists of putting things in order, reconciling with enemies, and giving away things of personal value.

Indicators of suicidal behavior in adolescents (causes, signs, prevention) article

INDICATORS OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS

(REASONS, SIGNS, PREVENTION)

Introduction

Suicide is a scary topic, it is not accepted and not very pleasant to discuss. For Russia, the problem of suicide is particularly relevant, since both in terms of the overall mortality rate from suicide, and especially in terms of indicators for adolescents, our country is among the most disadvantaged countries in the world. The problem of suicide in society is real, it is relevant, large-scale and has been gaining momentum since last year, due to the emergence of a large group of suicidal communities on the Internet.

The phenomenon of suicide is most often associated with the idea of ​​a psychological crisis. In this case, a crisis is understood as an emotional state that arises in a situation where a person collides with an obstacle to satisfying his most important life needs, that is, an obstacle that cannot be eliminated by the usual methods of solving problems known to a person from past life experience.

Suicide tops the list of causes of violent death. Suicides are conventionally divided into true ones, when the goal is a person’s desire to take his own life, and demonstrative-blackmail, which are used to put pressure on others, extract any benefits, and manipulate the feelings of other people. Demonstrative blackmail behavior does not imply taking one's own life, but demonstrating this mood.

SPECIFICITY OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Suicidal behavior in children and adolescents, while similar to the actions of adults, is distinguished by its age specificity. Children are characterized by increased impressionability and suggestibility, the ability to vividly feel and experience, a tendency to mood swings, weakness of criticism, egocentric aspiration, and impulsiveness in decision making. It is not uncommon for children and adolescents to commit suicide due to anger, protest, malice, or a desire to punish themselves and others. During the transition to adolescence, there is an increased tendency to introspection, a pessimistic assessment of the environment and one’s personality. Emotional instability, often leading to suicide, is currently considered a variant of the age-related crisis in almost a quarter of healthy adolescents.

Suicidal behavior in adolescents can be demonstrative, affective and true.

Features of suicidal behavior at a young age include:

1. There is insufficient adequate assessment of the consequences of auto-aggressive actions.

At preschool age, children do not consider “death” to be the end of life and perceive it very abstractly. Preschoolers are not prone to thinking about death, although this topic does not pass their attention (fairy tales, life events).

At primary school age, children consider death unlikely, do not realize its possibility for themselves, and do not consider it irreversible. The emotional attitude towards death is abstracted from one’s own personality.

Teenagers - the concept of “death” at this age is usually perceived very abstractly, as something temporary, similar to a dream, not always associated with one’s own personality. Unlike adults, children and adolescents do not have clear boundaries between a true suicide attempt and a demonstrative and blackmailing auto-aggressive act. For practical purposes, this forces all types of auto-aggression in children and adolescents to be considered as types of suicidal behavior.

2. The frivolity, fleetingness and insignificance (from the point of view of adults) of the motives that children use to explain suicide attempts. This explains the difficulties in timely recognition of suicidal tendencies and the significant frequency of cases that are unexpected for others.

3. The presence of a relationship between suicide attempts in children and adolescents and deviant behavior: running away from home, skipping school, early smoking, petty offenses, conflicts with parents, alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual excesses, etc.

4. In childhood and adolescence, the emergence of suicidal behavior is facilitated by depressive states, which manifest themselves differently than in adults.

According to the World Psychiatric Association, the age group most vulnerable to suicide is older adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. It is believed that for every completed suicide in adolescents, there are up to 100–200 suicide attempts, i.e. the frequency of completed suicides compared to attempted ones is relatively “small” - 1% of adolescent suicide attempts end in death. Nevertheless, suicide attempts, as a rule, contain a real threat to the life of a teenager.

