suicidal ideation

noun

: the act of thinking about or a state of preoccupation with taking 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

They're being told by a school counselor that this is suicidal ideation. —Doc Louallen, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2024

Their symptoms were the same as mine – depression, suicidal ideation, and the pressure to be a good mother. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024

Both these tools also fail to account for multiple or simultaneous mental health conditions, such as depression and suicidal ideation or anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. —Wendy Ward, STAT, 10 Apr. 2024

Her mental health deteriorated, and the woman had anxiety and panic attacks as well as severe suicidal ideations, the suit said. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024

Although research shows suicidal ideation is linked to specific times during the menstrual cycle, today most people still haven’t heard of PMDD, including doctors. —Shalene Gupta, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

He was recently hospitalized for suicidal ideations and left the University Health Behavioral against medical advice, the release said. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024

As more patients started taking the drugs, however, there were a number of anecdotal reports of suicidal ideation, leading to the investigations. —Andrew Joseph, STAT, 12 Apr. 2024

Around a third of people with PMDD have attempted suicide, and over 70% have regular suicidal ideation. —Shalene Gupta, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

suicidal ideation

noun

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

Although most patients with suicidal ideation do not ultimately commit suicide, the extent of suicidal ideation must be determined, including the presence of a suicide plan and the patient's means to commit suicide.

—Michael F. Gliatto and Anil K. Rai, American Family Physician

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