There is no single cause for suicide and the reasons that someone develops suicidal behaviour can be different for each person. Some of the reasons an individual might develop suicidal behaviours may include:
- transgenerational grief
- social disadvantage
- divorce/relationship breakdown
- mental and physical health
- custody of children
- community breakdown
- substance abuse
- rural/remote isolation
- financial hardship
- unemployment
- lack of identify, culture land and language.
A combination of factors could contribute to suicidal behaviours including:
- psychological
- social
- cultural
- biological.
The most common cause of suicide is untreated depression. Suicide is usually the result of serious depression often triggered by negative events, though sometimes people may die by suicide even when there doesn’t seem to be anything going on in their lives to cause them to be depressed.
If someone close to an individual, such as a family member, has committed suicide, that individual may be predisposed to depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviours in the future.