How is a successful attempt to end one's own life classified?

A successful attempt to end one's own life is classified as suicide. This terminology is used to describe when an individual intentionally causes their own death. It is important to understand that suicide reflects a completed act, whereas other terms focus on different aspects of suicidal behavior.

For instance, suicidal ideation refers to thoughts of self-harm or planning to end one’s life, but does not imply any action taken. Suicidal gestures might imply actions taken to show intent to harm oneself but without the intention of resulting in death, while suicidal relapse generally pertains to the return to previous suicidal thoughts or behaviors after a period of recovery.

By identifying a completed action that has tragically resulted in the loss of life, the term suicide is specifically appropriate in this context.