There is always someone there. If not a family member or friend, call the confidential National Suicide Prevention Lifeline anytime, 24/7, at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Call a suicide hotline. The person on the other end of the line can connect you to emergency intervention services in your area, offer you the support you need to be a good listener, and answer questions about suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers an online chat, or you can call 1-800-273-8255 for help over the phone.

Appointments at Mayo Clinic

Take talk of suicide seriously. Never suggest a person take their life in a moment of your own exasperation. Never suggest they are only seeking attention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report: 2011-2021. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf [PDF – 10 MB].

Female 3: In fact, the best way to keep a teenager from killing herself is to ask, "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" People concerned about a loved one’s emotions should consider broaching the topic of suicide. Initiating a discussion does not implant the idea. Instead, it can provide a safe space to talk about stigmatized feelings. Yet, talking to a suicidal person can be intimidating. Together Strong, an organization and app that helps veterans adjust to civilian life after deployment, suggests beginning the conversation directly, without judgment. Make an observation about recent behavior, or ask an open-ended question about how the person is feeling.

Challenges and obstacles

Depression: FDA-approved medications may help. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm095980.htm. Accessed Feb. 20, 2018. Make sure not to minimize their problems or attempts at shaming them into changing their mind. Listening and showing your support is the best way to help them. You can also encourage them to seek help from a professional.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) offers a basic primer on the benefits of talking about suicide. Talk Saves Lives organizes brief presentations in communities across the nation to help people recognize the warning signs of suicide and learn how it can be prevented. Reporting on Suicide: The Contagion Effect In addition to talk therapy and medication, suicide risk can sometimes be reduced by simply adopting certain healthy habits. These include:ADAA reserves the right to remove or edit posts that contain explicit, obscene, offensive, or vulgar language. Similarly, posts that contain any graphic files will be removed immediately upon notice. For every suicide there are many more people who attempt suicide. A prior suicide attempt is an important risk factor for suicide in the general population.

Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, is one possible treatment method for lowering your risk of attempting suicide. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of talk therapy that’s often used for people who are having thoughts of suicide. Suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide take an emotional toll. For instance, you may be so consumed by suicidal thoughts that you can't function in your daily life. And while many attempted suicides are impulsive acts during a moment of crisis, they can leave you with permanent serious or severe injuries, such as organ failure or brain damage. Avoid sensationalized headlines that focus on suicide or the method of death. Report the facts instead, and avoid using suicide as an attention-grabbing topic. Stubner S, et al. (2018). Suicidal ideation andsuicidal behavior as rare adverse events of antidepressant medication: Currentreport from the AMSP multicenter drug safety surveillance project. DOI: Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741. The Crisis Text Line is a free text messaging resource offering 24/7 support to anyone in crisis.Establish your support network. It may be hard to talk about suicidal feelings, and your friends and family may not fully understand why you feel the way you do. Reach out anyway, and make sure the people who care about you know what's going on and are there when you need them. You may also want to get help from your place of worship, support groups or other community resources. Feeling connected and supported can help reduce suicide risk.