How to Avoid Committing Suicide

If you are having suicidal thoughts or feelings, you should seek immediate assistance, preferably from a mental health professional. Whatever the source of your feelings, they can be dealt with appropriately, and things can get better. You're already taking the first step towards healing by reading this for help. The next step is to find a person to help you.

  • If you are in the US, you can call 911 for emergency or reach a suicide hotline by calling 800-SUICIDE (800-784-2433) or 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255).[1]
  • If you are in the UK, call 999 for emergency or 08457 90 90 90 to reach a suicide hotline.[2]
  • In other countries, take a look at Call Emergency Services to find appropriate numbers.

Steps

Managing a Suicidal Crisis

  1. Get professional help immediately. If you're thinking about suicide, seek immediate help from a mental healthcare professional. There are options available to you 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Even if your instincts are telling you that you do not wish to call so much attention to yourself, suicidal impulses are very serious, and you should never hesitate to reach out for help. You can call anonymously.
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    • If you are in the US, please call 911 or 800-273-TALK (8255), the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, or go to the nearest hospital Emergency Room.
    • If you're in the UK, you can call Samaritans at 08457 90 90 90 or PAPYRUS at 0800 068 41 41 (if you are a teen or a young adult).
    • Other centers can be found on the International Association for Suicide Prevention website.[3]
  2. Contact or go to a hospital. If you're using the help line for support and still want to die, tell them you do need to go to the hospital. If you are not using a help line, call the Emergency Services or a person you trust and tell them that you want to kill yourself. Ask them to help you get to a hospital, or go there directly yourself.
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  3. Talk to someone you trust about your thoughts IMMEDIATELY. Although Step 1 is the right first step in any situation where you are thinking of killing yourself, it may not feel right for everyone. In this case, you should tell someone you trust that you're having suicidal thoughts immediately. If you are alone, call a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a doctor, chat someone online, or do whatever you can to not be alone during this time. Talk with someone on the phone and have someone come over to stay with you so that you are not alone.
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  4. Wait for help. If you have to wait for someone to come over or have to wait at the hospital, sit down and breathe slowly. Control your breathing by timing it, taking maybe twenty breaths a minute. Do anything else you can to distract yourself, knowing that help is on the way.
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    • Do not use drugs or alcohol during this time as it can impair your thinking.[4]
    • If you feel like you need to cause yourself some pain, hold an ice cube in your hand for 1 minute without letting go (this is a technique used in child-birthing classes to help women practice getting through the pain of pregnancy).
    • Listen to your favorite band's album. Watch a funny TV show. Even if these don't make you feel better, they may distract you from your feelings while you wait for help to arrive.

Preventing Another Suicidal Crisis

  1. Seek help from a mental healthcare professional. People who attempt suicide are more likely to be suffering from a serious mental condition, such as depression, and can get help for it.[5] These steps can help you work to get to the root of why you considered suicide. If your suicidal feelings were brought on by a specific event, like the grief of being jilted, job loss, or becoming disabled, remember that this kind of situational depression can still be helped by treatment.
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    • Be sure to take any prescribed medications according to your doctor’s recommendation. Never stop taking medications without speaking to your doctor first.
    • Be sure to attend all of your scheduled counseling sessions. If necessary, have someone reliable scheduled to take you every week to have an extra layer of accountability for going.
  2. Talk to a spiritual leader. If you are religious (or even if you’re not) and have access to a spiritual leader, talk to a priest, rabbi, or spiritual person about your thoughts immediately. Though this person won't be able to solve your problems, he or she can help you ease the pain by offering a new perspective and giving you some things to think about.
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  3. Find a support group. There may be support groups, both online and in your community, where you can find comfort by talking to other people who have suicidal thoughts or who have attempted suicide in the past and set up a social network of understanding people for helping you through difficult times.
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    • If you're in the United States, check out the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's site for finding support groups online or in person. You can even find groups for your specific characteristics, such as a group for Teens.[6]
    • Check out the NHS site if you're in the UK, or the web site for your country, to find options for yourself.[7]
    • If there are no support groups in your area for suicide or depression, talk to a therapist or local hospital about support groups they might run or how to get group support. You can also visit a website that offers online video counseling.[8]
  4. Remove any suicide facilitators. If you have recently had suicidal thoughts, remove anything that could help you end your life, including alcohol, drugs, sharp objects, rope, or anything else you have been thinking of using. If you have a handgun, make sure it is out of your possession as soon as possible. Though this may sound extreme, if you remove the means to end your own life, then you are much less likely to follow through.
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  5. Avoid being alone. If you are feeling suicidal, you should make sure that friends and family do not let you out of their sight. If you do not have anyone to watch over you, check yourself into an ER to make sure you are not alone. If you are part of a support group, lean on other members of your group for extra support from people who really understand what you’re going through.
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  6. Make a safety plan. If you are prone to suicidal thoughts, then it's important to have a safety plan for keeping yourself away from harm.[9] You can create the plan yourself, or you can make it with a friend or family member. The list can include things like removing the means for suicide, immediately spending time with a friend or family member (or being around people in any way you can be), calling a certain person, or waiting 48 hours before considering your decision again. Just giving yourself time to slow down and think things over can be a big help.
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Setting Long-Term Goals

