Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnderstanding Suicidal IdeationDisorders Associated With Suicidal ThoughtsChronic Problems, Burnout, and TraumaTreatments If You Feel Like Giving Up on Life

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Understanding Suicidal Ideation

Disorders Associated With Suicidal Thoughts

Chronic Problems, Burnout, and Trauma

Treatments If You Feel Like Giving Up on Life

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Information in this article might be triggering to some people. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Information in this article might be triggering to some people. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you’ve ever thought, ‘I give up,’ you’re not alone. Experiencing certain health conditions, unexpected events, longtime hardship, or simply feeling like life didn’t turn out as you thought it would are some reasons a person might feel like giving up on life.

While it’s not unusual to feel this way during particularly trying times, this is a situation that you and your loved ones need to take very seriously.

Wanting to give up on life can be a fleeting feeling, but it can also be a precursor to suicide. That’s why it’s important to reach out to a hotline, health care provider, social worker, clergy member, teacher, friend, or family member when this feeling arises. With the proper treatment and support, your will to live again can return.

Press Play to Learn More About Suicide & Suicidal Ideation

A major misconception aboutsuicidal ideationis that it exclusively entails actively taking steps to end one’s life. That’s a form of suicidal ideation, known as active suicidal ideation, but it is not the only kind.

What Is Passive Suicidal Ideation?

Passive suicidal ideation should not be taken lightly because people who have lost the will to live may begin to actively contemplate suicide and develop a plan to take their lives rather than hoping for an accident to kill them or simply to never wake up again.

Symptoms of suicidal thoughts include a number of behaviors:

Related ThoughtsIn addition to thinking ‘I give up,’ you might also experience similar thoughts such as:‘I have nothing to live for.‘What’s the point of life?‘‘I can’t do this anymore.‘‘I wish I could disappear.‘‘I don’t care about anything.’

In addition to thinking ‘I give up,’ you might also experience similar thoughts such as:‘I have nothing to live for.‘What’s the point of life?‘‘I can’t do this anymore.‘‘I wish I could disappear.‘‘I don’t care about anything.’

In addition to thinking ‘I give up,’ you might also experience similar thoughts such as:

Risk Factors and Warning Signs of Suicide

There are a number of mental health conditions that may cause someone to feel like giving up on life. Suicidal ideation often stems from mood disorders such as:

It is also linked to:

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Other Factors That Can Play a Role

It’s possible to feel like giving up on life without a diagnosis of these disorders or without experiencing a hormonal shift. Life circumstances may cause one to lose the will to live. This includes a person experiencing grief or bereavement due to the loss of a loved one. Survivors may not want to live in a world that no longer contains their dear friend or family member.

Experiencing a breakupor divorce is another time when life might seem too bleak to go on. And losing a job, especially ifone’s identity was heavily wrapped up in the role, can lead some people to lose the will to live.

Situational DepressionPeople passively contemplating suicide after experiencing major life changes may havesituational depression. Situational depression is not an official disorder, but mental health care providers may use the term to describe patients having difficulty adjusting to dramatic life events. They may diagnose these patients as having an adjustment disorder with depressive symptoms.

Situational Depression

People passively contemplating suicide after experiencing major life changes may havesituational depression. Situational depression is not an official disorder, but mental health care providers may use the term to describe patients having difficulty adjusting to dramatic life events. They may diagnose these patients as having an adjustment disorder with depressive symptoms.

Sometimes people who want to give up on life haven’t endured a dramatic life change. Instead, they may have grown tired of dealing with conditions that are chronic, burnout, and trauma.

Chronic Problems

A person with a chronic health problem may no longer want to cope with life through the lens of that condition. Research has also found that being diagnosed with a severe condition, such as cancer, heart disease, and degenerative neurological conditions, is associated with an increased risk of suicide.

Some other life events that may trigger suicidal thoughts include:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Burnout

Burnoutis another condition that can give rise to suicidal thoughts. Experiencing burnout is often linked to workplace stress, but the added stress in other areas of life can also play a role.

Many parents may work during the day, then come home and then perform a “second shift” that involves cooking, cleaning, and caring for their children while their spouse or partner does little or nothing to help.

Having little downtime, let alone time for self-reflection, can make life seem like a series of endless tasks to complete.

People in high-pressure jobs, such as medicine, also experience burnout.With long hours and little sleep, they may use drugs or alcohol to cope. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some healthcare providers took their own lives as they wereoverwhelmed with deathly ill patientsand a lack of resources to help them.

Unresolved Trauma

Unresolved childhood trauma can also cause people to want to give up on life. Individuals who have experienced abuse throughout childhood and now suffer fromcomplex PTSD(C-PTSD) might have flashbacks, nightmares, trouble trusting others, and thoughts that the world isn’t a safe place.

Of course, people who experienced trauma in adulthood might have similar symptoms, butchildhood traumais unique because it impacts the developing brain.

One meta-analysis found that adults who had experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse as children had a two to three times higher risk of suicidal ideation in adulthood.

‘Why Is Life So Hard?’ How to Cope When You Feel This Way

If you feel like you don’t want to live anymore, set up an appointment with a health care provider, particularly a licensed mental health professional, to talk about what you’re experiencing.

Providers can give you a diagnosis, medications, talk therapy, and other treatment options. They can also give you tips about managing the emotions or circumstances that have led you to want to give up on life.

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How your mental health professional proceeds with your treatment depends on your symptoms and the cause of them. Wanting to give up on life because of burnout, borderline personality disorder, or situational depression all require different treatment plans. An expert can help you find the protocol that works best for you.

Treatments they may suggest include:

If there is an immediate risk of suicide, your healthcare provider may recommend hospitalization until your condition has been stabilized. Inpatient care provides 24-hour supervision and access to round-the-clock care.

How to Cope When You’re Feeling Lost

16 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs.Masdrakis VG, Konstantopoulou S, Baldwin DS.Could improved recognition and treatment of anxiety disorders lead to a reduction in suicide?Human Psychopharmacology. 2023;38(4):e2879. doi:10.1002/hup.2879Dome P, Rihmer Z, Gonda X.Suicide risk in bipolar disorder: A brief review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):403. doi:10.3390/medicina55080403Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223Osborn E, Brooks J, O’Brien PMS, Wittkowski A.Suicidality in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: a systematic literature review.Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021;24(2):173-184. doi:10.1007/s00737-020-01054-8Fox V, Dalman C, Dal H, Hollander AC, Kirkbride JB, Pitman A.Suicide risk in people with post-traumatic stress disorder: A cohort study of 3.1 million people in Sweden.J Affect Disord. 2021;279:609-616. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.009Molina N, Viola M, Rogers M, et al.Suicidal ideation in bereavement: a systematic review.Behav Sci. 2019;9(5):53. doi:10.3390/bs9050053.Nafilyan V, Morgan J, Mais D, et al.Risk of suicide after diagnosis of severe physical health conditions: a retrospective cohort study of 47 million people.The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 2023;25:100562. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100562Love HA, Nalbone DP, Hecker LL, Sweeney KA, Dharnidharka P.Suicidal risk following the termination of romantic telationships.Crisis. 2018;39(3):166-174. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000484Greiner BA, Arensman E.The role of work in suicidal behavior - uncovering priorities for research and prevention.Scand J Work Environ Health. 2022;48(6):419-424. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4051Menon NK, Shanafelt TD, Sinsky CA, et al.Association of physician burnout with suicidal ideation and medical errors.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2028780. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.28780Awan S, Diwan MN, Aamir A, et al.Suicide in healthcare workers: Determinants, challenges, and the impact of COVID-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;12:792925. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925Jannini TB, Longo L, Rossi R, Niolu C, Siracusano A, Di Lorenzo G.Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) and suicide risk: A multigroup mediation analysis exploring the role of post-traumatic symptomatology on hopelessness[published online ahead of print, 2023 Jul 21].J Psychiatr Res. 2023;165:165-169. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.07.032Angelakis I, Gillespie EL, Panagioti M.Childhood maltreatment and adult suicidality: a comprehensive systematic review with meta-analysis.Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1057-1078. doi:10.1017/S0033291718003823

