Suicide
Awareness

Suicide is when someone ends their own life. It’s a very tragic response to difficult situations and feelings. Perhaps most tragic because it is preventable. Thousands of people in the UK end their lives by suicide each year, one in five of us think about suicide in our lifetimes.

Having suicidal thoughts doesn’t mean that someone has a mental illness, but there is a connection between mental ill health and suicidal thoughts.

Suicidal thoughts and feelings can be complex, frightening, confusing and lonely.

Learning about the possible risk factors linked to suicidal thoughts, along with how it can be prevented, may help you save a life. This may be someone else’s, or it may be your own life.

There is no single reason why people die by suicide. People think of suicide for many different reasons. Sociological, economical, psychological and genetic factors can contribute to a person being at greater risk of suicide.

A risk factor might include:

• difficult life event (such as a traumatic childhood or experiencing physical or emotional abuse)
• something upsetting or life changing such as a relationship ending or a loved one dying
• misusing drugs or alcohol
• living alone or having little social contact with other people
• having a mental health condition such as depression
• self-harming
• having a physical health condition, especially if this causes pain or serious disability
• problems with work or money
• being a young person, or being a middle-aged man

If you think that someone may be feeling suicidal, encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. You may feel uncomfortable talking about suicidal feelings. You may not know what to say. This is entirely normal and understandable.

It might help to:

• Let them know that you care about them and that they are not alone
• Empathise with them – you could say something like, “I can’t imagine how painful this is for you, but I would like to try to understand”
• Be non-judgemental and don’t criticise or blame them
• Repeat their words back to them in your own words – this shows that you are listening, and repeating information can also make sure that you’ve understood them properly
• Ask about their reasons for living and dying and listen to their answers – try to explore their reasons for living in more detail
• Ask if they have felt like this before and if so, ask how their feelings changed last time
• Reassure them that they will not feel this way forever
• Encourage them to focus on getting through the day rather than focussing on the future
• Encourage them to seek help that they are comfortable with such as help from a doctor or counsellor, or support through a charity such as the Samaritans
• Follow up any commitments that you agree to
• Make sure someone is with them if they are in immediate danger
• Try to get professional help for the person feeling suicidal
• Get support for yourself

Remember that you don’t need to find an answer, or even to completely understand why they feel the way they do. Listening to what they have to say will at least let them know you care.

If you’re not sure that someone is feeling suicidal, ask:

• “Are you thinking about suicide?” or
• “Are you having thoughts of ending your life?”

These questions are direct. It is better to address the person’s feelings directly rather than avoiding the issue. Remember that asking about suicide won’t make it more likely to happen.

A change in someone’s personality and behaviour might be a sign that they are having suicidal thoughts. You may be the best judge of when someone you know is behaving differently.

Changes can include:

• Becoming anxious
• Being more irritable
• Being more confrontational
• Becoming quiet
• Having mood swings
• Acting recklessly
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Not wanting to be around other people
• Avoiding contact with friends and family
• Having different problems with work or studies
• Saying negative things about themselves

There are some indicators that suggest someone is more likely to attempt suicide. These include:

• Threatening to hurt or kill themselves
• Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide
• Thanking you, or saying sorry to you for no apparent reason
• Preparing to end their life, such as storing up medication
• Putting affairs in order such as giving away belongings or making a will

Signs that something is wrong can sometimes be more difficult to spot. Such as a cheeriness which may seem fake to you. Or they may joke about their emotions. Such as saying something quite alarming that is disguised as a joke.

Don’t ignore your gut feeling if you are concerned about someone.

Some people won’t be open about how they are feeling.

A lot of people try to seek help before attempting suicide by telling other people about their feelings. This could be a professional, friend or family member. If someone tells you about how they are feeling don’t ignore them.

If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts, seek professional support.

Contact your:

• GP and ask for an emergency appointment
• Local urgent mental health helpline (numbers for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found here)
• Local NHS 111 service

It can be hard to know what to say and how to support somebody who is experiencing suicidal thoughts.

This guide looks at why someone might think about suicide and how you can help them. It also looks at support for you

Visit Rethink

It can be hard to know just how to start a conversation about suicide. That’s why Mental Health UK have created this downloadable resource to support you in spotting the warning signs that someone might need help, broaching the topic and giving you tips on what you can do and where you can signpost to for further help

Download the Conversation Guide

At t2 we have dedicated mental health first aiders Stacy Preston, Emma Pridmore, Craig Woods and Karen Cranfield.

Feel free to contact Stacy on stacy.preston@t2group.co.uk, Emma on Emma.Pridmore@t2group.co.uk, Craig on craig.woods@t2group.co.uk, or Karen on karen.cranfield@t2group.co.uk if you need a confidential chat about anything you are concerned with.

If you feel you need to speak to someone now, please click on the link below

Visit NHS