Experts include the following categories in conditional risk groups:

- those in a difficult family situation (painful divorce of parents, parents' preference for one child over another, abuse in the family, mentally ill relatives);

– experiencing serious problems in learning;

– having no friends;

– without stable interests or hobbies;

– prone to depression (those with mental illness):

– those who have suffered bereavement;

– acutely experiencing unhappy love (severance of highly significant love relationships);

- having a family history of suicide (or having witnessed suicide, or having attempted suicide themselves);

– drink alcohol, psychoactive substances;

– having physical developmental deficiencies, disabilities, chronic somatic diseases;

– those who have committed a criminal act (characterized by criminal behavior) or have become a victim of a criminal offense (including violence);

– those who have fallen under the influence of destructive religious sects or youth movements

- children both with poor performance at school and gifted children with the “excellent student” syndrome.

REASONS FOR SUICILITY BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS

Of course, it is impossible to identify one or two causes of teenage suicide. What makes a growing child decide to take the final step is always very individual. Experts identify a number of main motives for suicidal behavior in adolescents, with the leading factor usually being the predominance of feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Experts believe that the main motives for suicidal behavior in children and adolescents are:

1. Experience of resentment, loneliness, alienation and misunderstanding.

2. Real or imaginary loss of parental love, unrequited feelings and jealousy.

3. Experiences associated with a difficult situation in the family, with death, divorce or parents leaving the family.

4. Feelings of guilt, shame, wounded pride, self-accusation (including those associated with domestic violence, because often a teenager considers himself to blame for what is happening and is afraid to talk about it).

5. Fear of shame, ridicule or humiliation.

6. Fear of punishment (for example, in situations of early pregnancy, serious misconduct), reluctance to apologize.

7. Love failures, sexual excesses, pregnancy.

8. Feelings of revenge, anger, protest, threat or extortion.

9. The desire to attract attention, arouse sympathy, avoid unpleasant consequences, escape from a difficult situation, influence another person.

10. Sympathy or imitation of comrades, idols, heroes of books or films.

Regardless of the motives, a teenager with any signs of suicidal activity should be under constant adult supervision; of course, this supervision should be unobtrusive and tactful.

SIGNS OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS

People with suicidal intentions do not avoid help, but, on the contrary, often seek it, in particular counseling. Of those who commit suicide, almost 70% consult with general practitioners in the month, and 40% during the last week before committing a fatal act; 8 out of 10 people who are contemplating suicide express their intentions in one way or another, informing others. They let us know about their unhappiness and/or suffering.

Some teens contemplating suicide experience confusion. Despite the fact that they are overwhelmed by a feeling of hopelessness and desperation, they can unconsciously “signal” to others about their intentions. The rationale behind all their actions is to find someone who will bring them a sense of relief and security. It is necessary to be attentive to these “signs” so as not to miss the opportunity to prevent emerging suicidal behavior. These warning signs may include:

- statements about not wanting to live: “It would be better to die,” “I don’t want to live anymore,” “I won’t be a problem for anyone anymore,” “You won’t have to worry about me anymore,” “It would be nice to fall asleep and not wake up,” “I can’t be helped”, “It’ll all be over soon”, incl. jokes, ironic remarks about the desire to die, about the meaninglessness of life;

– fixation on the theme of death in literature, painting, music; frequent conversations about this, collecting information about methods of suicide (for example, on the Internet);

– active preliminary preparation for the chosen method of committing suicide (for example, collecting pills, storing toxic substances);

– telling friends about making a decision to commit suicide (direct and indirect); indirect hints at the possibility of suicidal actions, for example, placing one’s photograph in a black frame, using pro-suicidal statements and symbols in correspondence and conversations;

– irritability, sullenness, depressed mood, signs of fear, helplessness, hopelessness, despair, feelings of loneliness (“no one understands me and no one needs me”), difficulty controlling emotions, sudden changes in emotions

(either euphoria or attacks of despair);

– negative assessments of one’s personality, the world around us and the future, loss of future prospects;

– constantly low mood, sadness. The child believes that he will not succeed, he is not capable of anything. The child is depressed, indifferent, and sometimes feels guilty towards others;

– unusual, uncharacteristic behavior for a given child (more reckless, impulsive, aggressive; unusual desire for solitude, decreased social activity in sociable children, and vice versa, excited behavior and increased sociability in unsociable and silent ones). Possible abuse of alcohol and psychoactive substances;

– desire for risky actions, denial of problems;

– decline in academic performance, skipping classes, failure to complete homework;

– a symbolic farewell to those closest to you (distribution of personal belongings, photos, preparation and exhibition of a video dedicated to friends and relatives); giving others things of great personal significance;

- an attempt to isolate oneself: lock oneself in a room, run away and hide from

friends (if there are other warning signs).

