About 800,000 people worldwide die by suicide every year
Meaning about one person dies every 40 seconds by taking his/her own life
source
.
When I looked at this report, I noticed that suicide is the second leading cause of death in people between 15 to 40 years worldwide.it is even more common in America
It was reported that 1 out of every 5 American school student thinks seriously about committing suicide.

source

We probably know people who have committed suicide or lost anybody to suicide. It is very important to understand the signs and symptoms of suicide so that you can know how best to help out. Committing suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem

In my secondary school, we had a student that attempted to poison herself because her crush didn't like her. She took an overdose of paracetamol and was lucky because she escaped death by the whiskers. I have seen a couple of suicidal cases in practice anyways

WHAT CAN CAUSE SUICIDE?

1. PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

Can lead to somebody having suicidal ideas.
The common examples are: Depression, Schizophrenia And substance abuse.

Depression and substance abuse contribute about 20% to suicidal tendencies

2 DEBILITATING HEALTH PROBLEMS

Conditions like cancer, AIDS, an even sickle cell can make the person have suicidal tendencies.

3 PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS

This is an important cause of suicide, many cases fall into this category, e.g. failure in an examination, failure in love, dowry difficulties, family problems, teenage pregnancies etc.

SIGNS OF A POTENTIAL SUICIDE

Every suicide is planned, it's just that the people around don’t take note of the signs. Suicidal thoughts are treatable only if its identified .some people may like a one-on-one discuss, some people may be comfortable with group counseling, some may even be cool with over the phone counseling. Life is hard, but it should not be borne alone.so if u find a friend or relative, with these signs that would be listed, then you have to act very fast.

• TALKING ABOUT DEATH. if you have a friend that talks about how to take his/her life, the friend is probably seeking advice from you on the best way to end his/her life, but some people don’t take this seriously, they may think their friend is crazy, but this is actually a sign.

• GIVING AWAY PRIZED POSSESSIONS. If you have a friend that suddenly starts giving away prized possessions, example a girlfriend who starts dashing her expensive jewels, Lamborghini etc., in this person mind, she might not need those things where she will be going, she may think she is doing you a favor.

• FREQUENT CHANGES IN WILL at a point in life, people write wills, maybe due to different triggers, e.g. marriage, having kids, older age etc. if u happen to see somebody changing his will more than twice a month, u should watch that person closely and ask further questions

• OBTAINING A WEAPON this should be an alarm for all your doubts
  Even if it is not a suicidal attempt, what if the person wants to use it to commit a crime? You may be the only savior in an attempted criminal activity. Think about it like that.

• STRANGE SLEEP PATTERNS observing strange sleeping patterns could also be a pointer. Stress could lead altered sleeping pattern, the more it continues, it may lead to depression. I mentioned that depression was one of the causes of suicide if you could remember.

source

• SUBSTANCE ABUSE it’s a known fact that alcohol depresses mood, imagine a person with depression taking more alcohol. Studies show that, when humans don't feel connected to anyone, they may result in drugs/alcohol as a form of solace. Worst case scenario, if this person actually had a suicidal tendency, he may feel that drugs/alcohol will give him the power to commit suicide

• SOCIAL AHEDONIA. This is just” low motivation for social life”. If you notice that your friends stop interacting, they withdraw from friends, family members because they don't feel worthy of their company, they may even reduce socializing, reduce posting on social media, reduce picking calls etc., they may reduce participation in activities in which they love and nothing seems to matter anymore. It’s a very important sign to a trail.

• SELF HARM. This is the biggest sign, if you see a friend that has weird cuts on wrist e.g. on the wrist, tries to burn himself or even tries to jump from a cliff, has attempted to poison himself/herself then don't be too far from calling for help. This person is actually tasting the water to see if they have what it takes to commit suicide. They think the physical pain will help them escape the emotional one.
  I had a colleague whose Girlfriend slit her wrist because she read a text message from another girl, we found her in a pool of blood, and thank God she didn't die.

• RISKY BEHAVIOURS indulging in risky behaviors could also be a sign, suicidal people tend to take more risks, e.g. reckless driving, picking up fights etc. this might be confused with some “daredevils “

• FREQUENT EMOTIONAL TANTRUM unexplained emotional outbursts in response to what people have said or done could also be a pointer. Suicidal people may have a certain body language that connotes dejection example starring at the floor, unwillingness to make eye contacts. These signs speak volumes.

• PAST SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS depression is not easily cured by pills, depression needs follow up and extra care, a sudden stop of medication may even trigger a suicidal attempt, so past history of suicide is a pointer.
  The fact that you spot some of these signs doesn't mean that the person has a tendency of self-harm, it means that you need to become extra vigilant.

So when you find all these signs? What would you do to help the person?
source

• Ask questions, these can help you know what to do next.
• Listen, always be patient to listen to a friend, you never can tell what the person is passing through.
• Be there
• Help connect, help the person find help, if the person does not have help, you can even recommend a therapist.
• Check in on them, show them that you care.

Imagine if you were the one that had this suicidal problem, what would you have done to help yourself?

source

Remember you are valuable and appreciated more than you know, family, friends, members of community love you, it all adds up, even if you don't feel like it.

Let’s help to save a human from committing suicide in every 40seconds of life.