Fortunately there are abundant resources on the Internet to help guide a person who hears a loved one talk about suicide, or who is suicidal himself.
I found the following material at Mayo Clinic's page on suicide. Visit their site by clicking here, or print this out so that you have it handy the next time you are confronted by a suicidal loved one.
Hearing someone talk about suicide may make you uncomfortable. You may not be sure how to step in and help or even if you should take that person seriously.Not everyone who thinks or talks about suicide actually attempts it. But it's not true that people who talk about suicide won't really try it. That's why it's important to take them seriously, especially if they have depression or another mental disorder or are intoxicated or behaving impulsively.
Potential warning signs of suicide
You may notice possible indications that a friend or loved one is thinking about suicide. Here are some typical warning signs:
* Talking about suicide, including making such statements as "I'm going to kill myself," "I wish I was dead" or "I wish I hadn't been born"
* Withdrawing from social contact and having an increased desire to be left alone
* Wide mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next
* Preoccupation with death and dying or violence* Changes in routine, including eating or sleeping patterns
* Personality changes, such as becoming very outgoing after being shy
* Risky or self-destructive behavior, such as drug use or unsafe driving
* Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order
* Saying goodbye to people as if they won't be seen again
Some people don't reveal any suicidal feelings or actions. And many who consider or attempt suicide do so when you think they should be feeling better -- during what may seem like a recovery from depression, for instance. That's because they may finally be able to muster the emotional energy to take action on their feelings.
Questions to ask someone considering suicide
The best way to find out if someone is considering suicide is to directly ask. Asking them won't give them the idea or push them into doing something self-destructive. To the contrary, your willingness to ask can decrease the risk of suicide by giving them an opportunity to talk about their feelings.
You may have to overcome your own discomfort to discuss the issue. Here are some questions you can ask someone you're concerned about:
* Are you thinking about dying?
* Are you thinking about hurting yourself?
* Are you thinking about suicide?
* Have you thought about how you would do it?
* Do you know when you would do it?
* Do you have the means to do it?
Remember, it's not your job to become a substitute for a mental health professional. But these basic questions can help you assess what sort of danger your friend or loved one might pose to themselves and then take appropriate action.
Don't swear your discussions to secrecy. Not only is that an unwanted burden for you, but if you do make such a promise, you risk having to betray that trust if you need to enlist professional help. Don't worry about losing a friendship when it's a life that could be lost.
Do be supportive and empathetic, not judgmental. Listen to their concerns. Reassure them that help is available and that with appropriate treatment they can feel better. Don't patronize them by simply saying that "everything will be OK," that "things could be worse" or that they have "everything to live for."
If possible, assess their home for potentially dangerous items. You may have to remove items that could become weapons of self-destruction, such as guns or knives. But don't put yourself in harm's way doing so, either.
Helping someone with thoughts of suicide find help
If your friend or loved one is at imminent risk of suicide, call the police or emergency personnel, or take them to a hospital emergency room if possible. Some people who are a danger to themselves may need to get help against their will, such as involuntary hospitalization. If possible, find out if they're under the influence of alcohol or drugs or if they may have taken an overdose.
If the danger isn't imminent, offer to work together to find appropriate help, and then follow through on your promise. Someone who is suicidal or has severe depression may not have the energy or motivation to find help on their own. You may be able to make phone calls to set up medical appointments or go along with them, or help sort through health insurance policies for benefits information.
Many types of help and support are available. If your friend or loved one doesn't want to consult a doctor or mental health professional, suggest finding help from a support group, faith community or other trusted contact.
You can help when someone considers suicide
There's no way to predict for sure who will attempt suicide. And although you're not responsible for preventing someone from taking their own life, your intervention may help them see that other options are available.
Direct questioning, supportive listening and gentle but persistent guidance can help you bring hope and appropriate treatment to someone who believes suicide will offer the only relief.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
I also do not believe that if a person committes suicide they go to hell or stay in purgatory. Our god is a loving and forgiving god. I don't think god would punish a person even more, that has already suffered so much that they cann't stand living any longer, and they take their life.
I don't know anyone that has ever commited suicide, and have never actually attempted it. But I have felt that I could help people more if I was in spirit and not flesh. In other words I have always felt like a nuisances, in the way, and unwanted. I wrote a suicide letter to the one person that has always been there for me, when I was nine. I had it all planned out, how I was going to do it. But partly because of her, I never actually tried. She had so much hope and faith in me, in god, and life, I geuss I physically always held on for her. I have suffered from major depression since I was a child. I have tried killing myself by living dangerously and doing drugs. A slow drawn out process. Or maybe I have done drugs to make living easier. Probly a little of both, there are times of abusing and times of using. I am clean now, but what's the point?
People always say things will get better, just keep trying. Uh! The only time things are better is when I am asleep. So of course I can sleep 24-7 for months or years, if I could. I do also suffer from nacolepsy. which does not make life any easier. I also recently lost my friend that has had all the hope and faith in me for life. I now truely find, I don't have any hope or faith for myself. And don't even know if I believe in a higher power any more. Maybe when we die everything because black. And life is just over. I have gone to counciling and reached out to try to help myself, turn things around, Enjoy life. I have only got worse. I have become numb to everything. Life or Death does not faze me any more. I feel like we are all doomed in this hectic world. I think people are crazy for bringing knew life into this world because it is only getting harder to live and survive, and it isn't going to get easier. Okay, so I have no hope or faith in any one. And that alone makes me sad!
Another thing that has kept me from committing suicide, is that I thought, we are on earth to learn a lesson, and until we learn that lesson, we keep coming back to this place. So I really have wanted to learn that lesson, so I don't have to play this game any more. I can't say I still feel that we come back until we learn that lesson, because as much as I have wanted to learn good things in life, It seems it is only the negative ones that are reinforced time after time.
But "Good Life and Peace to all, If it is out there, May you find it!"
I have lost most of my family to suicide. My uncle shot himself in the head in the early 60's. In August of '77 both of my parents died from a double suicide or a homicide/suicide. it is not known which. They were dead for a week before the bodies were found. My sister committed suicide at the end of 1980 after trying 4 other times. In the mid '90s I tried 3 times.(Those days are over). If a person has a friend or family member is contemplating suicide, there is nothing more important than to try to do anything to get them help. Even hospitalazation. Your saving their life.
I occasionally feel this way, and what hurts the most when I am feeling like that is how few people seem to care. i have had my suicidal times and it hurt how people just brushed it off like it was nothing. It just made me feel even more worthless. All anyone like that needs is a shoulder to cry on and a friend who they know cares.
i have a friend and he's gone suicidal. he told me that he's gonna kill himself over the summer. i won't be near him at all in the summer and i'm scared that the only phone call i'll get will be his mother telling me that he's gone. he tried to kill himself before. he overdosed on drugs and had to go to the hospital for a few days. i don't know what else to do anymore. i've tried to talk to him to see if he really means that he wants to kill himself, or he just wants the attention. he says that he's dead serious. i've avoided talking to him because i'm scared. i don't know what else to do. what should i do next?
what do you do if a really close friend wants to kill themself when no one is home? what do you do it you don't know where they live? how can i save their life before it's too late?
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.