Defined as a desire for death rather than explicit thoughts of ending one's life. In addition, the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide posits that either perceived burdensomeness or thwarted belongingness is enough to trigger passive ideations.

Claremont McKenna College

Include any and all thoughts of self-harm and or thoughts of ending one's life. Can be caused by psychiatric disorders and chronic illness.

Suicidal Ideations

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References for Depression

States that suicidal ideation stems from feeling like a burden to others and feeling outcasted.

Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior

States that suicidal ideation stems from a variety of motivational and volitional factors, including but not limited to: defeat, entrapment, a lack of social support, level of fear on the topic of death, and perfectionism.

Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model

In recent years, there has been an increase in suicide rates in young women as opposed to young men. In addition, certain factors such as alcohol use, military service and standing, ethnicity, and sexuality have led to an increase in suicide rates across both genders.

Gender Differences (Statistics)

Women are more likely to use less dangerous suicide methods, such as medication overdose, while men are more likely to use highly lethal suicide methods, such as shooting. Researchers believe that these methods are strongly tied to societal gender roles.

Gender Differences (Suicidal Acts)

Defined as explicit thoughts of ending one's life. According to the Interpersonal Theory, active ideations occur when one feels like a burden and when one experiences thwarted belongingness. 

Active Suicidal Ideations

Passive Suicidal Ideations

1. De Beurs, D., Fried, E. I., Wetherall, K., Cleare, S., O’ Connor, D. B., Ferguson, E., O’Carroll, R. E., & O’ Connor, R. C. (2019). Exploring the psychology of Suicidal Ideation: A theory driven network analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 120, 103419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103419

2. Carretta, R. F., McKee, S. A., & Rhee, T. G. (2023). Gender differences in risks of suicide and suicidal behaviors in the USA: A narrative review. Current Psychiatry Reports, 25(12), 809–824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-023-01473-1

3. Simion, S.-P., & Jung, H. (2025). Gender disparities in suicide: A deeper look into the complexity of suicidal acts. Legal Medicine, 77, 102679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2025.102679

4. Wastler, H. M., Khazem, L. R., Ammendola, E., Baker, J. C., Bauder, C. R., Tabares, J., Bryan, A. O., Szeto, E., & Bryan, C. J. (2022). An empirical investigation of the distinction between passive and active ideation: Understanding the latent structure of suicidal thought content. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 53(2), 219–226. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12935

5. Oh, D. J., Shin, Y. C., Oh, K. S., Shin, D. W., Jeon, S. W., & Cho, S. J. (2023). Examining the links between burnout and suicidal ideation in diverse occupations. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1243920. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1243920

References for Suicidal Ideation

Researchers conducting a cross-sectional study on 12,083 19-65 aged participants in the South Korean workforce found that workers with exhaustion were more likely to develop suicidal ideation. In addition, exhausted workers with a low job position and educational background were more susceptible to developing suicidal ideation.

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