If someone does tell you they are having suicidal thoughts, always take them seriously. Try to listen in an unhurried way without distractions. You don't have to be able to solve their problems. The act of listening and being understanding will help. If you can, offer support and encourage them to talk about their feelings. If you can, arrange to speak to them again at a specific time. This will show your ongoing support and will make them feel valued. It also gives them something to look forward to. How can I be there for someone who’s feeling suicidal? Schilling and Tasezen have also come up with a version that would be more of an undergarment to be worn by suicidal individuals. It would be made up of at least one layer of cellulose or synthetic material that would have elasticized openings for the legs and waist and would be disposable. An alternative version of the undergarment would be made of the same material mentioned above, except this time, it would be rectangular in shape and have no openings. Instead, the undergarment would simply be folded around the wearer’s body and held together via the use of several fasteners.

An additional version of the invention would be made from a material that has a small amount of “tensile strength,” thus making it nearly impossible for the wearer to be able to injure or kill himself using that clothing. What is tensile strength? It is generally the measurement of the ability of a material to withstand a pulling force. More specifically, the inventors intend to use a material that has “less than a few ounces of tensile strength,” which should prove to be quite effective in preventing suicide or injury when worn. Simple actions can help you be there for someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or recovering from an attempt to take their own life. People who have felt suicidal will often say what a huge relief it was to be able to talk about what they were experiencing. If someone is feeling suicidal, can I suggest they talk to a professional? So what can be done to make anti-suicide clothing more comfortable for wearers, yet remain just as effective in preventing suicides? Inventors Robert Schilling and Ayla Tasezen, the inventors listed on U.S. Patent No. 8,375,466, believe that they have come up with the perfect solution. Did you know that there is clothing available to assist jails, mental hospitals and others with the prevention of suicide? Special protective wear has been issued to inmates and patients with suicidal tendencies for years. As a matter of fact, you can go online and see a variety of items that are available for facilities that might need them — much of which is made out of a very uncomfortable, yet strong nylon shell that is held together with nylon thread. However, that type of material can be quite rough on the skin and quite irritating to the wearer in the long run. The inventors have come up with several possible versions of a more comfortable, yet durable article of clothing that can be worn by medical patients and inmates who are in danger of committing suicide or injuring themselves. One version would be made up of a very strong fabric that consists of a tear-proof outer layer made of either a natural or synthetic material, and an inner layer of a softer synthetic or natural material. In between the two layers would be yet another piece of material that would offer warmth to the individual (as well as add more bulk to the fabric, thus keeping it from being able to be torn or ripped for use as a rope).

In yet another version of the invention, the article of clothing would consist of an outer, middle, and inner layer, and all three layers would be held together by nylon thread. This version would make the outer layer an exceptionally strong piece of polyester that would be stronger than 300 denier and tear resistant, again making it virtually impossible for the wearer to be able to tear it into strips so that it can be made into a noose for committing suicide. The inner layer would be made from “a cotton material of more than 7.2 ounces and the middle layer would be a polyester fiberfill greater than 2 ounces.”