Suicide and Safety Planning

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about suicide that can prevent anyone from providing assistance to a person in need.

The myths are available all around the Internet–just be responsible and make sure to check your sources and think critically instead of believing just anything you read.

Here are some general rules in providing safety assistance for anyone who might be suicidal:

If you hear someone mention that she has suicidal ideations, always take them seriously. Listen to them empathically and do your best to withhold any judgments. We must also generally refrain from giving advice unless they ask for it. What’s important is that we make sure we listen to them and try to assure them that it’s okay to feel exactly how they are feeling. Do not take it personally if they reject your affection.

Another thing you can do is help them create a safety plan. That is, help the person identify their triggers or events that may make them feel worse-than-usual and therefore suicidal. Helping them identify their triggers can help them prepare for the negative, suicidal feelings instead of being ambushed by them.

Part of the safety plan is setting aside things that they can use to harm themselves, and gently identifying if there are any distractions or things that can help them to reduce the negative feelings when they are most vulnerable.

Lastly, we must help them by providing emergency contacts or contact details of people they can call if their triggers are difficult to handle by themselves.

These are only rules of thumb, and every case is contextual. If you are unsure of what to do, seek professional assistance or call your nearest hospital right away.