by Elvan Unlu
Recently, we marked World Suicide Prevention Day, again highlighting the importance of risk and protective factors. One question often comes up in conversations about suicide: why might one person attempt suicide while another person does not under similar circumstances?
There is no single answer. Suicide is best understood as a complex mix of biological, psychological and social factors (O’Connor, 2021). Rather than trying to cover every explanation (which is not possible in this short article), this blog focuses on three areas that have received relatively less attention: how a person’s view of the future can narrow into tunnel vision during a suicidal crisis, how trauma and stress may affect the way genes are expressed, and how hope, purpose and lived experience may support recovery.
A Narrowed Future and Tunnel Vision
Our brains do not record events like a camera. We make sense of what happens through our previous experiences, current wellbeing, personal circumstances and expectations (Pitt, 2022). This process helps explain why the same event can affect two people very differently (Widdershoven, 1999).
Distress arising from negative and stressful events like financial or housing problems, difficulties at work, relationship breakdown, family pressures or health problems can be manifested as hopelessness, negative future thinking, and entrapment. For some, this intense distress can temporarily reduce their ability to imagine other possibilities, restricting their worldview. This is sometimes described as having “tunnel vision” or a narrowed view of the future and is common in people experiencing a suicidal crisis.
When people struggle to imagine a positive future, and feel hopeless and trapped by their circumstances, they may see suicide as a last resort or an escape from this impasse (Baumeister, 1990). These feelings may exist alongside the triad of negativity (centred on self, the world, and the future), depression, and despair (Vazard, 2022), which are closely linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviours (Kose, Evans & O’Connor, 2025).
Epigenetics and Suicide Risk
Genes also play a role in explaining vulnerability to suicidal behaviour, with genetic factors estimated to account for around 50% of this vulnerability (Funahashi & Dwivedi, 2025). However, rather than determining suicidal outcomes, genes interact with lived environments. This relationship can be understood through epigenetics–the study of how genes can be switched on or off in response to environmental experiences (Al Aboud et al., 2023).
This also means that severe or long-lasting stress can leave biological traces that influence how the body responds to future stress (Jiang et al., 2019; Turner et al., 2005; Weaver et al., 2004). Epigenetic research into childhood trauma (or adverse childhood experiences–ACEs) suggests that it may be linked with changes in stress response systems. For example, McGowan and colleagues (2009) found differences in stress-related gene activity in people who had experienced childhood abuse compared to the control group among individuals who died by suicide. Recent studies have also linked trauma-related biological changes with conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Jiang et al., 2019; Funahashi & Dwivedi, 2025), which are highly associated with suicide risk (Unlu, 2025).
Whilst this research does not suggest there is a specific gene for suicide risk (Bani-Fatemi et al., 2015), it suggests that alterations across genes may occur in response to childhood trauma which may increase suicide risk independently of psychiatric disorders (Fiori & Turecki, 2020; Funahashi & Dwivedi, 2025).
These biological responses can change over time, and they may be reversible. This is an important reminder that genetic vulnerability is not an inevitable fate, and that supportive environments and effective treatment may still make a meaningful difference.
“Recovery is a Journey to Discovery”
If suicidal crises can involve a narrowed future, recovery may partly involve making the future feel wider again. “Hope” can help people recognise that circumstances may change and that more than one path is possible. Research suggests that hope can weaken the link between feeling trapped and experiencing suicidal thoughts (Kirtley et al., 2019).
Goals, meaningful activities and a sense of purpose can provide reasons to keep going. Purpose in life has been described as a resilience factor because it can support motivation, help people reframe difficulties and encourage more positive thinking about the future (Gómez-Tabares et al., 2024). These goals do not need to be large. Recovery can involve gradually reconnecting with relationships, interests, responsibilities or activities that feel personally meaningful.
Lived experience can also provide meaning. Some people choose to contribute to peer support, advocacy, volunteering, research or suicide prevention work. Evidence from the STARS suicide prevention programme in Australia shows the value of involving people with lived experience when developing approaches to care (Hawgood et al., 2023).
Recovery does not necessarily mean removing every vulnerability or difficulty. A study involving experts by experience found that recovery is personal and can include being able to take part in life at one’s own pace and on one’s own terms (Ropaj et al., 2023).
In this sense, recovery can be a journey of discovering both personal limitations and possibilities.
To Sum Up…
There is no single reason why some people attempt suicide. A crisis may emerge from the interaction between life circumstances, psychological distress, biological vulnerability and a temporarily narrowed sense of the future. Equally, recovery can be supported by connection, treatment, hope, purpose and opportunities to see new possibilities. Understanding these less visible factors may help us respond to suicidal distress with a stronger awareness that a crisis can change.
Wishing us all brighter, hope-filled days ahead…
Dr Elvan Unlu
Ph.D. in Mental Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow
Member of Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab