Why some suicides happen without any warning signs

When someone dies by suicide, the people who knew them often say the same words: “I had no idea.” This is not just a feeling of shock. Research shows that around half of the people who die by suicide never showed clear warning signs beforehand. They did not tell anyone they were thinking about ending their life. They were not diagnosed with common mental health conditions like depression or anxiety. To family, friends, and even doctors, these people did not appear to be in danger. For a long time, experts believed that many of these people were probably struggling in secret. Maybe they were depressed but never asked for help. Maybe the signs were there but went unnoticed. But a new study from the University of Utah suggests something more surprising: these individuals may actually be different in a deeper, biological way. The research team, led by Professor Hilary Coon, looked at anonymous genetic information from more than 2, 700 people who died by suicide. They compared people who had shown clear signs of suicidal thoughts or past attempts with those who had no record of such warning signs. What they found challenged many long-held beliefs about suicide risk. People who died by suicide without any previous signs had fewer mental health diagnoses in their medical history. More importantly, they also had fewer genetic risk factors for psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Their genetic profiles looked more similar to the general population than to people with known mental health disorders. This means that for some people, suicide may not be driven mainly by depression or other well-known mental illnesses. Instead, it may be connected to different causes that are not yet fully understood. These causes could include long-term physical pain, serious illness, inflammation in the body, breathing problems, or other medical conditions that affect the brain and nervous system. The researchers believe these physical stresses, combined with life pressures, may push some people toward suicide even if they do not appear depressed. Another important finding was that this group did not show a stronger genetic link to milder emotional traits such as low mood or nervousness either. This suggests that their risk is not simply an undiagnosed version of typical depression or anxiety. It is something else entirely a different pathway to the same tragic outcome. This discovery has very serious implications. Many suicide prevention programs today focus on identifying depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders. Doctors and schools are encouraged to screen for these conditions. This approach is extremely important and does save lives. However, this new research shows that it may not be enough. If some people at risk do not have the usual signs or the usual genetic background, they may be missed by current systems completely. Professor Coon stresses that there is no single “suicide gene.” Genes alone do not cause someone to take their life. Each genetic factor has only a very small influence. Life experiences, social environment, stress, trauma, physical health, and access to support all play major roles. Suicide is always the result of many factors working together over time. The real value of this study is that it opens the door to a wider way of thinking about suicide prevention. It suggests that doctors and researchers need to look beyond only mental health labels and start paying more attention to chronic pain, serious physical illness, isolation, big life changes, and other hidden struggles. It also encourages a more personalized approach to care, where support is based on each person’s unique situation instead of a single checklist. In the future, this research may help experts identify new warning signs and new groups of people who need support, even if they never openly express suicidal thoughts. It could lead to better care plans, earlier help, and more understanding of how deeply complex suicide really is. Study analysis and review: This research is powerful because it challenges the simple idea that suicide is always linked to depression or obvious mental distress. By using large-scale genetic data, the researchers showed that there is a hidden group of people whose risk comes from different biological and environmental pathways. This does not mean screening for depression is wrong, but it shows it is incomplete. The real strength of the study is that it widens the lens of prevention and encourages a more holistic view of health, including physical illness, pain, and unseen personal suffering. It also reminds society that someone can appear “fine” on the outside but still be in silent danger. This insight could change how health systems, families, and communities protect vulnerable people in the future. If you care about health, please read studies that scientists find a core feature of depression and this metal in the brain strongly linked to depression. For more health information, please see recent studies about drug for mental health that may harm the brain, and results showing this therapy more effective than ketamine in treating severe depression. The study is published in JAMA Network Open.
https://knowridge.com/2025/11/why-some-suicides-happen-without-any-warning-signs/