Prevention

How do you take care of and help a person who is thinking about committing suicide?

 

Most people who think about or actually commit suicide think it is the only way out of their situations. "Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. Blinded by feelings of self-loathing, hopelessness, and isolation, a suicidal person can't see any way of finding relief except through death" (Smith). They don't understand that there are many people around them who are willing to listen to them and help to give them hope. Their judgment gets clouded and they no longer are looking at all of their possibilities. Suicidal people don't believe that there is any type of help that could actually work for them, even though it might have worked for someone else. They believe that nothing will be able to help them with their suicidal thoughts (Muench-Miller). In reality, however, these people are wrong. There are many ways for these people to get help and many of them are successful.

The first step someone can take to giving help to a suicidal person is to confront them about it. If you don't know the thoughts and problems of someone thinking about killing themselves you have no idea what you can do to help them with it. Just be direct and ask them because then you have opened up a line of communication between yourself and the person suffering from suicidal thoughts (Muench-Miller).

If the person has a plan about how they are going to commit suicide don't leave them alone and make sure all possible ways of killing themselves are not available. Make sure all firearms, medications and alcohol are locked up and that there is no way around the person that they could use to actually commit suicide (Vorvick). Even after all precautions have been taken, contact the person's counselor if they have one or call 911. Never leave the person alone but rather stay and talk with them, actually listen to what they are saying (Giesman).

Once the immediate danger is dealt with make sure that you keep in contact with the person. They may say they are doing much better, but always make sure that they are telling the truth. A person with previous suicidal thoughts may not want to admit that they are still struggling with these thoughts (Roes). Make sure that the line of communication is still open and that the person knows that they are cared for and loved. When actually listening to the person when they are talking, make sure to take them seriously. If they say they will hurt themselves, there is a definite possibility that they might. They may not be joking about it.

While you might still be talking to the person, make sure that they are also getting professional help. This help may come from speaking to a counselor regularly who can help the person figure out a plan to solve their problems that doesn't include killing themselves. They could also go to a group meeting and then would be able to see that they are not alone. Many others around them are dealing with the same things they are. The person could call a suicide hotline to get immediate counseling and be able to talk with someone to help them get out of immediate danger. Finally, if they need it badly, a person could go to a hospital in order to be cared for and be able to be safe from themselves (Muench-Miller).