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0800 689 5652

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If you are struggling, this website offers help on how to get through and how to make a safety plan.

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You may have found yourself wishing that you were dead, or perhaps thinking that the people who you care about would be better off without you but with support you can choose to live.

Even situations that seem almost impossible to face can feel different if you remind yourself that feelings don't last forever and you have an idea of what you can do to get through this painful time. Please share our hope that you can find a way forward.

Information about how to make a Safety Plan can be found on this website for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts or supporting someone else. It's designed to offer hope, compassion and practical ideas on how to find your own way forward.

Please keep reading and keep watching the films where you'll find everything you need to know about making a Safety Plan and how it will help you. You will find details of what you can do for yourself and who you can contact for support when you need it.

Please keep reading and watching the films and we really hope you find them helpful.

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You may have found yourself wishing that you were dead, or perhaps thinking that the people who you care about would be better off without you but with support you can choose to live.

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How To Support Someone with Suicidal Thoughts

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How To Support Someone with Suicidal Thoughts

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A guide for friends and loved ones from Rethink.

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A brief guide to the facts and myths of talking to someone with suicidal thoughts.

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People think about suicide for a number of different reasons and there are many myths surrounding it. It is important to be able to recognise the risk factors of suicide and have an understanding of how to talk to someone in need as it could save somebody's life. Everyone can make a difference to those who have reached the point of wanting to end their lives.

This article contains ways to raise awareness of suicide and examples of risk factors to recognise in someone that might be having suicidal feelings. It will debunk some myths and includes suicide facts as well as guidance on how to talk to someone who is suicidal.

Our Mental Health Awareness course aims to increase your understanding of common mental health conditions, including how or when it might suffer, and what you can do about it.

How to Raise Suicide Awareness

Suicide awareness involves making a proactive effort to raise awareness around suicidal behaviours. It focuses on reducing social stigma by bringing attention to the prevalence of suicide and encouraging open discussion around it.

In 2020, 4912 people died by suicide in the United Kingdom, with males aged 45-49 continuing to have the highest suicide rate of any demographic.

Mental health problems.

Different types of abuse including domestic, sexual or physical.

Bereavement.

The end of a relationship or a break-up.

Long-term illness.

Financial problems.

Isolation or loneliness.

Homelessness.

Being in prison.

Addiction or substance abuse.

Pregnancy, childbirth or postnatal depression.

Side effects of medication.

Raising awareness of suicide can help prevention efforts in a multitude of ways. Discussing the risk factors or causes of suicide can aid people in recognising if someone is feeling suicidal, which in turn can help with early intervention and preventing that individual from ending their life.

Other benefits of raising awareness of suicide include:

Helping overcome stigma.

Helping to facilitate open and honest conversations.

Equipping people with the ability to address the situation successfully.

How to Recognise the Risk Factors of Suicide

If someone you know is, or has, experienced any of the common causes mentioned, they may be at a higher risk of suicide. It is important to note that a prior suicide attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the general population.

A few other risk factors that you might recognise in someone who is feeling suicidal include:

Being sad or moody - The person may have long-lasting sadness and mood swings or may have recently become down.

Sudden calmness - The person may suddenly become calm after a period of depression or sadness.

Withdrawing from others - The person may choose to be alone and avoid friends or social activities. They may also lose interest or pleasure in activities they previously enjoyed.

Changes in personality, appearance, sleep pattern - The person's attitude or behaviour might change, for example suddenly becoming less concerned about their personal appearance, or sleeping much more or much less than typical for that person.

Showing dangerous or self-harmful behaviour - The person might engage in potentially dangerous behaviours such as driving recklessly, having unsafe sex or increasing their use of drugs and/or alcohol.

Experiencing recent trauma - This could include the death of a loved one or pet, divorce or break-up of a relationship, diagnosis of a major illness, loss of a job or serious financial problems.

Being in a state of deep despair - The person may talk about feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, being a burden to others, feeling trapped or being in severe emotional pain.

Making preparations - The person might begin to put their personal business in order. This could include visiting friends and family members, giving away personal possessions, making a will and cleaning up their room or home. Often the person will search online for ways to die, some will write a note before attempting suicide.

Threatening suicide or talking about wanting to die - Not everyone who is considering suicide will say so, and not everyone who threatens suicide will follow through with it. However, every threat of suicide should be taken seriously.

