Deciphering Emotional and Linguistic Patterns in Reddit Suicidal Discourse

Recognizing and understanding the characteristics of suicidal posts on social media are crucial for early intervention and suicide prevention efforts. This study aims to comprehend various traits associated with suicidal posts on Reddit, a prominent social media platform. By analyzing user posts gathered from the Reddit forum ‘r/SuicideWatch’, we aim to scrutinize the various emotional and linguistic signals intertwined with suicidal content. Furthermore, we seek to identify some of the key factors contributing to the development of suicidal ideation. Our analysis reveals a substantially higher prevalence of negative emotions, particularly anger and sadness, in suicidal posts. Linguistic analysis uncovers several distinguishing signals associated with suicidal posts, such as a high presence of verbs and a significant frequency of negations. An initial content analysis reveals a diverse array of key factors, including social isolation, health issues, personal failures, and traumatic life events, among others. Overall, our investigation unveils diverse characteristics of suicidal posts and key factors contributing to suicidal ideation that can facilitate the automated detection of suicidal tendencies and support the implementation of effective preventive measures.