With progression in time, we are coming across the importance of the well-being of our mind, and also, we’re very well aware of the downsides that are followed by the malfunctioning of our mind. This blog throws light upon the steps that one should keep in mind on how to help a suicidal friend1.
If I throw light on the facts, people didn’t really pay heed to the importance of psychology and always had a closed eye towards the sensitivity of the matter.
How to help a suicidal friend is fairly the question everyone reading this article must have in their minds. It does not require a lot to cater to the needs of a suicidal person. How to help a suicidal friend?
The ignorance of the people made society create a huge stigma around the well-being of our minds. The obnoxious and harsh prejudices which were tied around the topic are finally loosening up, and most of us are aware of the downsides our ill mental health can cause us.
Having finally changed their approach to life, it seems that most people now understand the meaning of the very commonly used medical term “depression.” Is another step on how to help a suicidal friend,
Depression is a common disease in the world, and if not treated properly, it might be fatal. People may feel depressed when they are in various situations because of their personal differences or external situations.
So how to help a friend who is feeling so down? This blog shows different ways of “How to help a suicidal friend?”
Depression
Depression can happen at any age. Even young adults go through this due to so many different reasons which the family members don’t really validate. For instance, per pressure, body shaming, substance abuse.
Feelings are a very sensitive area. Different people feel hurt in different ways.
People should stop creating taboos about mental health and should understand the importance of it. This blog shows different ways how to help a suicidal friend.
But even the half-informed people, this category of people also falls under the category of people who are called “Ignorant” who tend to overuse the word without understanding the deep-rooted medical meaning of this word.
Depression is a very serious medical condition that is a very common illness that is caused to people. But even the half-informed people, this category of people also falls under the category of people who are called “Ignorant” who tend to overuse the word without understanding the deep-rooted medical meaning of this word.
Depression is a very serious medical condition that is a very common illness that is caused to people. This is how you can help a suicidal friend.
As all of us have an awfully long period of lockdown during the year 2020 where the whole world became topsy-turvey, coping up was difficult, but many people came forward to their loved ones owning up to their battles with this illness. Depression2 is one of the leading causes of suicide rates in the whole world.
Due to the alarming rate, hospitals and many different sites have come forward with their helpline numbers so that people can use them to get the help that they deserve.
Depression not only leads to suicidal thoughts and unhappiness but also leads to the development of multiple diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes, strokes, and whatnot. One must always be gentle and should know how to help a suicidal friend.
I heard this statement during an interview with a renowned psychologist, which stayed with me, “You get treatment if you break a bone regardless of the number of the people getting Covid positive; you should similarly seek the help of specialists when you feel you need without worrying about the fact that people in the world have bigger problems than mine.”
I believe society was built with people like us in mind, and as a member of society, I think it is time we change the infamous opinions against mental illness in 21st-century society. Suicidal thoughts among people rose to a whole new level, and to cater to them, one must know how to help a suicidal friend.
I think we’re beyond ignorance. The warning signs in a person’s changing mental health shouldn’t be avoided. The mental health professional should be consulted as soon as possible. This is another way of “How to help a suicidal friend?”
How to Help a Suicidal Friend
1. Warning Signs Shouldn’t be Taken Lightly
Encourage them to avoid self-harm and devoid them from attempting suicide.
If they are in a current situational problem where they probably do not know how to handle it, feel free to speak up about the specifics of the circumstance they feel most hopeless about. It’s important to ask them what they think will happen if they commit suicide. If they do more research, they might find an alternative or not feel so depressed every day.
Being extra kind to your friend is one of the ways of “How to help a suicidal friend?”
If you think your friend wants to commit suicide, talk about concrete aspects of them wanting help with this. Sometimes being there for someone offering them words of encouragement and providing them with the support of love is enough for most people.
Another way of “How to help a suicidal friend?” is hugs, handshakes any sort of human contact.
2. How to React to a Suicidal Friend
Empathy and compassion are two of the biggest means of support that a friend or a family member could offer the patient. Depression might lead to suicidal feelings.
If you know someone is suicidal, what do you do? The best approach is to act quickly without freaking them out. Here are some things you can say when asked for help by a suicidal friend.
- “Are you thinking about suicide?”
- “I can see that this is hard for you.”
- “It’s not your time yet.”
- “Life gets easier with time.”
- “Suicide isn’t the solution to the problem.”
Offer support to them. Suggest them self hep books, suggest they sought professional help, support groups. Help them in getting them out of the shell that they have made for themselves. Provide them with validation and consolation. This is how to help a suicidal friend.
Make them understand that Talking about suicide won’t help them or anyone. The isolation that they have made for themselves won’t help them. This is the way how to help a suicidal friend.