Considering that the development of suicidal tendencies is often associated with depression, it is necessary to pay attention to its typical symptoms:

– often sad mood, periodic crying, feeling of loneliness, uselessness;

– lethargy, chronic fatigue, hopelessness and helplessness;

– decreased interest in activities or decreased pleasure from activities that the child previously enjoyed;

– preoccupation with the topic of death;

– constant boredom;

– social isolation and difficulties in relationships;

– missing school or poor academic performance;

– destructive (destructive, deviant) behavior;

– feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, loss of self-esteem, low self-esteem and guilt;

– increased sensitivity to failure or inappropriate reactions

for praise and rewards;

– increased irritability, anger (often due to trifles), hostility or severe anxiety;

– complaints of physical pain, such as stomach pain or headache;

– difficulty concentrating;

– significant changes in sleep and appetite (insomnia or drowsiness, loss of appetite or uncontrollable eating).

Verbal statements are signs of suicidal intent:

Statements can be hidden and disguised, or completely sincere:

• "I hate life";

• “they will regret what they did to me”;
• “I can’t stand it”;
• “I will commit suicide”;
• “no one needs me”;
• “this is beyond my strength”;

• "You don't have to worry about me"
• "I don't want to get you in trouble."
• “I want to go to sleep and never wake up.”
• “Soon, very soon, this pain will be over.”
• “They will be very sorry when I leave them”...

Other ways of expressing suicidal tendencies can be symbolic: drawing black crosses with thick crossbars, black arrows, graves, black flowers, pierced hearts, bloody knives. Such drawings are most often repeated in farewell letters from teenagers. The most typical range of colors in drawings for suicidal tendencies is black and red.

Not all of the listed symptoms may be present at the same time. However, the presence of two or three behavioral signs indicates that the child may be depressed and needs professional help. If you look at the stories of teenagers who committed suicide under the influence of social networks, in addition to the above-mentioned signs, you can find common signs in them.

1. The word “cut out”, “self-drunk”, “offset”. In social media parlance, this means “to commit suicide.” See if it appears in the child's vocabulary.
2. Whale. When whales decide to die, they beach themselves. This image is actively replicated by people who incite teenagers to commit suicide on social networks. The influenced victim usually either draws pictures of whales or mentions them in his thoughts.
3. Butterfly. Symbol of short life. Used in much the same way as whale, although the latter is more common.
4. Cuts on the hands, even minor ones and not at all like attempts to open veins. Some “death groups” on social networks use a photo with a cut as a ticket to the community. There are also those who only allow the image of a cut.
5. New, unknown idols. Many teenagers were inspired to commit suicide on the social network VKontakte by Rina Palenkova (aka Renata Kambolina). It is also worth following the mention of the names of the administrators of the “death groups”: Philip Lis (Tsvetanovsky), Eva Reich, Emilia Reich, Adam Behr, Miron Sith (Seth).
6. The most difficult numbers to decipher are numbers or combinations of symbols. Suicide propaganda on social media uses many combinations. The most famous today are f57 and f58, “4:20” - “death groups” agitating teenagers to wake up at this time.

PREVENTION OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS

The complexity and inconsistency of a person’s “inner” life often does not allow us to identify the “main” reason why he commits suicide. We have to admit that many reasons can push him to commit suicide. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out preventive work comprehensively, including general and special measures.

The success of suicide prevention efforts among children and adolescents primarily depends on the timely identification of adolescents with psychological problems, social adaptation disorders, and deviant behavior.

Teaching staff, often communicating with a child, can see signs of a problematic condition: tension, apathy, aggressiveness, etc. At the first sign of any violations in the behavior of a teenager, it is necessary to notify his parents and the administration of the educational institution. For an older teenager, a teacher can offer an explanatory conversation in which he explains that he sees his condition and advises him to see a psychologist or psychotherapist, since it requires the work of a specialist. Even this role as a teacher bears fruit. It is only important for the teacher to invest a little sincere sympathy and warmth into such work.

