Understanding yourself
Suicidal thoughts
“Everyone would be better off without me.”
This thought is a symptom, not the truth. It can be talked about, and it can pass. Help is there today.
Tahsin is in his third year of engineering. His results are fine. At night, in the hostel, scrolling past other people’s holidays, the same thought returns: everyone would be better off without him. He has not told anyone. He has started giving away things he used to care about.
An illustration drawn from common experience. The person is invented; the pattern is not.
Understanding suicidal thoughts
Thoughts of not wanting to live, or of ending one’s life, are a sign of serious distress, often linked to depression, but also to crises, loss, debt, exams, relationships, trauma, or alcohol and drugs. They can feel like clear thinking. They are not. They are a symptom, and like other symptoms they can be treated and can pass. Asking someone directly about suicide does not put the idea in their head, a 2014 review found; it opens a door.
How common are suicidal thoughts?
Suicide claimed an estimated 746,000 lives worldwide in 2023, WHO reports, and it is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29. In Bangladesh, a peer-reviewed study of online news reports counted 984 student suicides in 2022 and 2023, likely an undercount.
Signs and symptoms of suicidal thoughts
- Talking or writing about wanting to die, or being a burden
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Giving away possessions, or saying goodbyes
- Sudden calm after a long period of distress
- Increased use of alcohol or drugs
Treatment for suicidal thoughts
Help starts with a conversation, without judgement. A doctor assesses the risk, treats the depression or crisis underneath, and makes a safety plan together with the person, often including family. Therapy and, where needed, medication follow, with close follow-up.
What getting better can look like
Tahsin’s turning point may be one honest sentence to one person. Then an appointment. The thought does not vanish at once, but it can grow quieter, and other thoughts can come back.
Common questions about suicidal thoughts
Does asking someone about suicide put the idea in their head?
No. A 2014 review in Psychological Medicine found no study in which asking about suicide significantly increased suicidal thoughts. Asking directly and calmly can open a door for someone who has been carrying the thought alone.
What should I do if a friend says they want to die?
Take it seriously, stay with them and listen without judgement. Help them reach a doctor or a trusted family member today. If they are in immediate danger, call 999 or take them to the nearest hospital emergency department.
When to see a psychiatrist
If you are having thoughts of ending your life, please tell someone today: a friend, a family member, a doctor. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. If you are worried about someone, ask them directly, stay with them, and get help.
Care here is personal: built around your history, your health and what you want to change, and reviewed with you as it goes.
If some of this sounds familiar, a first conversation is a good place to start. You do not need the right words, or to be certain.
Dr. Tajreen is consulting in Uttar Badda now, until 8:00 pm. Call +880 1847-331010Every address and its hours
Sources
- World Health Organization, “Suicide” fact sheet, 3 November 2026
- Himel et al., Health Science Reports, 2024 (PMID 39633832)
- Dazzi et al., Psychological Medicine, 2014 (PMID 24998511)
You do not need to have everything figured out before you begin.