Provide them with mental health resources. Engage them in activities they enjoy. Confidential emotional support, local emergency numbers, trained counselor, showing support can make a big difference. Friends and family can only be of help during times of crisis. How to help a suicidal friend?
3. Dealing with Hopelessness
When things don’t seem to work out, individuals with symptoms such as these feel that there’s no way out or that they’ve lost hope for the future. Offering them a non-judgmental conversation, support, love might help during the hopelessness and remind them of the people they love.
Offer them reassurance that they aren’t alone in this battle of life and death, and talking and thinking of suicide won’t help them in any way. It might just devastate their families and loved ones.
Social contact, physical assurance, hugs make a person’s feelings lighter about suicide. In order to regain lost trust and confidence, mental health services administration can be very helpful. Mental health professionals are trained to treat such delicate situations with a lot of care and precautions.
They make the person realize their true potential and the means of happiness. Support groups could make a big difference. This is how you should help a suicidal friend.
4. Help them cope with suicidal thoughts
One of the best ways to help suicidal friends is to make sure they are safe. If they are at immediate risk of suicide, it may be necessary to call the police for assistance. Even if they are not in immediate danger, there are many ways you can help someone who has suicidal thoughts.
Do not judge their feelings, be patient, and help them set up sessions with a therapist3 or counselor.
If you’re not sure how to respond to someone who has suicidal thoughts – ask the person what you could do for help.
5. Introduce them to helplines
Suicide prevention helplines which are available 24*7 and are toll-free, could be of great help to anyone one needs.
Suicide is a very big deal to anyone and everyone, and before giving in to the temptation of self-harm to not feel emotions, one should weigh in all their other options and be educated about the importance of mental health. This is you can help your suicidal friend.
6. Some other ways
Some other ways of how to help a suicidal friend are:
If someone has reached the point of considering suicide, it’s important to let them know that they are not alone.
You can also introduce them to coping methods like deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.
Let them talk about their feelings and be a good listener for them.
It’s important to connect with their support system and figure out who will be their supporter when you’re not there. This is how you can help your suicidal friend.
You can do this by asking your friend what friends they trust and socialize with, and figuring out who would be the most dedicated to providing care for them based on what they say is another one of the many ways how you can help your suicidal friend.
Support from friends or any other loved one can make a huge difference in one’s mental state. One of the most important ways how to help a suicidal friend.
It may also include protected medical information. The information that you provide is incorporated in a protected health record which is treated as a health-care protected document and is protected by the Privacy Act.
7. Seeking emergency assistance
When the suicide attempts were already underway, the victim should seek medical attention immediately. If the person remains conscious, get all the details you can regarding the substance they’ve been eating and how long back it was taken.
If you don’t know what to do in this condition, you need to ask someone to contact 911 for assistance or dial an emergency suicide hotline.
If you want to find someone to help you with a phone call, you can use an online phone number. Seeking emergency assistance is another way how to help a suicidal friend.
Do you suspect someone has tried to suicide? Tell the police immediately. Often there are people who are carrying weapons or drugs to commit suicide. If you can not leave them alone, you’ll have a better chance of removing anything that may hurt them.
These are some of the ways of “How to help a suicidal friend?”
8. What to do when someone is suicidal
If you see a friend as suicidal, the key is to take it seriously. In many cases, people who are thinking about suicide don’t want “help”; they just want someone to listen and support them. It can be hard, but it’s important to stick around and hear what they have to say.
If your friend wants help, encourage them to call a suicide hotline or go talk to a doctor or nurse at a hospital. They will probably need medications and therapy. This is how to help a suicidal friend.
If someone is suicidal, it’s important to know that their feelings are temporary and they will get better. It probably seems like a good idea at the time because your life sucks, and death sounds like the only escape.
But once you start thinking about who you’ll leave behind and how your death will impact them, suicide doesn’t seem so appealing.
It is very difficult to be in the situation of someone who is suicidal. You may feel helpless or not know what to do when someone you care about has told you that they want to die. It’s important to understand that it isn’t your fault and that there are people who need help. This is how one can help a suicidal friend.
- Mueller, Anna S., and Seth Abrutyn. “Suicidal disclosures among friends: Using social network data to understand suicide contagion.” Journal of health and social behavior 56.1 (2015): 131-148. ↩︎
- Altar, C. Anthony. “Neurotrophins and depression.” Trends in pharmacological sciences 20.2 (1999): 59-62. ↩︎
- Duncan, Barry. “On becoming a better therapist.” Psychotherapy in Australia 16.4 (2010): 42-51. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi
