Emergency. Are worried you might hurt yourself or someone else ?
Please get IMMEDIATE HELP if this applies to you. CALL 911 or your local emergency response service or get to the nearest emergency hospital NOW. If you decide to call 911 or Emergency Medical Services, tell them exactly where you are calling from so they can come and talk to you.
Avoid an Emergency
It is okay to not be okay. You can be a successful person with a loving family and supportive friends, but still be impacted by events and conditions that lead to a mental health condition requiring help. Breaking the Stigma Around Suicide
Suicide is a big issue.
More people lose their lives to suicide than to road accidents, industrial accidents, and homicides combined.
If someone you know is struggling emotionally or having a hard time, you can be the difference in getting them the help they need. It’s important to take care of yourself when you are supporting someone through a difficult time, as this may stir up difficult emotions. If it does, please reach out for support yourself. The cumulative impacts in our daily efforts to reduce stigma, challenge stereotypes, and spread awareness of suicide and its devastating impact can make a difference in people's lives. Talk to Someone Now.
Protect yourself from myths
As well as being incorrect, common myths can stop us recognising when someone is at risk and in need of support. So here are five common misconceptions and the facts you can use to bust these myths (credit to Sane Australia).
Myth # 1: Talking about suicide might put the idea in their head
Fact: There’s no harm in asking. If anything, for someone who is thinking about suicide, talking about it can come as a great a relief, and help them feel less afraid and more in control. Avoiding or tiptoeing around the issue can be isolating and leave people feeling unheard. The best policy is to try and help someone talk openly about how they are feeling and encourage them to seek help.
Myth #2: People who attempt or end their life by suicide want to die
Fact: People who attempt suicide are often quite ambivalent about it. They may not really want to die – they may even be afraid of death – but see suicide as the only way to bring an end to their pain. Providing emotional support, helping them consider positive coping methods, can be helpful to someone who is feeling unsafe.
Myth #3: Suicidal behaviour is manipulative or ‘attention-seeking’
Fact: Sometimes people may threaten or attempt suicide as a desperate plea to let others know they are not coping and need help.
They may not know how to tell others how they are feeling, they may think that no one cares, or that nobody can help them. However these actions may come across, they should never be treated as trivial or manipulative. All suicidal talk and behaviour is serious and requires a compassionate and immediate response.
Myth #4: Most suicides happen unexpectedly
Fact: There are often warning signs prior to suicide. Some may be obvious, talking about suicide or death. Others less so, such as withdrawing from friends or family, or misusing alcohol and drugs. People who are thinking about dying usually try to seek help. In fact, many people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the months and weeks prior.
Myth #5: Suicide is a selfish act
Fact: Many people who attempt suicide feel they are a burden to others, and that their friends and family would be better off without them. While some people recognise that their death will cause their loved one’s pain, they may also believe they are causing more pain by being alive and rationalise suicide as a way to protect those they care about.
If you are thinking about suicide, please reach out to one of the crisis services listed below. If you are worried about someone you can help by learning what signs to look out for, how to have a conversation about suicide and how to help them stay safe if they are feeling suicidal.
International Frontline services
Anyone can hit crisis point. CALM runs a free and confidential helpline and webchat – 7 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems. We support those bereaved by suicide, through the Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP).
LGBTQ community lifeline
If you are a member of the LGBTQ community and need to talk to a trained counselor, use the Trevor Project TrevorLifeLines 24/7 1-866-488-7386. The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) community members.
Native and Indigenous support
Depression and suicide affect people of all ages and populations, but Native American and Alaskan Native populations can be at a higher risk. If you’re struggling, the Lifeline is available to help, 24/7.
StrongHearts Native Helpline 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483) is a safe domestic, dating and sexual violence helpline for American Indians and Alaska Natives, offering culturally-appropriate support and advocacy daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Anonymous and confidential. Callers reaching out after hours may connect with The National Domestic Violence Hotline, a non-Native based 24-7 domestic violence helpline by selecting option one. Learn more about services here.. Safety Alert: Computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. If you are afraid your internet usage might be monitored, call 1−844-762-8483.
Ayuda En Español
Cuando usted llama al número 1-888-628-9454, su llamada se dirige al centro de ayuda de nuestra red disponible más cercano.Tenemos actualmente 170 centros en la red y usted hablará probablemente con uno situado en su zona. El folleto es tamaño de bolsillo y se divide en cuatro paneles. Este folleto proporciona información de como reconocer las señales para ofrecer ayuda, y contiene el enlace al sitio web para mas recursos. Suicide Prevention Brochure (Spanish) / Folleto para la prevención del suicidio..
United States
Talk to Someone Now The Lifeline is available for everyone, is free, and confidential. Lifelife Chat centers in the Lifeline network are accredited by CONTACT USA. Lifeline Chat is available 24/7 across the U.S.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can also use the National Suicide Prevention Lifelife. Never keep it a secret if a friend tells you about a plan to hurt themselves. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) so that you can find out what resources are available in your area, or encourage your loved one to call. Calls are routed to the Lifeline center closest to your area code that can provide you with local resources.