A psychologist must teach teenagers to independently solve the problems they face, how to get out of stressful situations, resistance to life’s difficulties, teach the child to analyze his actions and their consequences, help establish contacts with peers, constantly monitor his behavior and, together with his parents, find the right way out of a difficult situation for the child. life situation.

The main content of the general direction should be the weakening and elimination of social and socio-psychological prerequisites that contribute to the formation of suicidal behavior in groups.

The components of such work are:

1. Clear organization of educational work, life and leisure of children and adolescents.

2. Prevention and elimination of conflicts between members of the team (classroom, educational institution),

3. Ensuring social and legal protection of students, caring for children.

4. Organization of mental hygiene and psychoprophylaxis activities, including:

a) early detection (diagnosis) of minors with neuropsychiatric disorders

instability, accentuations (pronounced deviations) of character,

problematic behavior;

b) construction of the educational process taking into account their psychological

personality traits of students;

c) systematic distribution of physical and psychological stress;

d) preventing excessive emotional stress of members

team.

Special prevention of suicide incidents includes:

1. Identification of students with an increased risk of suicidality.

2. Prediction of suicidal activity in students.

3. Timely provision of adequate assistance to a minor in a state of psychological crisis.

Providing primary psychological assistance to a suicidal person.

An extremely important stage in suicide prevention is assistance to the suicide by officials. There are three main methods of providing psychological assistance to a minor thinking about suicide:

1. Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment of the suicidal person.

1. Active emotional support for a child who is depressed.

2. Encouraging his positive aspirations to make the situation easier.

Conducting a preventive conversation.

The main thing in overcoming a person’s crisis state is an individual preventive conversation with the suicidal person. The following should be taken into account.

When talking to anyone, especially someone who is suicidal, it is important to focus on active listening. An active listener is a person who listens to the interlocutor with full attention, without judging him, which gives his partner the opportunity to speak out without fear of being interrupted. An active listener fully understands the feelings that the other person is trying to express and helps him maintain faith in himself. An active listener will help ensure that his interlocutor's statements about the desire to die are likely to be heard.

Recommendations for conducting a preventive conversation with a suicidal person:

- Talk in a quiet place to avoid the possibility of being interrupted in the conversation.

- Pay full attention to the child, look directly at him, sit comfortably, without tension, opposite him, but not across the table.

- Retell what the interlocutor told you so that he is convinced that you really understood the essence of what you heard and did not miss anything.

- Give the interlocutor the opportunity to speak without interrupting him, and speak only when he stops talking.

- Speak without judgment and bias, which helps to strengthen the interlocutor’s sense of self-worth.

- Say only positive and constructive phrases.

When providing primary psychological assistance to a child, it is important to observe the following rules:

• be confident that you are able to help;

• gain experience from those who have already been in such a situation;

• be patient;

• don't try to shock the person by saying, “Go and do it”;

• do not analyze his behavioral motives by saying: “You feel this way because...”;

• do not argue or try to reason with the person by saying: “You cannot kill yourself because...”;

• do your best, but do not take personal responsibility for someone else's life.

How to construct phrases in a conversation with a teenager demonstrating suicidal behavior:

1. IF YOU HEAR: “I hate school, class, etc.”, ASK: “What is happening in OUR class (at school), why do you feel this way?...” DON’T SAY: “When I was at your age... you’re just lazy!”

2. IF YOU HEAR: “Everything seems so hopeless...”, SAY “We all feel down sometimes. Let’s think about what problems we have and which one needs to be solved first.” DON'T SAY: “Think better about those who are worse off than you.”

3. IF YOU HEAR: “Everyone would be better off without me!...”, SAY “You mean a lot to us and I’m worried about your mood. Tell me what's going on." DON'T SAY: “Don't be stupid. Let's talk about something else."

4. IF YOU HEAR: “You don’t understand me!...”, SAY: “Tell me how you feel. I really want to know." DON'T SAY: “Who can understand the youth these days?”

