When is suicide risk categorized as high?

Suicide risk is categorized as high when there are many risk factors present and few protective factors. Risk factors can include a history of mental health issues, substance abuse, significant life stressors, or previous suicide attempts, all of which can significantly increase the likelihood of suicidal behavior. Protective factors, such as strong social support, effective coping skills, and access to mental health care, can mitigate this risk. When a person exhibits many risk factors alongside a lack of protective factors, they are in a more precarious situation where the potential for suicide is significantly elevated.

In contrast, having many protective factors and few risk factors would decrease the risk of suicide, while a lack of past self-harm history might not provide a complete picture of an individual’s current risk level. The presence of only one risk factor does not inherently indicate high risk, as it is the combination and severity of multiple risk factors that typically raise the concern for suicide.