Due to the number of risk factors identified, it is important for individuals to know how they can raise suicide awareness. Familiarising yourself, and others, with the signs and symptoms can help you identify someone at risk. Sometimes a short conversation with someone can be enough to make a difference between life or death.

A useful way to remember how you can help someone in need is by following the WAIT acronym.

It stands for:

W - watch out for signs of distress and uncharacteristic behaviour such as social withdrawal.

A - ask about suicidal thoughts, this can help them express how they're feeling.

I - it will pass with time; assure them that with help the feelings will pass.

T - talk to others; encourage them to speak about how they feel and maybe seek help from a GP or health professional.

Whilst it is important to raise awareness of suicide, it is also crucial that you are able to separate the myths from the facts.

Suicide Myths

Suicide is a very sensitive topic and is surrounded by stigma. There are also many myths that can have damaging effects.

Some of the most harmful suicide myths include:

Talking about suicide or asking someone if they feel suicidal will encourage suicide attempts.

Young people who talk about suicide never attempt suicide.

A promise to keep a suicide note unopened or unread should be kept.

Suicide attempts or deaths happen without warning.

If a person attempts suicide and survives, they will never make a further attempt.

Once a person is intent on suicide there is no way of stopping them.

People who threaten suicide are just attention seeking.

Suicide is hereditary.

Only certain types of people become suicidal.

Suicide is painless.

Although the above are myths, sometimes they are true in other ways so it is important to familiarise yourself with the facts too.

Suicide Facts

If you are ever in a situation where you need to help someone at risk of suicide, it is important you are aware of the facts and how you can help them. A lot of suicide facts are the direct opposite of the myths.

Some facts about suicide include:

Talking about suicide provides the opportunity for communication.

Talking about suicide could be a cry for help.

A suicide attempt is an indicator of future attempts.

Suicide can be prevented.

Suicidal feelings are not genetically inherited.

Everyone has the potential for feeling suicidal.

Statistics show that men are 3.1x more likely than females to commit suicide, with males aged 45-49 having the highest suicide rate overall. People in the United Kingdom aged 45-54 have the highest suicide rate of all ages. However, there are still around 200 young people that die by suicide every year.

No matter what the reason, age or gender - it is important to talk.

How to Talk to Someone Who is Suicidal

It can feel intrusive asking someone if they are having thoughts of suicide, but it could make a difference for someone in their most difficult day. There are many different approaches you can take, which will depend on if the person is a loved one, an acquaintance or a stranger. However, there is some general advice to follow which can help you have a potentially difficult conversation.

Know your resources

Create a safe space

Express Concern

Ask open ended questions

Show that you're listening

Don't be afraid to bring up the topic

Use direct language

During the conversation, if the person directly discloses their suicidal feelings or plans they have made to end their life it can be very difficult to hear. You should try remaining composed and say thank you to them for sharing with you. Acknowledge that you are there for them and offer some hope that you can get them help.

You can also offer help with practical things they might need in the moment, such as getting them a glass of water or getting in touch with family or friends (with their permission). They might just want you to stay with them for a while, watching TV or doing an activity with them.

When they are able to think about their next steps, you can suggest making a 'safety plan' together. Safety plans lay out steps for coping in a crisis and ensure the person has the necessary support they need going forwards.

Safety plans include information on how to spot the signs that they might be nearing crisis, coping strategies to try, how they can use loved ones to distract from suicidal feelings, writing down which loved ones can help them and a list of helplines or mental health professionals to contact.

Offering a follow up with the person can be helpful to check in on how they are feeling. This doesn't have to be explicitly called a 'follow up' and could be a text, phone call or meet up after the initial conversation. This could be an hour after or up to a couple of days after, especially if they are returning to work or school. Two common times that people begin to feel suicidal are if they are unhappy at work or unsettled at school.

Feeling Suicidal at Work

There is a strong link between suicide and occupation. 'Low skilled' male workers are three times more likely to take their own life than the national average. Other groups with an increased risk include nursing staff and primary teachers. These groups are also the most likely to experience workplace stress.

Employers have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment and must address any issues that could be leading to stress or suicidal thoughts. Therefore, knowing how to respond to an employee who is struggling with their mental health is an essential step towards the individual getting the help and support they need.

For more information on mental health awareness at work, take a look at our Mental Health Awareness for Managers training course.

