September is suicide prevention awareness month. This blog post will focus on suicide prevention for Generation Z. Devastatingly, the increase in anxiety and depression symptoms among young people in the last 20 years has also increased how many young people lose their lives to suicide. The CDC reports that after little change between 2001 and 2007, the suicide rate among young people ages 10‒24 increased 62% from 2007 through 2021.
Sometimes, people keep their thoughts of suicide to themselves, but often, they tell someone, such as teachers, parents, or friends. Someone may choose you someday. Thank goodness, because then you can help.
However, when people talk about suicide, it can be challenging. It stirs up something deep in us. That is because it is incongruent with our biological instinct for survival; it feels mysterious. Something is wrong, but you might not understand it.
If you care or love the person, you may start to panic. You worry about losing them and worry about the pain they are experiencing that made think about suicide. Also, because the stakes are high, you may question whether you are the person who can help them. You may be concerned you might say the wrong thing or not do or be enough. At the same time, you feel the need to do something to help them feel better and want to live. Please remember your presence is enough. They trust you, and you can trust yourself.
As a therapist, I have talked to thousands of people about thinking of suicide over the 26-plus years. Thankfully, they have all decided to live. However, I stay vigilant and meet each new disclosure of suicidal thoughts with my full attention. Each person is incredibly valuable and their life means something to me and to the other people in their life. More than they know right now.
People Get Better
I’ve seen people in the most intense pain that you can imagine after unspeakable trauma. And I witness them when they feel better. Seeing this process so many times: people in pain and then over time feeling better (vigorous, connected, and happy) has given me trust that it is possible for everyone.
I have sort of a “retrospective viewpoint” on the next person coming in to see me since I have seen this process happen again and again. Things change, people get better, and so they will probably too.
Hopefully, my experience can also give you hope and that it’s your saving grace when someone you care about discloses to you that they are thinking of suicide. You don’t want them to suffer and believing that they can feel better is somewhere to focus your attention. You hold that confidence for them until they can hold it.
I know you want to help your friend, student, or child get to a “better” place. Fortunately, there are things you can do that will be invaluable to helping them and bringing the two of you closer together. Here is a spot I did on the local news:
Here are Eight Actions to Take When Someone Tells you They are Thinking About Suicide
Number 1. Stay calm.
Listen without judgment. Even if you feel very uncomfortable, stay focused on your friend. Try not to express anger, anxiety, or shame towards them when they tell you.
Freaking out turns attention to you and off the person who was just vulnerable with you and it will make them feel worse.
Keep them talking. They may need to release some energy and emotions around these feelings. Being deeply heard is not something people are used to feeling, and it alone tends to have a profound healing effect on them.
Avoid calling 911. Reserve this for critical circumstances. Someone sharing with you what is on their mind does not need to interact with the police, who will likely put them in handcuffs, causing more trauma.
It is only an emergency when the person is in imminent danger. (i.e., bleeding severely, taking some pills, missing, on a ledge, or waving a weapon around.)
2. Be compassionate and understanding
Loads of people think about suicide. First and foremost, it expresses that they don’t want to feel this pain anymore. That is a normal response to pain. (It would be weirder if someone wanted to stay feeling this bad.)
When you were in pain, haven’t you ever thought about escaping somehow? Maybe you never said it out loud, but this person feels the same.
People who think of suicide are usually scared by their thoughts because they think they are “messed up” and “unnatural.” They feel crazy. This entices fear and shame on top of what they are already feeling, intensifying everything.
You can ease their fear and shame by understanding, acknowledging, and validating that they want relief.
3. Don’t assume they want attention.
Assuming that they are telling you this is just to get attention, you are invisibilizing the person and their pain. This person probably feels invisible and isolated, and it feels vulnerable to share their feelings with you. Kindly give them your full attention for the conversation.
4. Tell someone.
Never promise them that you will not tell anyone. If they say, “I have something to tell you, but you can’t tell anyone.” Let them know you can’t agree to promise that until you know what it is. Say you can’t keep a secret if someone is in danger.
If you are young, don’t carry this burden alone. Tell a trusted adult, a teacher, or a counselor if you are at school, or your parents if you are at home. Your parents and you can decide how to let your friend’s parents know. Your friend already might have a counselor, and her parents can call that counselor, keep a watch on her, and get her some help.
If you are a teacher, go to the school counselor. Read this article about how to respond if your student discloses mental health problems.