16 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs.Masdrakis VG, Konstantopoulou S, Baldwin DS.Could improved recognition and treatment of anxiety disorders lead to a reduction in suicide?Human Psychopharmacology. 2023;38(4):e2879. doi:10.1002/hup.2879Dome P, Rihmer Z, Gonda X.Suicide risk in bipolar disorder: A brief review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):403. doi:10.3390/medicina55080403Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223Osborn E, Brooks J, O’Brien PMS, Wittkowski A.Suicidality in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: a systematic literature review.Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021;24(2):173-184. doi:10.1007/s00737-020-01054-8Fox V, Dalman C, Dal H, Hollander AC, Kirkbride JB, Pitman A.Suicide risk in people with post-traumatic stress disorder: A cohort study of 3.1 million people in Sweden.J Affect Disord. 2021;279:609-616. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.009Molina N, Viola M, Rogers M, et al.Suicidal ideation in bereavement: a systematic review.Behav Sci. 2019;9(5):53. doi:10.3390/bs9050053.Nafilyan V, Morgan J, Mais D, et al.Risk of suicide after diagnosis of severe physical health conditions: a retrospective cohort study of 47 million people.The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 2023;25:100562. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100562Love HA, Nalbone DP, Hecker LL, Sweeney KA, Dharnidharka P.Suicidal risk following the termination of romantic telationships.Crisis. 2018;39(3):166-174. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000484Greiner BA, Arensman E.The role of work in suicidal behavior - uncovering priorities for research and prevention.Scand J Work Environ Health. 2022;48(6):419-424. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4051Menon NK, Shanafelt TD, Sinsky CA, et al.Association of physician burnout with suicidal ideation and medical errors.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2028780. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.28780Awan S, Diwan MN, Aamir A, et al.Suicide in healthcare workers: Determinants, challenges, and the impact of COVID-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;12:792925. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925Jannini TB, Longo L, Rossi R, Niolu C, Siracusano A, Di Lorenzo G.Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) and suicide risk: A multigroup mediation analysis exploring the role of post-traumatic symptomatology on hopelessness[published online ahead of print, 2023 Jul 21].J Psychiatr Res. 2023;165:165-169. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.07.032Angelakis I, Gillespie EL, Panagioti M.Childhood maltreatment and adult suicidality: a comprehensive systematic review with meta-analysis.Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1057-1078. doi:10.1017/S0033291718003823

