In addition to the warning signs under suicide prevention, there are a number of risk factors that can predispose a person towards suicide and make it more likely that they’ll take their own life:
Personality traits that are risk factors for suicide
- Scoring lower on intelligence tests
- Having an LGBT orientation (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender)
- Being highly sensitive
- Having a borderline personality disorder diagnosis
Several personality or character traits can increase a person’s propensity for suicide. Impulsivity – a trait measured on psychological tests which tends to characterize men more than it does women – can put people at greater risk for suicide. (Springen, 2010) Other inquiries have found that having a lower intelligence raises the odds that a person will commit suicide. (Deary, Weiss & Batty, 2011) Yet it’s also true that a number of people who commit suicide are highly intelligent.
Sensitive people & suicide
One very colorful personality trait associated with suicide is high sensitivity. It’s believed that around 20% of the population can be classified as highly sensitive, which means that not only do they react to social hurts in a more personal way, but they are often more attuned to and bothered by the suffering of others. Therefore highly sensitive people can find themselves more preoccupied with the problems in the world, which can fuel a state of despair.
Suicide & borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD), a condition based on hypersensitivity in which people are quick to overreact to the slightest injuries (think about it as someone with skin so thin that they writhe in pain over the slightest touch), is a condition frequently associated with suicide. It’s estimated that as many as 1 in 10 patients diagnosed with BPD will eventually kill themselves.
Other risk factors for suicide
Another major suicide risk is sexual identity issues. Gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender citizens all have much higher suicide rates than the general public, and sexual identity issues are by far the leading contributor to suicides among teens and youth. Finally, the degree of deterrents holding a person back impacts their risk for suicide. These can be things like family connections, religious beliefs, ideas about death, and so on. A person with few social connections and the belief that a better world awaits after death has much less of a hurdle to overcome than an atheist who expects nothing afterwards and claims to a few important connections.
Protective factors against suicide
On the opposite end, several factors have been identified as things that reduce the risk of a person committing suicide:
- An intact marriage or other social supports
- Active faith or religious affiliation
- The presence of young dependant children at home
- Supportive relationship with a caregiver
- The absence of substance abuse or depression
- Living in an area with close access to medical and mental health resources
- The awareness that suicide is the product of mental illness
- Proven problem solving and effective coping skills