If you are a parent, stay with your child, call their counselor if they have one. Or call your pediatrician for some referrals to a mental health professional. Tell your child that you are not going to leave them here and you will figure out how to help them together.
5. Be present with them.
Kind words and hugs are healing balms. Being close to another person can feel so good. Many people who are overwhelmed by their emotions can use a good cry in caring arms. If they are feeling so despairing that they are thinking of suicide, they might not feel worthy enough to ask for this, so offer it.
Being overwhelmed by depression can make you feel so alone and disconnected. Touch grounds us and makes us feel connected, cared for, and less vulnerable.
Parents and caregivers, stay with your child or arrange for someone to be with him or her until they let you know their desire to die passes.
Remove access to their means of hurting themselves, like weapons, sharp objects, and medication.
6. Help them find hope.
Most people want to die and also don’t want to die. Telling you their feelings is usually an expression of wanting to live. They just want to live feeling better.
Ask them why they want to live. What do they hope for? If they feel hopeless, ask them before they were hopeless, what did they used to hold hope for.
People who think about suicide haven’t completed suicide yet for a reason. Their reason is something valuable to them. Asking them more about this can re-ignite the light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe it is not wanting to leave their family. This is beautiful and noble. Or, perhaps they want to grow up and have their own family or work for justice on some issue they feel passionate about. Whatever it is making it explicit can be a powerful motivator to get oneself better.
7. Distract them.
Listen to them talk about what is wrong and then after that, you can distract them from the negative thoughts. Try to get them to laugh. It may not make the problem go away, but it helps pass the time, and shift a mood.
Let them know there is nothing more important than being with them in that moment. Tell them you love them and say what you love about them.
8. Make a plan
Make a plan of what to do, including:
- Distraction – Have something to do to pass the time. Be active and creative to stimulate the dopamine cycle.
- Company – Spend time together until the feeling passes.
- Call a counselor—Counselors are on call day or night when someone is in danger. If your person doesn’t have one, get one immediately.
- Follow up—Check in periodically to ensure that they are getting the help they need. This check-in feels good to the person and tells them that they matter to you.
There are tons of resources online for suicide help and prevention.
When someone discloses that they are thinking of suicide, don’t let worry take over. Choose kindness and understanding instead.
Did you know I have a weekly live-streamed talk show every Monday at 8 PM on YouTube? Get on the list to get reminders about the show, including the topic for the week, PLUS get my Gen Z Mental Health Resource Guide here:
Thank you
You are welcome. I hope you feel better. xoxo
It is so easy for some people to say: I’d kill myself if…. That when they hear another saying they are suicidal, they don’t take it seriously. .. People whose role is to believe. It is one of the hardest things to admit to others. Admitting it causes so much shame and needs so much strength. I so often come to this post because you understand.
Thanks for letting me help!
You do. Always. I don’t even need to ask. You just know. It’s a bad night.
Yes, your right. The average “healthy” person becomes immediately uncomfortable discussing suicide because it is so opposite our natural instincts to survive. After reading about Robin Williams today I took a walk outside and then went to the breakroom for a cup of tea. While in the breakroom someone brought the Robin Williams topic up and I made a serious off-the-cuff remark that I knew exactly why he did it, which I do. It quickly cleared the room. Now, these folks know my bi-polar and past thoughts of suicide history and are kind, gentle people that I think truly care but could not bring themselves to even comment on my remark. I think that what I was looking for was for someone to ask me about it so they could understand the incredible agony of someone is in when they are in that state of mind.
One tragic part of suicidal thoughts is that you want relief and help at the same time and the easiest help is the relief.
You make a good point. Wanting someone to understand is so important because in pain, we feel so alone. I’m sure some of them have felt that way, too, but it was something they learned never to say outloud. That’s too bad. I know you felt isolated by their reponse, but maybe some of them were isolating themselves. I’ll listen anytime you want to share agony, I can understand. You are very brave, but we shouldn’t have to be brave. People would be so much better off if we could speak about it openly!
Hi Jodi,
This is an important topic and I am glad you wrote about it today, especially with the huge number of suicide cases all over the place 🙂
I think it’s SO important to calm and talk to the person who is thinking on these lines. Talking works best so that they are able to speak of what’s going on within them because such thoughts of suicide occur due to various reasons, some of which are due to what goes on within them. More so, when they don’t have any outlet or person to talk to, it can reach the other extreme. I like your planning part too, though I wish people would have more time and patience to really take care of such a person.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Perhaps we can now all have a conversation in this country about suicide. One that does not consist of suicides being LOSERS and “un-salvageable”. My son Ben’s suicide devastated my life and the lives of all that knew him. He was beautiful and brilliant and hard working. He was an incredible father and a much beloved son. But he is dead all the same. Robin William’s death to suicide is crushing me today. Every 40 seconds around the world and every 15 minutes in the U.S., someone completes suicide. Sometimes, mental illness can be fatal. That fatality is called suicide. people do not COMMIT suicide any more than they COMMIT CANCER. It is not a matter of simple semantics. It is important to stop seeing mental illness and suicide in judgmental ways that create stigma, and part of that is changing how we speak of it. Thank you Jodi, for posting some timely and creative ways to deal with the discomfort of discussing suicide. If it is not talked about, there is no hope for it to lessen, much less end. This is not just something that happens to “other people”. It can happen to anyone. Suicide is the absence of all hope. ANY person can get there. Lending hope instead of judgement can save a life. We are all capable of doing that.
I do think that any person can get there. And so we have to be caring and loving to eveyone we meet. Maybe they are at the end of their rope, and maybe we can make their last days a bit better, or alter the projection of their lives. I’m so sorry for your son. It is devastating. And it only opens us up to the devastation he felt. I’m glad people are talking today, and I realize that there is so much to say. I can talk about it for a long time.
Thank you, Chris, for coming by. Big hug to you today. I think so many people are feeling this deeply since it is triggering everyone who has ever thought about suicide,or has been touched by suicide, or has been touched by Robin. Let’s keep up the conversation!
It’s funny, I looked up this subject and came across my own post, (which I had even forgotten I’d written) and finally saw your reply. Thanks for the hug. Nobody can get too many of those. This culture is pretty fast to judge and short on compassion. Your videos mean a lot to me. They remind me that somebody gives a sh** enough to bother. Thank you for what you do.
I’m so glad you’ve found my videos helpful! Here’s another hug!
Jodi,
I too was saddened by the loss of such an amazing individual as Robin Williams. I so wish the people who knew him best had this advice in time. This is such a wonderful guide for family members, friends and therapists of those struggling with the deepest depression. Thanks for this detailed, thoughtful post.
Lisa
Lisa W. Rosenberg recently posted..“Pretty” is the Wrong Question
Thanks Lisa, people want to make sense of it, and I guess I can address this, too, maybe in another post.
This part: “Loads of people think about suicide. First and foremost it is an expression that you don’t want to feel this pain anymore. That is a normal response to pain. It would be weirder if someone wants to feel this bad.”
If we approach it this way, people will be more inclined to talk about it.
Thank you, Jodi.
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I spread the message anywhere I can!
Than you for this.
You are very welcome.
Jodi,
Hi. what do you do when you counsel someone that cuts?
That may not be a quick answer. I find out out as many details as I could about the cutting- when and why and the good and bad effects. I try to eliminate shame and judgment of any kind, if it is there. If a person doesn’t want to stop, I find out why, and if they do, we make a plan. But, I counsel to the person, not the problem. I try to find out more about who they are and what is important to them. We grow a new story. If the cutting is a effect of a traumatic past we heal that so the cutting is no longer needed. And much more. Hope that helps. How would you like to be helped if you could be?
Jodi, i am the one that cuts.
I know sweety.
I want to talk
As someone that suffers from anxiety and depression issues I have been on and off medications since college. Even on meds I have contiplated suicide. While the meds help balance the chemicals or your moods they cannot stop thoughts or issues outside of your control. And even some meds for depressive disorders have been proven to heighten thoughts of suicide. As someone dealing with this everyday I firmly believe what saved me was not only my meds, but talk therapy and a change in lifestyle. I have changed my diet and exercise.
Everyday I am scared to death that I will come to a place where I think suicide is the answer. But I know I am taking the proper actions to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Sari, keep working everyday and finding something to keep living for. Thank you so much for sharing your story. It takes a village for have hope for life!
I am struggling with cutting. I am just hurting so much and yesterday all I did was cry all day. Then I decided to cut. I have thought about suicide before. Trying to heal from six trauma’s is a lot to deal with and I am trying to fight the depression.
