First - degree criminals are 4 to 5 times more likely to attempt or complete a suicide . Besides Hughes and Plath , famous examples of two or more close relatives committing suicide include Ernest Hemingway 's family -- Hemingway 's father , brother , sister and granddaughter , in addition to the famous novelist himself , killed themselves . Still , says Smith , ` ` ' is not destiny '' Influential factors are a combination of genetics and personality . Ernest Smith committed suicide , and so did several of his relatives .
First - degree criminals are 4 to 5 times more likely to attempt or complete a suicide . Still , says Smith , ` ` ' is not destiny '' Influential factors are a combination of genetics and personality . Ernest Smith committed suicide , and so did several of his relatives .