suicidal ideation

noun

: the act of thinking about or a state of preoccupation with ending one's own life : the act of considering or planning suicide

He had been hospitalized several times for depression and suicidal ideation: the previous summer he had checked himself into a hospital in Laramie.

—Melanie Thernstrom

Alleviating gender dysphoria and aligning gender expression with identity through these treatments can lower stress, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and significantly lessen suicidal ideation.

—Orion Rummler

Examples of suicidal ideation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Young people who are subjected to or threatened with conversion therapy had nearly three times higher odds of suicidal ideation than those who aren’t. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026

These may include anxiety disorders, substance abuse, depression, social isolation, and even suicidal ideation. — Parents, 17 Oct. 2026

Navy officials initially said leadership had not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026

Patrick himself admitted to struggling with intense suicidal ideation after the tragic incident. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for suicidal ideation

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization

Medical Definition

suicidal ideation

noun

: the act of thinking about or a state of preoccupation with ending one's own life : the act of considering or planning suicide

Depression appears to be one of the strongest predictors of suicidal ideation but does not appear to distinguish those who have attempted suicide from those who have experienced suicidal ideation without attempts.

—E. David Klonsky et al., Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

Burnout among medical students seems to be an important predictor of subsequent suicidal ideation even without symptoms of depression.

—Liselotte N. Dyrbye et al., Annals of Internal Medicine