I know Jewels, I’m so sorry. Artemis was great because you were surrounded by people who reminded you that you matter. Now you are pretty isolated. It is hard to counter those awful thoughts when you are isolated. I hope you find a job soon! It’ll really help! <3
Jodi Aman recently posted..Love up instead of worrying down
Jodi,
I isolate so much and at Artemis that was the most connected I have been to any one in forever. I never let any one that close. I feel like I need another month or two of being really connected to people and need to talk about what the guys did to me. I never want to be held, but I want to be held and want to cry with someone being there.
I’d like to see you connected for the rest of your life. We all need connection. If you just had a month, you’d feel great, but then you’d feel bad again when it was gone. Top priority! Create a community for yourself!
Jodi,
I have no idea how to connect to people. I mean I want a connection like I had at Artemis where people were real. If you asked how they were they told the truth. They did not say the normal fine and we could really be real. That is the connection I want and that seems impossible in the real world
The people you met there were open. People in the real world are usually scared. But you can get past that. Observe people around you. Just watch them, you’ll notice the good people. Go towards them.
You make it sound so simple.
One step at a time makes it simple. Observing is something we all can do. It doesn’t make us vulnerable. A perfect first step.
Such an important and helpful post Jodi x
Thank you so much!
Jodi Aman recently posted..7 ways to help someone stop thinking of suicide
Learning of Robin WIlliams’ death is a great shock to our hearts and spirit. He made us laugh, he gave us so much joy. Yet what he did for us, he was unable to do for himself. It gives me great sadness. Thanks for sharing these important tips.
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Thank you for this post, Jodi.
I know what it feels like to be inside that black hole. It hurts like triple hell. I have SUCH GREAT empathy for those people, like Robin Williams & so many others, who cannot find their way back up into the light.
Love to you, dear. xxx
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I’m curious Jodi did the “many more friends” in high school benefit from your counsel ?
Bob, I am not sure, we’d have to ask them. They all seem happy on fb today. I’m sure they had more ups and downs in life, just like all of us. Sometimes I think we make a difference and no one even knows.
But it is still worth it. So many parents ask me how their kids are responding to therapy, and I pause thinking this is a crazy question. I turn to the teens and ask them if they feel it is beneficial or not. How would I know? (Of course I check it to make sure it is going OK, but then I would just be reporting what they told me anyway.) 🙂
Jodi, thank you for this post. I especially love #6–to ask why that person has not committed suicide, to find out what he or she is alive for. That is a whole new way for me to think about this.
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Tina,
I think this changed the whole way I thought about suicide. I learned it from my narrative therapy teacher Michael White. He was genius like this. I write about it in my Absent But Implict book.
And I am sure it has something to do with not losing anybody in 10 years of working with people of all ages who really want to die. (but don’t.) But as you can imagine, this line of inquiry, makes people feel empowered rather than disempowered.
I hope it helps what you have been going through. This may be new questions to ask your mom. The answers are sometimes not what we imagined.
I also have a line of inquiry for families who lost someone to suicide.
xo
Jodi Aman recently posted..7 ways to help someone stop thinking of suicide
Hi Jodi,
This is such a relevant topic for the modern fast paced life, which abounds in frustration and low self-esteem. Thanks for highlighting it just at the right moment when we have lost another great celebrity to this dreaded word!
Balroop Singh recently posted..So Many Hues Of Life…How To Remain Grounded?
I wish there were more people like you in the world. I used to think that only counselors can understand because they are “trained” to believe or to take it serously, but I was so wrong. I also thought that people who lived the same are more likely to believe, but again I was wrong because instead of listening they start comparing situations and minimizing your pain. It takes someone really special to do what you do, to say “you can call” instead of saying, there are plenty of resources, call this helpline or even worse, go to hospital.
All the points you mentioned are so important. To # 2 “understand” I would add “believe” because as silly as it seems, if you feel they don’t believe you, you think of it strongr to prove you are not joking. Touch them and stay with them, of course but without lecturing, maybe just say I’m here even if you’re at the other part of the world. I love the part of making a plan, because when there is a plan, you feel safe even if you’ll never use it.
I’m just so angry. I’m so upset and angry
Nikky44 recently posted..I challenged the Fear
I see what you mean about believing. When something is important to us, and it is invalidated, we we defend it. Defending our horrible story, is defending our worth and going against ourselves at the same time. What are you upset and angry about?
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by going against ourselves. By believing here, I was only talking about believing the intensity of the pain or the desire to end it. Upset and angry? I could fill a page yesterday, but it all passes, except fear.
