Suicidal ideation Created 2026-10-31 Updated 2026-11-05
Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts about or consideration of suicide. Thoughts, intent and behavior are related but distinct measurements; the presence of one does not uniquely specify the others.[ref]
In research, the wording of questions and the period being assessed affect what is counted. A lifetime measure and a report about the past week answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable prevalence estimates.
Suicide Created 2026-10-31 Updated 2026-11-05
Suicide is death resulting from self-directed injurious behavior undertaken with intent to die. A nonfatal attempt and suicidal ideation are distinct outcomes and should not be combined into a single research variable.[ref]
Suicide has multiple interacting contributors. An association with a mental disorder does not mean that every person with that diagnosis has the same risk or that a death can be explained from one diagnostic label.[ref]