Why do people become suicidal?
The idea that someone is feeling suicidal and want to end their life can be a very confronting and difficult concept for many people. It can be very hard to understand why someone has reached the point where they are considering ending their life. People who contemplate suicide are experiencing intense emotional pain and may...
MoreSuicide signs
A person who is thinking about suicide will usually give some clues or suicide signs to those around them that indicate they are distressed. These are often referred to as suicide warning signs. Suicide prevention starts with recognising these suicide warning signs and taking them seriously.
MoreSupporting someone who may be suicidal
Learning that someone you care about feels suicidal often marks the beginning of a stressful time. While this news may come as a shock to you, supporting someone who is suicidal through this difficult time is important. There might be part of you that doesn’t want to know any more about it or deal with...
MoreDiscussing suicide: How to talk to somebody about suicide
Discussing suicide, and talking about suicidal thoughts may seem like a daunting prospect. You will ask yourself, how can I talk to them about it? It is important to ask the person directly if they are feeling suicidal or if they have been thinking about suicide. It is a myth that talking directly about suicide will put the idea in their head.
MoreSupporting someone to get help
Looking after someone who is suicidal can be a difficult and overwhelming experience, but you do not need to do it alone. There are ways you can get help. After you’ve talked to them about how they’re feeling, the next step is to support them to get help and deal with these feelings, keeping them...
MoreLooking after yourself
Supporting someone who has suicidal thoughts and behaviour, or who has attempted suicide, takes a lot of time and emotional energy. You may find yourself worried and preoccupied about the person and this can be physically and emotionally exhausting. You may feel a responsibility to keep them safe, which may seem like a significant burden;...
MoreHelping someone to create a safety plan
A suicide safety plan (sometimes called a safety contract) is an agreement given by the person that they won’t harm themselves for a certain period of time. It usually involves a commitment from the person not to harm themselves without first making contact with an agreed person to let them know how they are in crisis and thinking of acting on their suicide plan.
MoreRelationships and suicide
Ending significant relationships is difficult. In these situations, there can be a great deal of emotion and uncertainty and often the decision to end the relationship is made by one of the partners despite the feelings and commitment of the other. In some situations, the overwhelming nature of the situation can lead to one partner...
MoreSupporting someone after a suicide attempt
Discovering that someone you care about has tried to end their life can be a devastating experience. They will need supporting. You may initially experience emotions such as shock and denial. Sometimes those close to the suicidal person blame themselves for what has happened. The fact that someone close to you or a loved one has attempted suicide is not your fault.
MoreWhen someone you know self-harms
Self-harm behaviour describes someone deliberately inflicting injury, pain or damage to their body. Self-harm is usually neither a suicide attempt nor intended to be fatal but sometimes the outcome results in serious bodily injury or accidental death.
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