Suicide is when a person deliberately takes an action to end their own life. All of us have the potential for suicidal feelings. An individual who displays suicidal behaviours may:

• talk about taking action
• have an untreated underlying mental health issue (eg depression)
• display behaviours that are warning signs of suicidal thoughts
• only feel suicidal for a particular period of time
• overcome their issues with support from professionals, family and friends.

When a person deliberately harms themselves it is called self-harm. Self-harm behaviours include:

• slashing wrists
• punching walls
• burning with cigarettes or lighters
• head-banging
• body mutilation including cutting, self-carving or tattooing
• eating disorders (eg anorexia or bulimia)
• swallowing sharp objects
• risk taking (eg excessive drug and alcohol use, unsafe sex).