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs.Masdrakis VG, Konstantopoulou S, Baldwin DS.Could improved recognition and treatment of anxiety disorders lead to a reduction in suicide?Human Psychopharmacology. 2023;38(4):e2879. doi:10.1002/hup.2879Dome P, Rihmer Z, Gonda X.Suicide risk in bipolar disorder: A brief review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):403. doi:10.3390/medicina55080403Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223Osborn E, Brooks J, O’Brien PMS, Wittkowski A.Suicidality in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: a systematic literature review.Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021;24(2):173-184. doi:10.1007/s00737-020-01054-8Fox V, Dalman C, Dal H, Hollander AC, Kirkbride JB, Pitman A.Suicide risk in people with post-traumatic stress disorder: A cohort study of 3.1 million people in Sweden.J Affect Disord. 2021;279:609-616. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.009Molina N, Viola M, Rogers M, et al.Suicidal ideation in bereavement: a systematic review.Behav Sci. 2019;9(5):53. doi:10.3390/bs9050053.Nafilyan V, Morgan J, Mais D, et al.Risk of suicide after diagnosis of severe physical health conditions: a retrospective cohort study of 47 million people.The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 2023;25:100562. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100562Love HA, Nalbone DP, Hecker LL, Sweeney KA, Dharnidharka P.Suicidal risk following the termination of romantic telationships.Crisis. 2018;39(3):166-174. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000484Greiner BA, Arensman E.The role of work in suicidal behavior - uncovering priorities for research and prevention.Scand J Work Environ Health. 2022;48(6):419-424. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4051Menon NK, Shanafelt TD, Sinsky CA, et al.Association of physician burnout with suicidal ideation and medical errors.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2028780. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.28780Awan S, Diwan MN, Aamir A, et al.Suicide in healthcare workers: Determinants, challenges, and the impact of COVID-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;12:792925. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925Jannini TB, Longo L, Rossi R, Niolu C, Siracusano A, Di Lorenzo G.Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) and suicide risk: A multigroup mediation analysis exploring the role of post-traumatic symptomatology on hopelessness[published online ahead of print, 2023 Jul 21].J Psychiatr Res. 2023;165:165-169. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.07.032Angelakis I, Gillespie EL, Panagioti M.Childhood maltreatment and adult suicidality: a comprehensive systematic review with meta-analysis.Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1057-1078. doi:10.1017/S0033291718003823

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs.

Masdrakis VG, Konstantopoulou S, Baldwin DS.Could improved recognition and treatment of anxiety disorders lead to a reduction in suicide?Human Psychopharmacology. 2023;38(4):e2879. doi:10.1002/hup.2879

Dome P, Rihmer Z, Gonda X.Suicide risk in bipolar disorder: A brief review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):403. doi:10.3390/medicina55080403

Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130

Cai H, Xie XM, Zhang Q, et al.Prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:690130. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.690130

Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223

Osborn E, Brooks J, O’Brien PMS, Wittkowski A.Suicidality in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: a systematic literature review.Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021;24(2):173-184. doi:10.1007/s00737-020-01054-8

Fox V, Dalman C, Dal H, Hollander AC, Kirkbride JB, Pitman A.Suicide risk in people with post-traumatic stress disorder: A cohort study of 3.1 million people in Sweden.J Affect Disord. 2021;279:609-616. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.009

Molina N, Viola M, Rogers M, et al.Suicidal ideation in bereavement: a systematic review.Behav Sci. 2019;9(5):53. doi:10.3390/bs9050053.

Nafilyan V, Morgan J, Mais D, et al.Risk of suicide after diagnosis of severe physical health conditions: a retrospective cohort study of 47 million people.The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 2023;25:100562. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100562

Love HA, Nalbone DP, Hecker LL, Sweeney KA, Dharnidharka P.Suicidal risk following the termination of romantic telationships.Crisis. 2018;39(3):166-174. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000484

Greiner BA, Arensman E.The role of work in suicidal behavior - uncovering priorities for research and prevention.Scand J Work Environ Health. 2022;48(6):419-424. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4051

Menon NK, Shanafelt TD, Sinsky CA, et al.Association of physician burnout with suicidal ideation and medical errors.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2028780. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.28780

Awan S, Diwan MN, Aamir A, et al.Suicide in healthcare workers: Determinants, challenges, and the impact of COVID-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;12:792925. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925

Jannini TB, Longo L, Rossi R, Niolu C, Siracusano A, Di Lorenzo G.Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) and suicide risk: A multigroup mediation analysis exploring the role of post-traumatic symptomatology on hopelessness[published online ahead of print, 2023 Jul 21].J Psychiatr Res. 2023;165:165-169. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.07.032

Angelakis I, Gillespie EL, Panagioti M.Childhood maltreatment and adult suicidality: a comprehensive systematic review with meta-analysis.Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1057-1078. doi:10.1017/S0033291718003823

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