Risk factors and warning signs of suicidal behavior: A literature review

In this paper, we tend to present suicide as a complex public health, psychological, and sociocultural phenomenon whose prevention requires a multidisciplinary understanding and coordinated action. Suicide cannot be reduced to a single, unidimensional cause; rather, it represents a network of interacting factors that increase the risk of its occurrence. It can be defined as a fatal self-destructive act which, according to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), affects a significant proportion of the global population, at least in terms of recorded attempts. The paper systematizes risk and protective factors, emphasizing that suicide arises from the interaction of biological predispositions, psychopathology, trauma, social isolation, and acute stressors. We have provided an overview of global prevalence and regional differences, with particular reference to the Republic of Serbia, where approximately one thousand cases are registered annually, as well as to high-risk groups and barriers such as stigma and limited access to mental health services. The central section of the paper focuses on warning signs, their variability across age groups and populations, with special attention to suicidal tendencies among adolescents. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of recognizing warning signs early and implementing timely interventions, and the necessity for a coordinated response that involves schools, health services, families, communities, and the digital environment.