  1. Address the causes of your suicidal thoughts. There are many reasons for being suicidal, from being in an unbearable home situation to having a mental illness.[10] If you have a mental condition, like depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, then it's important to see a doctor and to get treatment right away. The medication can help you feel more balanced and in control of your mind and body; though it may not "fix" everything, it can put you on the path to a happier life.
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    • If you have an unbearable home situation, find a way to get out as soon as you can; though you should avoid rash decisions that you might regret, if there's something that you know will put you in a better place, you should not put it off. Consider reaching out to friends, family members, a therapist, or your primary care doctor if you are not sure how to get started.
    • Clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers are all trained to help you get through difficult life situations and may have helped others get through situations that may be similar to yours.
    • These professionals are also helpful for long-term care to help you stay well once you are feeling better.
  2. Know common suicide risk factors. Knowing the factors that may put you at risk for suicidal thoughts can help you identify your risk and pinpoint the causes of your behavior. The most well-documented risk factors for suicide include experiencing or having any of the following:[11]
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    • Stressful life events
    • Social isolation
    • Psychiatric disorders, including problems with substance use
    • Family history of psychiatric disorders, suicide, or abuse
    • Chronic disease or an illness associated with suicide, such as a terminal illness
    • An unsupportive family environment (eg, due to sexual identity)
    • Previous suicide attempts
    • Bullying
    • History of conflict with a spouse, partner, or family member
  3. Address any physical pain you are feeling. People who live with chronic pain often have suicidal thoughts, and sometimes the physical pain can actually be disguised as other things, such as emotional stress. Addressing the root of the chronic pain can help you feel mentally healthier.[12]
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    • Stress can cause flares in autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia, and you might not even realize it's physical pain because the emotion from the stress is so unendurable.
    • Migraines are another source of pain so extreme it can cause suicidal ideas.
    • The answer to these medical situations is to visit a pain clinic and get pain medication, if necessary maintenance pain medication.
    • Check into an emergency room if you can't get any help with it and the pain is driving you to the level of suicide.
  4. Avoid drugs and alcohol. Though drugs and alcohol have been used as a coping mechanism for pain for many years, if you are having suicidal thoughts, you should steer clear of them completely. These substances can heighten or cause depression and lead to impulsive behavior and thoughts that can make you more likely to decide to end your life.[13]
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  5. Get some sleep. If you are having suicidal thoughts, you can't just "sleep it off," and you may feel insulted at this suggestion. However, there is a link between sleep disturbances and suicide.[14]
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    • Sleep deprivation can cloud your judgment, and just giving your body and mind some time to recover can lead to a brighter outlook.
    • While sleep may not cure depression or suicidal thoughts, a lack of sleep can certainly worsen them.
  6. Give it time. Remember that thinking about suicide does not require action. Methods of suicide that are “quick and easy” are also more likely to be highly lethal, meaning there is no hope for a second chance once you go down this path.[15]
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    • Tell yourself you won't do anything for 24 hours; after 24 hours, give yourself 48 hours; after that, say you'll give it a week.
    • While you give yourself more time to figure things out, take other measures to move past the negative feelings you were having about ending your own life, such as reaching out to friends or health care professionals.
    • Removing the sense of urgency you have about ending your own life can be half of the battle.

Thinking about Alternatives

  1. Know that people do get through this. Many people who contemplate suicide are able to move past their feelings and improve their outlook on life when healthcare professionals give them coping mechanisms and other kinds of support.[16]
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    • It is okay to have thoughts about suicide, but it is not okay to act on them; there are other ways to handle your pain.
  2. Realize that you can make fresh choices for change every day. Be bold and change the situations that are making you unhappy. Change schools. Live with no friends for a while. Move out of wherever you are living. Leave an abusive relationship. Accept your parents' disapproval of your personal choices or lifestyle and work through the emotional issues these situations can cause.
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    • A therapist can help you to work through these emotional issues so that you they have less of an impact on your or help you to know whether you need to cut off negative influences in your life.
    • Suicide is a drastic measure but there are other drastic measures that are not irreversible.
  3. Do not think of suicide as a revenge strategy. Sometimes suicidal feelings are related to anger and resentment you feel toward others. Don't turn that anger inward.[17]
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    • The best thing you can do is to live your life the way you want to live it and to succeed in the ways you want to succeed.
    • Hurting yourself won't help you really get back at anyone, and it is beyond not worth it. Instead, think about all you have to offer to the people you'll meet in the future.
  4. Continue caring for yourself even after the feelings subside. The fact of the matter is, if you have had suicidal thoughts at one point, you're more likely to experience these thoughts and feelings in the future. This means that, even if you're feeling better for a variety of reasons, you should always be vigilant and make sure to take care of yourself as much as you can. Get enough rest, get plenty of exercise,[18] work on maintaining meaningful relationships with people, and don't neglect the care of your own mind and body. Staying healthy and happy should always be your top priority.
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    • Even if you're feeling better, it's important to have a strong support system around you and to continue the treatment that helped you get better. If you don't have a support system, a therapist can help you build one so you feel like you have more people to turn to. However, recovery does not mean ignoring the pain you once felt, or may feel again.[19]
    • It is important to be truthful and honest with yourself about your feelings and look for ways other than suicide to process these feelings.
    • Develop a plan for what to do if suicidal feelings return. For example, Step 1 could be to call the Emergency Services, Step 2 could be to call a designated person from your support network, and so on. Think about what best helped get you through your suicidal thoughts in the past and put that into your plan so that you have concrete actions to take if find yourself in a crisis situation in the future.

Tips

  • No matter how bad the situation may seem, hold on to hope that things will be better. And remember suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
  • Remember that there is always someone out there who loves you even though you may not know it.
  • Confide in someone that you can trust.

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Sources and Citations


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