Suicide is one of the most frequent causes of unnatural death worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of deaths due to this fact.

The fact of provoking one’s own death is usually the result of profound suffering and the lack of perception of alternatives to alleviate it, the main reason being the attempt to avoid pain (although there are other motivations, such as the desire to harm others). And, contrary to what is usually thought, the vast majority of people who attempt suicide warn or express their desire to end their lives.

References to the desire to die and to cause one’s own death is therefore a very important risk factor when assessing the real possibility of a person attempting suicide. Although often it is not so much what is said but how and in what context, in this article we gather some suicidal phrases that are warning signs , or whose basic components tend to appear in phrases of this type.

Suicidal phrases of high concern

Below we will look at several typical phrases or aspects of the manifestations sometimes made by those who seriously plan suicide .

1. Life is not worth living

It is not uncommon for many of those who decide to take their own lives to think that life has little to offer them and to see death as a release.

2. I will soon stop suffering

As we have said before, the avoidance of suffering is the real objective of many people who commit suicide, being unable to perceive other valid alternatives .

3. To live like this the best thing is to be dead

Living through suffering or very adverse conditions over a long period of time can cause these kinds of thoughts to appear.

4. I’m tired of fighting

Tiredness in the face of the need to continually struggle to get ahead but without results is what this phrase conveys.

5. I want to end it all

Typical phrase of people who consider that they are tired of struggling to move on and who see death as the way out .

6. Soon I will no longer be a burden

Seeing oneself as a hindrance is something that generates great uneasiness and sadness, and this type of comment can be a warning of an imminent attempt to provoke one’s own death.

7. I want to get out of the way

It may seem strange, but sometimes these kinds of phrases can appear directly. It is also common to use terms that do not have such a negative connotation as suicide, such as “get out of the way”.

8. Sometimes I wish I could never wake up again

Typical phrase of people with a great level of vital suffering, who suffer in the day to day. Sleep is for them an interval in which this suffering is not present. And many people who decide to commit suicide come to interpret death as an eternal sleep in which they will no longer have to worry or suffer.

7. There will be a time when I will die and say “I’m happy at last”

This expression is referring directly to the inability to see that things can get better and the belief that you can never be happy again.

8. There is no greater lie than life itself

Disappointment and sadness about life is visible in many suicide attempts, with the person unable to perceive the good things in life.

9. I could die now and no one would notice

In this sentence the subject expresses that he feels unimportant and that there would be no one to mourn his loss, considering that there is no one who really cares.

10. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine

Sometimes this type of sentence can be made as a farewell, indicating the hope that despite the next suicide attempt the people who matter to the subject will be able to continue with their lives and be happy.

11. I can’t take it anymore

The expression of the lack of resources to face what is coming is common and may be an indication of the existence of suicidal thoughts.

12. Every day I see my end closer

A warning that the subject is beginning to think seriously about causing his own death.

13. I will soon join you (in reference to a dead person)

This phrase can be a serious warning of attempted suicide, when the subject is referring to a person already dead.

14. The world will go on turning without me

This type of discourse shows that the subject is considering that his existence has no effect on the world, being something indifferent and dispensable.

15. I’m starting to get sick again

This sentence can have a double reading: Firstly it can be suicidal if we are in a case where the subject has suffered great trauma or problems, showing a certain tiredness. Another case in which it can be an indicator of risk is in people who have already had previous suicide attempts, in these cases it is recommended to go to a hospital immediately.

16. I’m in hell

The perception of the world and reality as something aversive and hostile is common in many cases of autolysis.

17. I need to die

A very direct sentence that shows more than it seems: it is not only that the subject is referring to the idea of dying, but that this does not necessarily arise from a desire to die in itself , which could indicate that what he really wants is to avoid suffering .

18. I hear voices telling me “do it”

Some mental disorders can influence the appearance of suicidal thoughts, an example being the perception of auditory hallucinations that favour or command the subject to take his or her own life.

19. I only think about how easy it would be to die

These types of phrases are particularly worrying, especially if a certain longing is perceived in them.

20. When I die I can finally rest

Again, in this type of sentence the vision of death appears as something positive that will allow the subject to stop suffering, a distorted vision that should be the focus of therapeutic attention.

21. I can’t handle the demons in my head anymore

This phrase is generally associated with the suffering of a chronic mental disorder, especially when they are untreated and have egodistonic experiences over which there is no perception of control.

22. I am a burden

This type of sentence is common for those people who have some kind of dependency and are considered a hindrance to their environment.

23. I no longer have anything to live for

This type of sentence is frequent in those people who have suffered great losses (generally the death of loved ones), given the pain caused by these and the lack of motivation for what life has to offer.

24. I’m just going to speed things up

This phrase may not seem especially linked to suicide, but it can be when it is associated with suffering from a terminal illness.

25. Forgive me for not having the courage to continue

Sometimes those who decide to take their own lives ask their loved ones for forgiveness beforehand, or through suicide notes. These notes often show that the subject considers himself incapable of continuing and lacking the courage to live.

26. I am a coward, and as such I will leave

It is not uncommon for many people who commit suicide to have a considerable self-evaluation, considering themselves inferior and invalid .

27. Welcome back blade friend, you haven’t touched me in a while

One of the best known ways of attempting suicide is through cuts in the wrist veins. This phrase could be said by a person with previous suicide attempts by this means, when planning a new attempt.

28. This world is not for me

The pain and suffering, and the difficulty in coping with them, leads some people to consider that they do not deserve or are not capable of living.

29. I’ve always done everything wrong. This will be my last mistake

The presence of the consideration of not doing anything right, sometimes enhanced by a harmful environment, can generate a high level of suffering that can lead to the desire to commit suicide.

30. In death I will find peace

This phrase reflects the belief of a large part of the people who decide to take their own lives.

31. I know things will never get better.

The belief that there is no hope, that nothing will ever get better, is a common element of many people who decide to commit suicide.

32. I hope you can see the sunrise after this long night. I, too impatient, am leaving before here

This phrase, which was issued by Stefan Zweig before his suicide, expresses something common in many suicide notes or previous warnings: the hope that others can achieve happiness.

33. My bedtime reading is a revolver, and maybe sometime when I go to bed, instead of pulling the light switch, distracted, I make a mistake and pull the trigger

Phrase of Jacques Rigaut in which we can see how there is a certain ambivalence between the desire to live and the desire to end suffering , frequent in suicides. This author finally ended his life.

34. Being born was a mistake. A mistake I intend to correct

Although it is unusual, this type of phrase is also possible and especially when there is a certain amount of anger or self-hatred.

35. I’m not well. I’m a wreck inside. I don’t know if I can go on

Another phrase that reflects the suffering and doubt about whether it is worth continuing to fight that many people have. Also in this sentence the person in question warns of the existence of a deep pain.

36. I don’t want to be me … I want to be free … I need a remedy to cure this pain … I know I smile, but I haven’t been happy for a long time

This sentence is taken from the contents of the diary of a teenager who committed suicide in a psychiatric institution in England, and these contents were subsequently published to reflect the anguish experienced.

37. I can’t take it anymore. My life has no light or hope

Phrase from a letter written by an abused woman before she took her life. It reflects the weariness and loss of hope for a better future.

38. My work is done. Why wait?

The absence of a purpose or the feeling of having finished with one’s role in life is what this sentence reflects, which George Eastman wrote before his suicide.

39. The future is only old age and illness and pain. Goodbye and thank you for all your love. I must have peace and this is the only way.

This sentence was written by James Whale before he killed himself. In it we see the presence of a lack of expectations towards the future and something that is also frequent in those who take their own lives: gratitude towards those who have loved and treated them well.

40. My condition has deteriorated rapidly and I need to leave soon

Phrases like this one are typical of people with terminal, neurodegenerative or extremely disabling diseases who have wanted to end their lives.

41. All bridges are in love with a suicide

Phrases like this refer to one of the most common methods of suicide: that of falling into the void from a great height.

42. One more night, one more morning, one more day. I can’t

The expectation that nothing will get better and that every day will be an ordeal is something, as we have mentioned before, very common in those who commit suicide.

43. Whatever happens, know that I love you

A phrase that depending on the context could be a farewell to loved ones, prior to a suicide attempt.

44. I don’t do anything here anymore

Once again, the feeling arises that there is nothing to do in life .

45. I want my suffering to end

Another way to express despair.

46. My situation can only get worse

Extreme sadness goes hand in hand with the idea that the future will not be better, but in any case worse.

47. You will soon forget about me

Hopelessness about what will be left on others is also typical of the depressive symptoms associated with suicidal ideation.

48. No one can help me

Another of the suicide sentences in which this feeling of helplessness is expressed.

49. In a short time I will disappear

Ambiguous references to a disappearance are typical of suicidal ideation.

50. It’s like I’m already dead

Whoever doesn’t see a way out experiences life as a simulation.