5. IF YOU HEAR, “I did a terrible thing...”, SAY, “Let’s sit down and talk about it.” DON'T SAY, "What goes around comes around."

6. IF YOU HEAR: “What if I don’t succeed?...”, SAY: “If I don’t succeed, I will know that you did your best.” DON'T SAY: “If it doesn't work out, it means you didn't try hard enough!”

When conducting a preventive conversation with a suicidal person, you should be guided by the following principles:

1. In no case should you be invited to a conversation through third parties (it is better to first meet as if by chance, make some simple request or assignment, so that there is a reason for the meeting).

2. When choosing a place for a conversation, the main thing is that there are no strangers (no one should interrupt the conversation, no matter how long it lasts).

3. It is advisable to plan a meeting outside of working hours, when everyone is busy with their own business.

4. During the conversation, it is advisable not to take any notes, not to look at the clock, and especially not to do any “related” things. You need to show the suicidal person with all your appearance that there is nothing more important for you now than this conversation.

If during the conversation the student actively expressed suicidal thoughts, then he must be immediately and with an accompanying person referred to a psychiatrist at the nearest medical institution. If this is not possible, it is advisable to convince the suicidal person of the following at all costs: a severe emotional state is a temporary phenomenon; his life is needed by his family, friends, and friends, and his death will be a heavy blow for them; he, of course, has the right to control his life, but the decision on leaving it, due to its extreme importance, is better to postpone for a while and calmly think it over. Further work with a minor within an educational institution with the involvement of an educational psychologist is built only after receiving recommendations from a psychiatrist.

CONCLUSION

Teenage suicide often appears as a consequence of unresolved problems - problems that loved ones did not see in time and did not help to cope with them. Unfortunately, sometimes adults themselves create a dead end situation for the child. The teenager does not want to live as he lived before, but is unable to change anything. Offended, acutely aware of his loneliness, looking for himself in the world of adults, he finds no protection either at home, or at school, or in the company of his peers. The child is left alone. The scandals that erupted in the house, punishments, problems at school, and loneliness push him to take a terrible step.

Child suicide can almost always be prevented: to do this, you need to feel your child, hear him, and notice warning signs in time.

Signs of suicidal behavior in minors and children

Children are more likely to act impulsively. A fragile psyche, coupled with the inability to cope with problems, can lead to dire consequences due to any difficult situation. Spontaneous suicides usually occur before the age of 14. Teenagers carefully prepare for them.

Fortunately, only 1 case of suicidal behavior out of 100 results in death. But it is still necessary to be attentive to a child with similar tendencies. If the problems that led to the desire to commit suicide are not resolved in time, suicide attempts will be repeated. And the deeper the depression, the more serious the mental trauma will be.

A child who is thinking about death is constantly sad and cries. He locks himself in his room and refuses to communicate with relatives and friends. Lost interest in games and other activities that were previously enjoyable. Irritability and hostility arise.

Absence from school is increasing. The child stops doing homework and his academic performance drops sharply. Loss of sleep and appetite. There may be periodic complaints of physical discomfort, such as headache.

The presence of at least 2-3 symptoms should alert parents and teachers. In this case, you should immediately seek help from a psychologist. A specialist will assess the severity of depression and the level of suicide risk and help you sort out the problems.

Signs of suicidal depression

A typical manifestation of the disorder is extreme melancholy, which patients describe as a feeling of complete emptiness inside, an unwillingness to do anything and even to get out of bed in the morning. Total apathy occurs: the patient ceases to be interested in anything, be it family, work or personal problems. It seems that he wants only one thing, not to be touched, which is why even the most innocent remarks and requests are accompanied by outbursts of anger and aggression.

Appearance and behavior change. Pay attention to unkemptness and sloppiness, neglect of hygiene. The facial expression takes on a gloomy appearance: the corners of the lips are constantly drooping, and a vertical, deep wrinkle appears above the bridge of the nose. Also characteristic is stooping, restraint of facial expressions and movements. General inhibition is often noted, although sometimes it can be replaced by affective attacks reminiscent of hysteria.

