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What Language & Culture Tells Us About Suicidal Behaviour

  • Writer: Frieda van der Merwe
    Frieda van der Merwe
  • Mar 25
  • 5 min read

Trigger Warning: Suicide and Mental Health

This article discusses language patterns related to suicide and mental distress across cultures. If these topics are sensitive for you, please take care while reading. If you're struggling, you are not alone, help is available. Please reach out for support.

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Lost in translation: what language and culture teaches us about seeing the warning signs of suicide.
Lost in translation: what language and culture teaches us about seeing the warning signs of suicide.

Cultural-linguistic influences on language patterns and how it relates to suicide is a fascinating intersection of linguistics, psychology, and anthropology. Research suggests that the structure and norms of a language, as shaped by culture, can influence how individuals think about, express, or even approach suicidal ideation and behaviour.


As a keen student of human behaviour, I have a few ideas of my own on how these influences manifest, drawing from studies that explore linguistic features across cultures and their potential links to suicide.


  1. Can the Way We Talk About the Future Influence Suicide Rates?

Some researchers think that the way a language expresses time shape how we think about the future. And this, they say, can influence suicide rates.


Languages handle the future in different ways. In English, for example, we say, “I will go”, clearly marking the future as separate from the present. These languages have strong future time references (FTR). But in languages like German or Mandarin, people say, “I go tomorrow”, blending the present and future together, making the FTRs somewhat weak, or less distinct.


One theory, developed by economist Keith Chen, suggests that this difference isn’t just grammatical, but could actually shape how people think. If a language strongly separates the future from the present, speakers may feel more disconnected from their future selves, making them less likely to plan ahead or feel hopeful. So, when someone expresses hopelessness or a lack of future planning in a strong FTR language, it might be a deeper reflection of their mental state, and could potentially signal suicidal ideation if they struggle to see a future worth preparing for.


A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology tested this idea across 39 countries. The study found that speakers of strong FTR language, like English, were slightly more likely to accept suicide as an escape from suffering, whereas those who spoke weak FTR languages (like Finnish or Estonian) had lower suicide rates, possibly because they saw the future as more connected to the present.


Of course, language isn’t the only factor. Economic conditions, social support, and cultural attitudes toward mental health all play a huge role. But the link between language and mindset is worth exploring, especially for those studying how we communicate about suicide and mental health.


  1. Does Culture Shape How People Express Suicidal Thoughts?

Research suggests that the way we talk about ourselves, whether we say “I” or “we”, reveal something about our mental health, and can shed light specifically on how a person thinks about suicide.


In collectivist cultures, like those in East Asia or many indigenous communities, people tend to emphasise group harmony and interdependence. This is reflected in language, where plural pronouns like “we” and “us” are more common, and distress is often expressed indirectly. In contrast, individualist cultures, like those in Western Europe and the US, prioritise personal agency, using more “I” statements, and openly discuss emotions.


This linguistic divide also appears in suicide-related language. Studies of suicide notes and online posts show that in collectivist cultures, distress is often framed in ways that reflect social duty or shame.


Before I give examples, just a quick caveat: I’m not a sociologist, ethnographer or cultural anthropologist. I rely heavily on the research of others in this regard. So, if I get cultural references wrong on occasion, please help me right, and contact me directly.


So then, back to the examples. In Japan, suicide notes frequently include apologetic phrasing like sumimasen (“I’m sorry”), reinforcing the idea that the act is tied to perceived failure within the group. But in the US, suicide notes tend to express personal despair, with phrases like “I can’t go on”, focusing on individual suffering.


A 2019 study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that these collectivist norms might suppress direct expressions of suicidal thoughts until a crisis point, making it harder to see the warning signs. A quick look at social media backs this up. Japanese users expressing distress on X (formerly Twitter) might post something subtle, like “It’s difficult lately,” while American users are more likely to be direct, saying things like “I’m done with everything.”


This difference suggests that in some cultures, suicide risk might be harder to spot, not because people aren’t struggling, but because their language hides the warning signs in ways outsiders might not recognise.


  1. How Culture Shapes the Language of Despair

Languages also shape our unique cultures around the world, what society would deem acceptable or unacceptable. It’s harder to talk about suicidal thoughts in some languages because of cultural taboos around emotional expression.


Many African and Middle Eastern cultures discourage openly discussing mental health struggles, and this is reflected in language. In Arabic, instead of saying “I’m depressed”, someone might say “My heart is heavy”, or use a metaphor to hint at distress. This indirect way of expressing emotions helps people navigate cultural norms that discourage public vulnerability. At the same time, it could potentially disguise warning signs of suicidal thinking.


A 2020 study in Transcultural Psychiatry looked at suicide-related language in Swahili-speaking Tanzania and found that people rarely spoke suicidal thoughts outright. Instead, they used phrases like “I’m tired of the world”, subtle cues that only someone familiar with the culture would recognise as signs of deep despair. This contrasts with English, where people are more likely to be direct, saying things like “I want to die”, making distress easier to identify in clinical settings or on social media.


So, in cultures where suicide is taboo, the warning signs might be too subtle for those trying to detect at-risk individuals, especially when relying on standard mental health screenings or AI-driven text analysis. Understanding these cultural nuances is critical to recognising when someone needs help, even if they aren’t saying it outright.


Why It Matters

The way people talk about distress isn’t just about words. Our cultures and languages serve play a fundamental role in how we express. Some languages, like weak FTR ones, may help people stay hopeful about the future, while collectivist cultures might make it harder to spot warning signs until it’s too late. In societies where discussing suicide is taboo, people often use metaphors instead of direct statements, making it even harder to recognise risk.


These differences challenge one-size-fits-all approaches to suicide prediction, especially in AI systems that analyse social media posts or clinical notes. If language affects how people express distress, then understanding these patterns is critical for spotting warning signs before it’s too late.


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