Suicide thoughts and behaviour “I visualise a compass that represents the direction and navigation the Youth MHFAider offers a young person going
through a crisis.” Zara, 15 years old
Suicide is the most serious crisis associated with poor mental health, so Youth MHFAiders need to consider it as the highest priority when assessing for crises. Suicide is preventable. People who experience suicide thoughts or behaviour don’t want to die; they simply don’t want to live with the pain they experience any longer. We can learn to spot the warning signs so we can help identify and support young people experiencing suicide thoughts. Openly talking about suicide thoughts can save a young person’s life. Prevalence Suicide thoughts are relatively common, suicide behaviour is much rarer, and suicide behaviour and attempts with the result of death are rarer still. However, suicide is a major public health issue, both in England and globally. You are far more likely to meet someone who is having thoughts of suicide than to come across someone having a heart attack. The WHO reported in 2022 that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds – double that of the adult population (279). Additionally, the number of suicides in people under the age of 25 years old has gone up over the last 10 years (280). What figures and numbers cannot reflect are the invisible impacts of suicide. People often refer to the ripple effect caused by suicides, where friends, families and communities who are left
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