by Karen Kennedy, MSW
Suicide isn’t a bad word. In fact, the more we learn and talk about it, the easier it is for ourselves and others to share life experiences and find support. We can help save lives.
Understanding passive suicidal ideation is important because it is a significant, often overlooked indicator of emotional distress that can escalate to a mental health emergency. Suicidal ideation is defined as suicidal thoughts, ideas or plans. These ideations can be active or passive.
Active suicidal ideation is when someone has thoughts of suicide or harming themselves and has a developed plan to carry it out. Passive suicidal ideations involve thoughts of death or a desire to die without an active plan or intent to end one’s life. Someone may feel hopeless and want to die, but they do not have actual intention to end their life.
Passive ideation is more about thoughts and feelings one may have about suicide, but not about taking action on them. Some phrases individuals experiencing passive suicide ideation may include but are not limited to:
- I believe everyone would be better off without me.
- I hope I don’t wake up in the morning.
- If something were to happen to me, I wouldn’t care.
- It would be easier if I just disappeared.
- I wouldn’t care if I got sick and died.
- I wouldn’t care if I got into an accident and died today.
- I wish I was never born.
Passive suicide ideation can be acute or chronic. For some, these thoughts come about quickly in a time of crisis and pass, while for others, these thoughts can always be present with varying degrees of intensity. Chronic passive suicidal ideation is the persistent, long-term preoccupation with thoughts of suicide that recur over an extended period. This type of ideation can make daily functioning difficult. However, for some experiencing chronic suicidal ideation, the thought of suicide can become a familiar or strangely comforting source of control or escape from overwhelming emotional pain.
Experiencing passive suicidal ideation yourself or learning that someone else has these feelings can be frightening and alarming. Having these thoughts doesn’t necessarily mean a person is going to die by suicide, but it is associated with long-term suicide risk to active ideations.
If you or someone you know is experiencing active or passive thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support. Help is available.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 24/7 call or text 988
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Chat: 24/7 chat.988lifeline.org
Emergency Services: 24/7 911
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention AFSP.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI.org
The Trevor Project: 24/7 crisis care for LGBTQ+ young people www.thetrevorproject.org