Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer
  • For Medicare
  • For Providers
  • For Brokers
  • For Employers
  • Search
    Search
    Español
  • For Individuals & Families:
  • For Individuals & Families:
  • Shop for Plans

    Shop for Plans

    • Plans through your employer
    • Learn about the medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral, and voluntary benefits your employer may offer.
    • Explore coverage through work
  • Log in to myCigna
  • Log in to myCigna
  • Shop for Plans

    Shop for Plans

  • Member Guide
  • Find a Doctor
  • Home Knowledge Center Suicide Risk Factors and Warning Signs

    Suicide Risk Factors and Warning Signs

    It’s valuable to be able to recognize signs that might warn of a suicide attempt.

    Suicide is a devastating act that can seem to have come from nowhere. While we can’t accurately predict an attempt, it can be helpful to understand what might put a person at risk. If you think a loved one is at risk for suicide, please call: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

    Suicide Risk Factors

    Conditions that could make suicide more likely:

    Depression or other mental health illness1

    If several of the following conditions occur nearly every day for 2 weeks or more, it could indicate depression:

    • Feeling hopeless, helpless, worthless, sad
    • Loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities
    • Changes in eating, sleeping patterns
    • Exhaustion, low energy
    • Feeling anxious, irritable, restless
    • Physical pain without a physical cause
    • Drop in performance at work or school
    • Trouble focusing or making decisions
    • Not wanting to be around other people
    • Thoughts of death or suicide

    Other risk factors

    • Alcohol and drug use
    • A previous suicide attempt
    • A family history of depression, suicide, abuse
    • A major loss–a death, relationship, home
    • An event that causes shame, guilt, disgrace
    • Physical health problems
    • Learning of someone else’s suicidal behavior
    • Easy access to the means to commit suicide
    • Being impulsive or isolated

    Warning Signs of Suicide

    These signs may indicate that a suicide attempt is close:

    • Direct threats to hurt or kill oneself
    • Looking for a way to commit suicide, for example, buying a gun or stockpiling pills
    • A focus on death–either by talking, writing, drawing, or posting online about death or suicide; listening to music or looking at websites related to death
    • Having a plan for an attempt; generally, the more detailed the plan, the higher the risk
    • Behaviors and moods associated with depression as described
    • A change in personality or mood–including suddenly becoming happy or calm after being sad
    • Neglect of appearance or cleanliness
    • Doing risky or self-destructive things
    • Giving away meaningful belongings
    • Taking care of end-of-life affairs, such as making a will, or getting life insurance in order
    • Saying goodbye to friends and loved ones

    Take extra caution if a person exhibits one or more warning signs and also has one or more risk factors or appears intoxicated. For more information, visit Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

    If you or a loved one is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

    Tags

  • Relationships
  • 1NIMH.NIH.gov, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml, accessed January 31, 2022.

    This information is for educational purposes and intended to promote consumer health. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for proper care provided by a physician. Cigna HealthcareSM assumes no responsibility for any circumstances arising out of the use, misuse, interpretation, or application of any information.

    I want to...
  • Get an ID card
  • File a claim
  • View my claims and EOBs
  • Check coverage under my plan
  • See prescription drug list
  • Find an in-network doctor, dentist, or facility
  • Find a form
  • Find 1095-B tax form information
  • View the Cigna Healthcare Glossary
  • Contact Cigna Healthcare
  • Audiences
  • Individuals and Families
  • Medicare
  • Employers
  • Brokers
  • Providers
  • Secure Member Sites
  • myCigna member portal
  • Health Care Provider portal
  • Cigna for Employers
  • Client Resource Portal
  • Cigna for Brokers
  • The Cigna Group Information
  • About Cigna Healthcare
  • The Cigna Group
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Investors
  • Suppliers
  • Third Party Administrators
  • International
  • Evernorth Health Services
  • Cigna Healthcare. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy
  • Legal
  • Product Disclosures
  • Company Names
  • Customer Rights
  • Accessibility
  • Non-Discrimination Notice
  • Language Assistance [PDF]
  • Report Fraud
  • Sitemap
  • Cookie Settings
  • Disclaimer

    Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Georgia, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of South Carolina, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Accidental Injury, Critical Illness, and Hospital Care plans or insurance policies are distributed exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of The Cigna Group Corporation, are administered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, and are insured by either (i) Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (Bloomfield, CT); (ii) Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”) (Philadelphia, PA); or (iii) New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY (“NYLGICNY”) (New York, NY), formerly known as Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. The Cigna Healthcare name, logo, and other Cigna Healthcare marks are owned by The Cigna Group Intellectual Property, Inc. LINA and NYLGICNY are not affiliates of The Cigna Group.

    All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna Healthcare sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

    Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna Healthcare website. Cigna Healthcare may not control the content or links of non-Cigna Healthcare websites. Details