Warning Signs
Please reach out with your support, if you notice someone who:
- Seems hopeless about the future
- Withdraws from family and/or friends
- Displays severe or overwhelming emotional pain or distress
- Exhibits drastic mood or behavior changes such as:
- eating or sleeping a lot more or less
- using drugs and alcohol more often
- engaging in self-harm behaviors (with or without intent to die)
- Acts in ways that suggest tying up loose ends such as giving away important items, creating a will or making comments that feel like “goodbyes”
- Engages in risky behaviors such as driving extremely fast, substance misuse, unsafe sexual activity
- Collects pills or buys a weapon
- Talks about, researches or makes plans for suicide (it is vital to take this seriously)
What to Do
If you suspect someone is considering suicide, it is important to take immediate action. Please familiarize yourself with these communication techniques and proven best practices for intervention. For more in-depth information, including sample scripts of what to say, download our fact sheet.
If someone exhibits suicide warning signs, remain calm and gently but directly ask them if they are considering suicide. Contrary to what many people think, this will not put the idea in their head or lead them to take their own life. It often comes as a relief, opening a door that allows them to share their pain. If possible, ask follow-up questions about whether they have a plan, how they were considering doing it and if they’ve tried to end their life before. This not only provides them with the opportunity to talk through their feelings, but it also supplies you with valuable information that may help you offer better support.
Although it’s tempting to try to change their outlook, your job is to keep them safe and listen without judgement. That means not pointing out all the good things in their lives, applying guilt about how upset their family would be, telling them that other people have it worse, or implying they don’t mean what they are saying. Simply let them know you care and practice active listening. Learn more about what to say when they do want feedback here.
If the person you are helping has items that could be used to end their life – such as pills or a gun – and you can safely remove them, do so. Multiple studies have shown that eliminating access to lethal means is a very powerful way of reducing suicide. This is because the time span between considering suicide and attempting it is often short. If they have a gun, or something else that puts you both in imminent danger, call 911 immediately.
If you have any reason to believe the person you are helping is in imminent danger of harming themselves, it’s critical to get them professional help quickly. If they have a firearm, have already taken medication, or it is a life-threating situation, 911 is the best way to proceed. Otherwise, call the Suicide & Crisis Line at 988 as they are specifically trained to assist the person who is struggling and the person trying to help.
Do not leave the person you’re helping alone. And do not agree to keep it a secret. If they were experiencing something extreme with their physical health – like a heart attack – you wouldn’t leave them or not tell their family, the same holds true here. Share the responsibility of providing support by helping them build a safety net of personal and professional resources.
Once the person you care about is past the initial danger, it’s critical to stay engaged. One way to do this is by helping them create a safety plan and then follow up with them to ensure the strategies are working for them. A safety plan is a resource they use when they are feeling vulnerable. It contains helpful information including warning signs that indicate they are starting to have suicidal thoughts, coping strategies and distractions they can implement, trusted people they can contact when in need, and ways they can make their environment safer in the moment. Just being there for them and checking in matters as suicide risk can remain high until a crisis passes. Also, research has repeatedly shown that increasing connectedness can reduce suicidal thoughts.
