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
Melanie ThernstromAlleviating 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
Orion RummlerExamples of suicidal ideation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Much like other types of addiction, screen time is the drug and children who chase the thrill or escape that screen time offers end up experiencing mental health problems like anxiety, depression, obsessions, poor anger management, and suicidal ideation.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 25 June 2025
These students are more than twice as likely as their peers to report experiencing persistent sadness, hopelessness or suicidal ideation.
—Abhinav Anne, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
Kids with high or increasing use of social media and mobile phones were at two to three times greater risk for suicidal behavior and suicidal ideations than the kids on the lower trajectory, according to the study of over 4,000 US children over a period of four years.
—Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for suicidal ideation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Much like other types of addiction, screen time is the drug and children who chase the thrill or escape that screen time offers end up experiencing mental health problems like anxiety, depression, obsessions, poor anger management, and suicidal ideation.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 25 June 2025
These students are more than twice as likely as their peers to report experiencing persistent sadness, hopelessness or suicidal ideation.
—Abhinav Anne, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
Kids with high or increasing use of social media and mobile phones were at two to three times greater risk for suicidal behavior and suicidal ideations than the kids on the lower trajectory, according to the study of over 4,000 US children over a period of four years.
—Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for suicidal ideation
Cite this Entry
“Suicidal ideation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suicidal%20ideation. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
E. David Klonsky et al., Annual Review of Clinical PsychologyBurnout 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
Liselotte N. Dyrbye et al., Annals of Internal MedicineLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share