University of Washington
This is a link to SafeCampus resources for suicide concerns If you are not sure what to do, call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 or your local campus counseling center to determine their crisis drop-in availability during business hours, Monday–Friday. If you feel that you or someone else need immediate counseling support, the UW campus-based counseling centers offer drop-in support for students during their business hours. Counseling center: 206-543-1240; Hall Health Mental Health: 206-543-5030; Tacoma Student Counseling Center: 1-253-692-4522; Bothell Counseling Center: 425-352-3183
Warning Signs
Not everyone will give their friends and loved ones verbal hints about their suicidal thoughts. That's why it's important to recognize warning signs in actions as well as words.
Be wary if you, your loved one, friend, or colleague: - Begins to search online for ways to kill themselves, such as buying a gun or obtaining medical prescriptions - Increases their use of alcohol or drugs - Sleeps too much or too little - Starts to behave recklessly, such as driving while intoxicated or without a seat belt - Appears agitated, expresses rage or talks about seeking revenge - Has extreme mood swings, from euphoria to the depths of depression - Appears to feel hopeless or talks about feeling trapped or having no reason to live - Appears to be in unbearable psychological pain or talks about being a burden to friends or family - Withdraws or isolates from others
Apps to Stay Alive and Safety Plans
A safety plan is designed to guide you through a crisis. As you continue through the steps, you can get help and feel safer. Keep your plan easily accessible in case you have thoughts of hurting yourself. You can be prepared to help yourself and reach out to others when you are having thoughts of suicide.
Download a Saftey Plan Template
Connect using a MY3 App to stay connected. Who are your 3? Is it your sister? Your therapist? Maybe even a neighbor down the street? Download MY3 to make sure that your 3 are there to help you when you need them most.
The Stay Alive app is a pocket suicide prevention resource for grassroots suicide prevention (links to emergency resources in the UK), packed full of useful information to help you stay safe. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide. You can use it to customize and share your Safety Plan, Wellness Plan, and Reasons for Living with family, friends, or anyone that may be supporting you.
Diverse Academic Publications
Recommended Educational Resources
curanted and created by Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Transforming Tribal Communities: Indigenous Perspectives on Suicide Prevention These brief webinar clips feature expert advice on addressing the root causes of suicide and mental health issues in tribal communities.
To Live to See the Great Day That Dawns: Preventing Suicide by American Indian and Alaska Native Youth and Young Adults This guide is designed to help AI/AN communities and those who serve them develop effective, culturally appropriate suicide prevention plans.
Walking Softly to Heal: The Importance of Community Readiness. These resources provide information on how to assess, understand and measure how ready a community is to address issues like suicide, and how to use)
Build an “upstream” prevention program
The resources below offer many additional sources of information on programs, including programs targeting specific groups and “upstream” prevention programs curated by Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Be sure to follow the guidance below on how to use program registries and lists. Just because a program appears on an evidence-based registry or other list doesn’t make it a good suicide prevention program for a particular population or setting. Visit the experts at Suicide Prevention Resource Center for tips on selecting and building programs.
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SPRC: List of Promising Prevention Practices that are culturally appropriate for American Indian/Alaska Native settings
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National Institutes of Health, Office of Disease Prevention: Links to Lists of Evidence-Based Interventions and Strategies
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Youth.gov: Links to federally sponsored Evidence-Based Program Directories, listed by government department and agency.
Online community workplace
We opened a new workspace in the Waterhack Circle on Qiqochat. In the Big Lake, there is a CALM room. This is an experimental workplace environment for doing all the things we know need to be done at work, and for talking about the data and facts about all the things that get in the way of working. While we focus on individual tasks, we are exploring how to accomplish our work with questions such as: What can I do when I can focus on work, while at work? What can I complete when undisrupted by common workplace stressors? What can I do next to maintain a healthy nervous system for generating new ideas? Ask Canary Opera about access to the private CALM Github repository and more resources.
Suicide Stigma
If you had a broken leg, you would go to a hospital immediately. There would be no hesitation, and no consideration about what others would "think." But what if a stigma was attached to having a broken leg? Then what? What if you could lose your job because of it? What if people would treat you differently because of it? ... Immediate treatment, without stigma, should be our ultimate objective. Because when more people receive treatment for mental illness, there will be fewer suicides. The causes of suicide are just like any other illness. It can be diagnosed and treated. And the person can get better. Read more at Suicide.org by Kevin Caruso
Examples of suicide stigmas (all of these are harmful): Read more about Breaking the Stigma about Suicide -Asking someone about suicide may plant the idea in their minds -Suicidal people are fully intent on dying -Everyone who dies by suicide is depressed -A sudden improvement in emotional state after a suicide attempt or a depressive period indicates the suicide risk is over.
COVID-19 and Mental Health Research
What Are the Mental Health Effects of COVID-19?
The DEPRESSD Project A Unique and Rigorous Data Platform for Depression Screening Research. Living systematic reviews are systematic reviews that are continually updated and provide ongoing access to results via online publication. A systematic review compiles the evidence on COVID-19 and mental well-being.