While some people will simply turn to other methods, suicidal behavior is generally impulsive, and motivation waxes and wanes, Gould said.

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Obviously, drug companies like Pfizer, GlaxoSmithkline, and Eli Lilly cannot manufacture a drug-based vaccine that immunizes the body against suicidal behavior.

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For instance, research has demonstrated that spiritual or religious people are less likely to engage in suicidal behavior, for unclear reasons.

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Suicidal thinking, also known as suicidal ideation, doesn't always progress to suicidal behavior (none of the participants attempted suicide during the study).

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Side effect information takes up 41 seconds of the advertisement, with about 20 seconds devoted to a warning that patients taking Chantix should stop taking it if they experience agitation, suicidal thoughts or suicidal behavior.

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But when Khan reviewed all the data from FDA approval trials of all the antidepressants he found no difference in suicide and suicidal behavior rates among patients who got antidepressants and those who got placebo.

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What we can do, says Dr. Alex Crosby, a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is teach coping skills so that when an individual is faced with any number of risk factors for suicide, he or she will have a level of inherent protection and the tools to combat suicidal behavior.

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Bullying, whether it takes place online or face-to-face, is rarely the only driver of suicidal thinking and behavior, however.

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One possibility, Stuckler says, may be that as more people compete for fewer jobs, growing feelings of hopelessness among the unemployed could push some people into suicidal thinking and behavior, especially those who are already at risk.

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