Estimate of the ratio of young attempted suicides to suicidal deaths have generally ranged between 100 to 1 and 200 to 1. Mental health diagnoses are generally associated with higher risk of suicide. The socially isolated are generally found to be at high risk of suicide. The vast majority of those who are suicidal display clues and warning signs. It is not known how many survivors there are in the population, but one conservative estimate is that at least 3.5 million Americans today are survivors of a loved one's suicide.
Present knowledge refutes the following myths.
People who die by suicide always leave notes. Most people don't leave notes. Only a small percentage leave any type of explanations about why they've chosen to kill themselves. People who die by suicide do not warn others. Out of 10 people who kill themselves, eight have given definite clues to their intentions.