For people suffering from suicidal depression, almost constant, causeless anxiety and restlessness, lethargy, weakness, and general loss of strength are typical. Patients very often complain about sleep disturbances: usually it is extremely difficult for them to fall asleep in the evenings, but they also cannot get enough sleep in the morning - they wake up long before the alarm clock rings. The patient is constantly haunted by anxious, pessimistic thoughts, sad reflections about mistakes made in the past.

Characteristic changes in eating behavior. Sometimes appetite completely disappears, and a person eats almost forcefully; in other cases, on the contrary, psychogenic overeating develops as an attempt to compensate for increasing psychological discomfort with food.

When to see a doctor immediately

Unlike hysterical disorder, with suicidal depression the patient never threatens suicide or makes demonstrative attempts to commit suicide. Spontaneous suicide is also not typical for this type of depressive disorder. Usually, after a person has made a fatal decision, his behavior changes dramatically.

Doctors strongly advise paying attention to the following symptoms:

• cold calm and equanimity;
• high spirits, which replaced despondency and melancholy;
• putting things in order: a person goes through all his things, giving many of them to friends and relatives (getting rid of clothes, expensive equipment, jewelry);
• dismissal from work, disinterest in further employment;
• requests for forgiveness.

Diagnosis of suicidal behavior

To identify suicidal tendencies, a psychologist conducts conversations with a potential suicide victim and his immediate circle. The degree of risk is assessed based on personal and situational factors.

1. Personal factors.

• low self-esteem;
• lack of self-confidence;
• an urgent need for sincere and warm relationships;
• the need for understanding and support from others;
• difficulties in making decisions;
• lack of independence;
• inadequate reaction to failures;
• tendency to self-flagellation;
• inability to build relationships in society;
• infantilism.

2. Situational factors:

• unfavorable environment in the team or family;
• frequent changes of housing, study, work;
• systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages;
• participation in sects;
• significant anniversaries;
• family or personal history of suicide attempts.

During a personal conversation with a suicidal person, a psychologist assesses the strength of the anti-suicidal barrier. This is a combination of factors that shape the will to live:

• a positive attitude towards life and a negative attitude towards death;
• fear of hurting yourself;
• strong attachment to someone;
• parental obligations;
• increased sense of duty and responsibility;
• belonging to a religion that condemns suicide;
• having dreams and plans for the future.

The more of these factors there are, the less likely it is to commit suicide, and vice versa.

The following techniques are also used to identify suicidal tendencies:

• depression scale score;
• assessment on the aggression scale;
• methods for identifying and preventing suicides;
• analysis of drawings;
• studying personal pages on social networks;
• method of unfinished sentences;
• psychological games.

Prevention

Preventive measures to prevent trends in the field of auto-aggression should begin with age groups where suicidal activity is highest.

Prevention of suicidal behavior in adolescents at school is designed to prepare teachers, parents, social workers and school psychologists for a general understanding of the problem, as well as to form a comprehensive understanding among the younger generation about the characteristics of suicidal behavior and its destructive impact on the individual.

Measures to prevent suicidal behavior in minors are drawn up taking into account the entire spectrum of the problem of suicide:

• general medical – work during medical examinations: identification of physiological characteristics that shape suicidal behavior (including a tendency to take psychoactive drugs);
• psychiatric (suicidological) – timely identification of mental pathologies during work with schoolchildren during medical examinations and beyond them;
• psychological – correctional work with unconstructive personal attitudes, auto-aggression;
• social – creation of appropriate social status, correction (if possible) of the socio-economic conditions of life of adolescents potentially prone to suicide;
• informational - measures aimed at creating specialized programs for disseminating among minors and all interested (doctors, psychologists, teachers, students) knowledge about the danger of suicidal tendencies in modern society, showing specific examples of the harmful effects of suicide; programs that create conditions for a healthy lifestyle.

For successful systematic work with suicidal tendencies, the appropriate infrastructure must be created: helplines (and means of active advertising), rehabilitation socio-psychological rooms at medical institutions, trained specialists who know how to work with people prone to suicide.

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