Suicide 911
Suicide 911
The following are steps you can take to help someone who is suicidal:
Don't leave him/her alone!
He has probably been thinking about this much longer than you suspect. Don't let her get out of your sight, especially if you have weapons or medicines in the vicinity. Lack of opportunity may be the only thing holding him back.
Call the doctor or a crisis center or go to a hospital.
If you don't know where to go or who to call, call 1-800-273-8255. If possible, have the names of medications and doses that she is currently taking ready for the doctor or crisis worker.
Take precautions.
Remove or secure dangerous items in the home. Common items to remove are guns. Common items to secure are medications and car keys. Take away or secure anything he has implicated in suicidal talk.
Take suicidal talk/threats seriously.
Talking about it means she has probably thought about it for some time and may already have a plan to carry it out
My experience
This advice is based on my experience with impulsive suicidal thoughts and feelings, which were very serious and irrational. I have had completely random suicidal thoughts, like, "I could just run off the road into that billboard," without being sad at all. Those kinds of thoughts are shocking even to me, and initially, I brushed them off.
As I later became situationally depressed, what might have been a random thought stuck in my mind and developed into a desperate plan that I did not discuss. By the time I did mention it, only because I was asked, I was very close to carrying it out. I was not "crying for help." I was looking for a way to end the torment I felt that I also felt I was inflicting upon others.
At the time, I thought my family would be less burdened, but I now realize that life would have been worse for them had I killed myself. I also wonder if my own anguish would not have ended at suicide: would my consciousness have continued on in a state of turmoil?
Online Resources
Information from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Includes downloadables.
Multiple resources including international hotlines. Information for those who feel suicidal.
A list of websites to help with recovery from depression and suicidal tendencies.
Advice catered more toward Bipolar Disorder from moodswing.org. Includes help contract and safety plan links.