World Suicide Prevention Day 2020: Warning Signs Of Suicide You Must Not Ignore

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10. The day is observed worldwide in order to reiterate worldwide commitment to prevent suicides. The aim of World Suicide Prevention Day is to generate awareness about suicide, its warning signs and how you can help a person in need. Suicidal behaviour is talking about or taking actions that can be related to one's own life. Suicidal thoughts or behaviours need to be considered a psychiatric emergency. In case you or someone you know is exhibiting them, immediate assistance from a healthcare provider should be taken.

World Suicide Prevention Day: Know the warning signs of suicidal thoughts

Identifying suicidal thoughts might not always be easy as you can't see what a person is feeling on the inside. Dr Sanjay Chugh, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Dr. Chugh's Neuropsychiatry Clinic, New Delhi, talks about how depression can kill if it is not treated.

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The cognitive triad of depression occurs when depression progresses to more advanced stages and makes a person feel hopeless, helpless and worthless. S/he loses the hope that anything in life is ever going to get better, that they are incapable of changing their circumstances, and that they are worthless or inferior to others.

"The person begins to harbour thoughts of harming himself/herself. This is known as suicidal ideation," says Dr Chugh.

According to Dr Chugh, most people (about 95% of them) who contemplate suicide and attempt it have an underlying psychiatric problem, and depression is the most common of them.

So, if someone around you says thing like s/he is fed up of life and don't want to live, then it should be a cry for help. Dr Chugh says that it is unfair to expect family and friends to treat depression, which is a medical condition, just like a heart attack. "If you delay it or refuse to recognise it and go into denial mode, you do it at your own peril. The risks, as we have seen so many times around us, are a regret of things that you have live with for the rest of your life," Dr Chugh explains further.

Taking timely action can be helpful in prevention of suicide
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Here are other warning signs that a person is suicidal:

• Talking about feeling trapped or alone
• Giving away personal possessions or making a will
• Saying they have no reason to go on living
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Searching for a means of doing personal harm
• Eating too little or too much
• Dramatic mood swings
• Expressing rage or intentions to seek revenge
• Avoiding social interaction with others
• Talking about suicide as a way out

This World Suicide Prevention Day, talk as much as possible about suicide, its warning signs to raise awareness about suicide and prevent an unforeseen circumstance that you may regret for your entire life. It may feel scary, but taking timely action and helping someone get the help they need can prevent a suicide a attempt or death.

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(Dr Sanjay Chugh is Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Dr. Chugh's Neuropsychiatry Clinic, New Delhi)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.