Suicidal depression is not an entirely accurate and, in official terminology, a non-existent term. But it should be noted that almost any depression, as it progresses, can be suicidal.      

A feeling of hopelessness, hopelessness, a sense of the meaninglessness of one’s own existence are those emotions that, with their prolonged exposure, become completely unbearable for a person in a state of depression. Thus, suicidal depression is almost any depressive disorder, because according to global statistics, the vast majority of suicides are committed by people who are depressed.      

Here we will look at two of the most important questions: how to recognize that a depressed person has intentions to commit suicide, and what to do about it?    

Signs of suicidal thoughts

• depression, talk about the meaninglessness of life, its hopelessness;  
• loss of interest in activities that were previously enjoyable; 
• having one or more attempts at suicide in the past; 
• direct or indirect hints of an imminent departure from life, which can be expressed in a sharp change in mood, putting their own affairs in order, visits or calls to once close people, or vice versa – a person moves away from his loved ones;      
• purchase of funds for committing suicide;
• indirect references to those who have already died and their identification with themselves;    
• abrupt onset of drug or alcohol abuse.

What to do if you suspect a loved one intends to die ?   

• Understand that the suicidal behavior of a patient with depression is not a desire to die , but an attempt to end unbearable suffering. Even if it seems to you that a person has no obvious reasons for this: he does not experience loss, does not experience financial difficulties, and, in general, his life is prosperous, this does not mean at all that his words (hints) of suicide are insignificant.          
• If you yourself suffer from depression and even one thought about the possibility of suicide came to your mind, contact your doctor immediately.      
• Take seriously the person’s conversations about intent to commit suicide. Even if the situation does not seem tragic to you, for him, against the background of depressive experiences, the feeling of hopelessness and unbearable melancholy is quite real.     
• Don’t leave the person alone. According to statistics, people with depression commit suicide most often in the early pre-dawn hours, because it is at this time that they experience awakenings and a feeling of melancholy is especially strong.     
• If a person decides to talk about such an intention with you, do not read him moralizing, do not try to “reason”, saying that life is beautiful. In a state of depression, he sees everything around him completely differently, and your attempts to dissuade him of this will only confirm the idea that no one understands him. Try to understand the feelings and hear the person, offer to help, listen, ask about how really voplotimo his intention is whether he means to commit suicide (this will help to assess the degree of threat). There is a myth that such conversations can provoke a person to commit such an act. But attempts by others to pretend that nothing is happening is even more dangerous. As the experience of specialists shows, talking about motives and feelings that cause suicidal thoughts in a person reduces the risk of such behavior. And the opinion that if a person told about his intentions to die , he will never do it, is extremely mistaken.                           

And finally, the most important thing: if you notice the slightest signs that a person intends to commit suicide, immediately try to make it possible to have him examined by a psychiatrist. In case if there is no opportunity to discuss this with him (he is silent, out of answers or rejects the possibility of examination and treatment of depression), and the likelihood of suicide exists, it is a direct indication for involuntary hospitalization.          

Thoughts, words, hints at the possibility of death are equally dangerous signs of suicidal behavior!   

In a state when a person is ready for such behavior, he, most often, is not able to ask for help from a psychotherapist or psychiatrist on his own. Therefore, be attentive to your loved ones. It is very important to come to the rescue on time.