Glossary cont.
Suicide behaviour Making plans and acting on suicide thoughts is called suicide behaviour, whether the outcome is life or death. Acting on thoughts is also referred to as a ‘suicide attempt’. Dies/died by suicide When a person dies this way we say they ‘died by suicide’ or ‘took their own life.’ We use theses terms over other phrases such as ‘committed suicide’ or ‘completed suicide’. Suicide attempt We never say that a suicide attempt was ‘successful’ or ‘unsuccessful’.Instead, we say that the outcome of suicide behaviour is ‘life’ or ‘death’. It is common for people to use the term ‘commit suicide’. This dates back to when suicide and suicide attempts were against the law and a person who died by suicide ‘committed’ a crime. As suicide is no longer a crime this language is inappropriate and can perpetuate stigma and shame.
Page 22
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker