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Talking about suicide is one of the most difficult issues that we as a society still confront. Yet it's said that one in four of us knows someone who has committed suicide, and people of all ages end their life as a desperate solution to any number of problems. We are also slow to acknowledge that suicide is a symptom of an illness, and that people with that illness are susceptible to the idea of ending it all. In fact, statistics tell us that 80% of suicides are carried out by people who are depressed.

Looked at another way, 15% of people who are hospitalized for major depression commit suicide at some point, and thoughts of taking one's own life are so common in mood disorders that they are listed among depression's many symptoms. That said, certain groups of people who are depressed are more likely to commit suicide than others. In Canada, suicide is now the third-leading cause of death in males aged 14 to 25, and the rate of suicide has been steadily increasing over the past three decades.

Although women are much more likely to make suicide attempts, men tend to choose more lethal methods when they are contemplating suicide. As a result, more males actually die of suicide than do females. The longer a depression lasts, the more likely it is that a person will commit suicide as well. Not immune from depression, older individuals are also at risk for suicide. In fact, after adolescent years, the suicide rate peaks again in men over the age of 60, and in women, it again peaks after the age of 50.

Less frequently, people who suffer from severe panic disorder are at risk to take their own lives as well. When a suicide does occur, those affected by the death frequently feel unrelentingly guilty that they did not stop the death from happening - an understandable reaction but not realistic given that short of hospitalization and 24-hour supervision, there is no way to stop a determined person from taking their own life. However, there are certain clues which can be tip-offs that someone is seriously considering suicide.

In adolescents, stressful life events such as parents getting divorced or a death in the family make a depressed adolescent more vulnerable to suicide. An unstable, violent home life or a home in which drugs and alcohol are abused - or are abused by adolescents themselves - are all factors which make suicide in an adolescent more likely. Homosexuality is also a risk factor, as are personality traits such as poor problem-solving skills. In the older person, heavy drinking or the presence of a serious physical illness make suicide more likely.

As well, older people who live alone or who seem to have no friends are also more likely to take their own lives.

Whether young or old, it is vitally important for people who are considering suicide - or for family members who suspect one of their loved ones is doing so - to seek medical help.

With proper treatment, depressive symptoms will lift and the urge to commit suicide will be lessened. Keep in mind, though, a person is still at risk to commit suicide shortly after antidepressant treatment is started. This is because mood is often the last symptom to resolve and in the meantime, energy, including enough energy to finally commit suicide, has returned. In those first few vulnerable weeks, extra support and care need to be lavished on the depressed person until their mood lifts along with other symptoms.