From the American Association of Suicidology, here are 10 ways to be helpful to someone you know who is suicidal:
1. Be aware. Learn the warning signs.
2. Get involved. Become available. Show interest and support. Be willing to listen.
3. Ask if s/he is thinking of suicide. [Ask if there is a plan.]
4. Be non-judgmental. Don’t debate whether suicide is right or wrong, or feelings are good or bad. Don’t lecture on the value of life.
5. Don’t dare him/her to do it. [Especially not online – you don't know when someone is serious.]
6. Don’t give advice by making decisions for someone else to tell them to behave differently.
7. Don’t ask “why.” This encourages defensiveness.
8. Don’t act shocked. This creates distance.
9. Don’t be sworn to secrecy. Seek support.
10. Take action! Remove means! [Including large supplies of medications, and weapons.] Get help from individuals or agencies specializing in crisis intervention and suicide prevention.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Comment to
“Suicide Prevention”
I know a girl whose friend told her s/he was suicidal. This girl reacted by actually giving her friend a knife and saying point-blank, “Fine. Go ahead and do it.” Luckily, her friend backed out at this point and this girl claims she’s the one responsible for “curing” her friend’s suicidality.
I was shocked when I heard this. I’ve been suicidal before and someone daring me to do it would only increase my motivation to kill myself ten-fold.
It’s kind of scary to me that people actually use this technique of “daring” the person to do it. It seems like the most invalidating and risky thing you could do.
Join the Conversation! Post a Comment:
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 5 Apr 2006
