| Protective Factors |
There are obviously a lot of risks, are there things that help people avoid suicidal thinking and behavior?
Yes, they are what are known as protective factors.
Protective factors are:
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Feeling connected in your family and at school |
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Having responsibilities for children, or other family networks |
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Having someone you are very close to, such as a partner, relation or friend |
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Being secure and strong in the feeling that you can solve your own problems |
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Being physically and mentally healthy |
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Having enough resources to feel secure, particularly as you get older |
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Having something you believe in that gives meaning and purpose to life, like spirituality or a religion |
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Being part of a community, having social networks |
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Early recognition and treatment of mental illness |
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Not having access to means |
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Having a belief that suicide is wrong |
Obviously the more protective factors you have, the less the chance is you will decide to commit suicide at that time. Remember though, that risk and protective factors can change throughout a person's life, especially as they are growing up.
The information on this page was sourced from:
Information Factsheet on Suicide from http://www.mind.org.uk/
LIFE - Living Is For Everyone (2000). A framework for prevention of suicide and self-harm in Australia. Learnings about suicide. Publications Production Unit (Public Affairs, Parliamentary and Access Branch). Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care.
Platt. S., Crombie. I., Feng. Z., & Exeter. D. (2007) The Epidemiology of Suicide in Scotland 1989-2004: An examination of temporal trends and risk factors at national and local levels. Scottish Executive Social Research
