7 Suicide-Related Words to Avoid

Using sensitive suicide-related words can uplift those who are struggling; conversely, insensitive words, however well-intended, can cause further pain. Most people often find great difficulty in discussing suicide; especially in these delicate situations, suicide-related words exert immense power.

Suicide-Related Words Affect Survivors

An article by a woman who lost her brother to suicide confronted me with something I’d never considered: the phrase “committed suicide” originates from previous times when suicide was a crime and a sin, not a mental health issue. This woman experienced not only the heartbreak of losing a brother but also constant injury from the stigma associated with that particular phrase.

People "commit homicide," "commit arson," "commit perjury," and "commit burglary." When someone takes his own life, however, conversation steeped in moral implications from generations past can be hurtful to those left behind in the wake of such a loss. 

Why to Avoid Insensitive Suicide-Related Words

You may never know that someone close to you has been struggling with thoughts of suicide. If you can offer a non-judgmental discussion of the topic, that person may trust you with these private difficulties ("How to Talk to a Suicidal Person"). You may also never know that someone you’re speaking with or who overhears your conversation has lost someone to suicide; that person is just as sensitive to suicide-related verbiage.

Yes, these changes to our vocabulary may feel awkward and unnecessary at first ("How to Talk About Suicide the Right Way"). I’ll be the first to admit that my voluntary shift in language isn’t always successful and that I still do damage sometimes with insensitive suicide-related and mental health-related words. However, words and the context around them have power. If I can lessen even one person’s struggle with a shift in my own behavior, I’m in. 

How to Avoid Harmful Suicide-Related Words

Words and Phrases to Generally Avoid

• Committed suicide
• Diseased person
• Mentally ill person
• Crazy
• Insane
• Psycho
• Psychotic 

Alternative Phrasings

• Committed suicide —> Died by suicide, took his life, killed himself. This removes the criminal or sin element, potentially giving people considering suicide a safer and less judgmental context in which to ask for help.
• Diseased person —> Person with a mental illness. This becomes “person-first language,” wherein the health issue doesn’t define the person, but becomes a descriptor. 
• Mentally ill person —> Again, a person with a mental illness, in person-first language.
• Crazy —> Person with a mental illness. It probably goes without saying, but "crazy" has a negative and permanent connotation and can place people at the butt of jokes, while "mental illness" is simply a health condition.
• Insane —> Person with a mental illness
• Psycho —> Person with a mental illness
• Psychotic —> If you’re using this word in its medical context, discussing a psychotic episode, antipsychotic medications, or the like, please continue. If, however, you’re using this word in the informal sense to call someone "crazy," please instead choose to say "person with a mental illness." 

How Your Suicide-Related Word Choice Creates Bliss

When we focus on helping others, our own problems seem far smaller. Sensitive word choice about suicide is one small way we can help. Using the education we’ve gained around mental health, we can offer an emotional balm to those still struggling, or to those who have become more healthy but are surviving a dark time. Furthermore, we can help end the stigmas around mental health and suicide as we share our reasons for choosing the words we do. 

If you feel you may hurt yourself or someone else, call 9-1-1 immediately. 

If you need help with distressing thoughts (including suicidal thoughts), call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 

For more information on suicide, please see our suicide resources here.