Feeling Suicidal at School

The reasons behind suicide in teenagers and children are complex. In school, students are under a lot of pressure to fit in, excel in their studies and make important decisions about their future. There is often also added pressure at home and sometimes complications with friends or family. This can lead to teenagers and children feeling overwhelmed and sometimes having suicidal thoughts or feelings.

Access to support and resources is key to preventing suicide among students. Education around risk factors of suicide, where to get help or support and how to notice and respond if a peer is showing signs of suicidal feelings are crucial to address suicide within children and teenagers.

Raising awareness of suicide by starting the conversation and encouraging open discussion around it will, in turn, prevent the risk of suicide and could save a life.
Suicide is highly prevalent in society and can be a very sensitive topic to discuss. There is a lot of stigma and many myths surrounding it which can lead to misinformation. It is important to raise awareness of suicide through education of the risk factors and encouraging open discussion around it. Everyone can make a difference to those who have reached the point of wanting to end their lives, even by just having a conversation.
Further Resources:

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Suicide Myths & Facts | Guidance on How to Talk to Someone Suicidal

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People think about suicide for a number of different reasons and there are many myths surrounding it. It is important to be able to recognise the risk factors of suicide and have an understanding of how to talk to someone in need as it could save somebody's life.

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How To Support Someone You're Worried About

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How To Support Someone You're Worried About

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A guide from the Samaritans on how you can best support those close to you when you are concerned about their wellbeing.

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1. Signs that someone may not be OK

Many people struggle to cope at one point or another of their lives. Reaching out to someone could help them know that someone cares, that they are valued, and help them access the support they need.

Everyone copes and reacts in their own way, but here are some general signs to look out for. For some people, several of these signs might apply - for others just one or two, or none.

Signs to look out for

Feeling restless and agitated

Feeling angry and aggressive

Feeling tearful

Being tired or lacking in energy

Not wanting to talk to or be with people

Not wanting to do things they usually enjoy

Using alcohol or drugs to cope with feelings

Finding it hard to cope with everyday things

Not replying to messages or being distant

Talking about feeling hopeless, helpless or worthless

Talking about feeling trapped by life circumstances they can't see a way out of, or feeling unable to escape their thoughts

A change in routine, such as sleeping or eating more or less than normal

Engaging in risk-taking behaviour, like gambling or violence

You might not always be able to spot these signs. These emotions may be more difficult to spot if you're seeing less of the people you're close to.

It can also be useful to identify circumstances that can trigger suicidal thoughts or make it hard for someone to cope.

Situations to look out for

loss, including loss of a friend or a family member through bereavement

suicide or attempted suicide of family member, friend or public figure

relationship and family problems

housing problems

financial worries

job-related stress

college or study-related pressures

bullying, abuse or neglect

loneliness and isolation

challenging current events

depression

painful and/or disabling physical illness

heavy use of or dependency on alcohol or other drugs

Again, these may not apply to everyone who is struggling, but they can be useful to look out for.

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How to support someone you're worried about

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Many people struggle to cope at one point or another of their lives. Reaching out to someone could help them know that someone cares, that they are valued, and help them access the support they need. Everyone copes and reacts in their own way, but here are some general signs to look out for.

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Online Training from Zero Suicide Alliance

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Online Training from Zero Suicide Alliance

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These free online training courses teach you the skills and confidence to have a potentially life-saving conversation with someone you’re worried about.

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Free online training from Zero Suicide Alliance

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Free online training courses to help you gain knowledge, skills and confidence to talk to someone who may be feeling suicidal or socially isolated.

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A short guide on suicidal behaviours from the Cleveland Clinic.

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Recognizing Suicide Behavior: Risk Factors, Warning Signs, What to Do

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Death by suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. Learning the risk factors and warning signs can help save lives.

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A guide from Mind on what a support plan is, and how to make and use one.

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A template to assist in the creation of a safety plan for yourself or others.

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The StayAlive app is a suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis.

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StayAlive | Essential suicide prevention for every day life

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The StayAlive app is a suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis.

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Grassroots is a leading UK charity in suicide prevention. We provide expertise, training and resources to help communities, organisations and individuals effectively support people at risk of suicide or experiencing mental health problems.

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Grassroots Suicide Prevention | Educating, Connecting, Campaigning

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We are Grassroots Suicide Prevention. We empower people to help save lives from suicide through connecting, educating, and campaigning nationally. ​ Read More...