Nikky44 recently posted..I challenged the Fear
Sometimes when we are invalidated by somebody not believing or not understanding, we emphasize it more so maybe they would understand. But while you are convincing someone, for example, that you CAN’T do something, you are also convincing yourself. Diminishing your own hope. Argue your limitations and they become truths in your mind.
If someone feels suicidal as a reaction to something that has hurt him, distraction is so important, just the fact of not being alone at that moment can save his life, but what about the people who have planned it for very long? Can they get help too?
Nikky44 recently posted..I challenged the Fear
These are great tips that I think are of benefit to anyone who is in the situation. As someone who has experienced being suicidal, I think 1 and 6 are so important. It took me years before I was comfortable enough with a therapist to tell them that I had suicidal urges in the past week. That fear is there. It is important to stay calm like you said because if you react intensely then it will cause them to not reach out in the future.
I think 6 is important too. You don’t want to die, you just want to escape the pain and suicide seems like the only option in the present moment to do that. I think just talking to them/being there for them is so important. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks, Sebastian!
Jodi Aman recently posted..7 ways to help someone stop thinking of suicide
Hi Jodi. This is a very important post and with your experience very valuable. I’ll bet most of us have wondered what the best thing to do in such a circumstance and now I feel better know that. Thank you. ~Kathy
Hi Jodi,
I DM you on twitter asking to talk to you and you suggested to comment on your website 🙂
On twitter I’d talked a few times to a young women battling acute OCD self harm and couldn’t tell her family, who she lived w/, and who made jokes of her behaviour. When she told me she was suicidal I kept urging her to call the helpline numbers I’d given her.
She said her family would be angry with her as they don’t accept she is unwell think she’s just difficult to live with. I then found out she was only 17y/o no license no way of getting to help. She was isolated.
We talked a couple of mins more then she became agitated and desperate and said she was deleting her twitter acc. I haven’t heard from her since.
I attempted suicide myself some yrs ago and know that feeling of being so alone, helpless and desperate. I’m worried for her, frustrated I couldn’t be with her.
I know I can’t do the impossible but is there any advise you can give me, please Jodi, as to what to do if I talk online to someone who says they feels suicidal?
Regards
Debbie
Debbie,
You are so kind and loving to have spent that time with her. Sometimes that is all we need.
This may be hard to hear, but other people aren’t our responsibility. We can only give. People make their own decisions. What you did was exactly the kindest you could do. Other than what is in this article, there is no advice that I could give you that would have made her listen, get help and tell you that she is fine now.
At 17, if she is savvy enough to get help on twitter, then, she is savvy enough to get some other help if she chooses.
Love her, believe in her. She has the skills to make it through this. Focus your energy on what you can do. Watch my video Love Them Up To You.
This was not a failure. I believe you helped her. Even if she didn’t hear you that night, what you gave her is there for whenever she says yes to it. Send her good energy, just by imaging it being around her.
This was a heartfelt article. I believe everyone should stop and read this. Like you, someone in my High School took her own life because of a breakup. She had a promising future and was a senior in high school. It broke my heart to hear how a breakup could cause a suicide. Fast forward 22 years later to the year 2011, I went through a spell due to a breakup. If only the people that I knew were armed with this information that you presented, I would’ve been out the spell sooner. What I received instead were finger pointing and telling me to deal with it myself.
Suicide and depression are real and it must be addressed. We care more about celebrities than we do someone who lives next door. Blessed is the celebrity and cursed is the next door neighbor who commits suicide or even thinks it.
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I guess I don’t see that the neighbor is cursed. Tons of people are awakened when someone takes their own life. It’s a shock and so sad.
I am sorry you felt judgment instead of comfort. This happens because some people are afraid. I guess when you next a compassionate heart, make sure you find someone who is not scared and can focus on you.
I am so glad you liked the article! Hugs!
I want to add something. If someone admits he’s feeling suicidal, the worst thing to say is: I can’t deal with that, call a suicide hotline. It’s OK to feel we’re not ready or capable or scared to deal with it, but instead of rejecting the person, one can help her make the call or say I worry not to be qualified enough for that, why not call a specialist and I will be here with you. All the suicide hotlines are a great help and wonderful people but they are usefull for those who feel like they have no one to call, not for those who made the effort and admitted how they feel. That is my opinion. Am I wrong?
Nikky44 recently posted..I challenged the Fear
No, great idea!
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