What to do in an emergency

Please note that this page is intended to prepare you for what to do if confronted by a person in suicidal crisis. If someone you know is in suicidal crisis right now, please see our Emergency Information page.

Finding out that someone has just made a suicide attempt or is about to harm himself/herself is a daunting situation to be in. Below are some guidelines to help support you in an immediate crisis.

Try to remain calm and confident whilst talking to the person at risk, as this can be reassuring for the person.
As is the case in a First Aid situation, it is vital not to put yourself in any danger whilst offering support to the person.
Stay with the person, unless it is dangerous for you to do so.
If the person at risk phoned you, stay on the phone and find out exactly where he/she is and whether anyone else is there.

If the person has already harmed himself/herself:

Call 000. If you are using a mobile phone, 112 is an alternative emergency number that will connect you to Emergency Services.

If you are with the person

Ask the operator for an ambulance.
Explain the situation to the ambulance consultant.
Follow their advice.

If the person has phoned you and is alone

Try to remain in contact with them on this line.
If you have access to another phone (landline or mobile), use the second phone to call 000, whilst remaining in phone contact with the person at risk.
Ask the operator for the police.
Ask the police for a welfare check on behalf of the person you are concerned about.
Give the police as much information about the situation as possible.
Follow their advice.

If the person has not yet harmed himself/herself:

If you are with the person

DO NOT attempt to wrestle a weapon away from someone as you may put yourself at risk.
If it is safe to do so, remove any firearms, knives, medications and other poisons, ropes or hoses from the person’s reach.

If you are on the phone

Encourage the person to remove the above items from his/her sight.

Try to make a safety contract with the person. See How should I talk to them about it?

A safety contract is a verbal agreement or promise given by the person that he/she won’t try to harm himself/herself for a certain time period.
Make sure the time-period is realistic.
Encourage and support the person at risk to go to a place where he or she will remain safe from harm, such as:

the emergency department of the local hospital
the local crisis centre or mental health centre
home (if the person feel safe there and someone is able to stay with him/her)

If the person won’t agree to keep safe, call either:

The local public emergency mental health service (see Community Resources), or
The police (000) for a welfare check if the person is alone, has a weapon or is in a dangerous situation.