[2][3][4][5] There is controversy regarding the phrase "to commit suicide" as some view it as implying negative moral judgment and having an association with criminal or sinful activity.
This broad definition includes two subsets:[4] A suicide threat is any interpersonal action, verbal or nonverbal, without a direct self-injurious component, that a reasonable person would interpret as communicating or suggesting that suicidal behavior might occur in the near future.
[4] Suicide related behavior is a self-inflicted, potentially injurious behavior for which there is evidence either that: (a) the person wished to use the appearance of intending to kill themselves in order to attain some other end; or (b) the person intended at some undetermined or some known degree to kill themselves.
Self-harm is self-inflicted, potentially injurious behavior for which there is evidence that the person had no intent to die.
Persons engage in self-harm behaviors for its own sake (e.g., to use pain as a focusing stimulant, or due to a condition like trichotillomania), or when they wish to use the appearance of intending to kill themselves in order to attain some other end (e.g., to seek help, to punish themselves or others, to receive attention, or to regulate negative moods).
[4] A suicide attempt is defined as a self-inflicted, potentially injurious behavior with a nonfatal outcome for which there is evidence of intent to die.
"[14] An article published in 2011 stated that, although committed suicide or similar descriptions continued to be the norm in the English language, the term committed associates death by suicide, or more accurately, death by mental illness, with criminal or sinful actions.
[15] Research has pointed out that this phrasing has become so entrenched in English vocabulary that it has gained "a naturalness which implies a deceptive harmlessness.
While common, Lebacqz & Englehardt argue that referring to suicide as an act "committed" is hazardous to ethical clarity.
[17] Others have also argued in favour of alternative language regarding suicide, both in the interest of moral and ethical precision,[18] as well as scientific and clinical clarity.
[19] The World Health Organization has agreed that these terms "are more accurate and less open to misinterpretation.