NEED URGENT HELP? If you are worried about acting on any thoughts of suicide, you can call an ambulance, go straight to A&E or call the Samaritans for free on 116 123.

Suicide is act of intentionally taking your own life. A lot of people think about suicide during some point in their life. Suicidal feelings can affect anyone of any age, gender, background and at any time. They can range from thinking about ending your life or that people would be better off if you weren’t around to thinking about methods of suicide or making clear plans to take your own life. If you are feeling suicidal, you might feel scared and overwhelmed by these feelings and you might not even understand them. These feelings might build over time and you might not necessarily feel like you want to die, but more like you can’t go on enduring the difficulties that you are experiencing.

Causes

If you are feeling suicidal, it is likely that you have been feeling a growing sense of hopelessness and worthlessness for a while. Usually, it is a combination of factors that lead to suicidal thoughts rather than just one thing. You might not even know or understand what has led you to feel suicidal, and if this is the case, it might be harder for you to see that there could be a solution. 

But whatever the situation, support IS available to help you overcome these feelings! 

The factors include:

  • Having an existing mental health problem 
  • Experiencing physical, emotional or sexual abuse
  • Being bullied or discriminated against 
  • Being a victim of domestic abuse 
  • Having a long-term physical illness or pain
  • Having money problems 
  • Being homeless
  • Losing someone close to you
  • Losing someone to suicide 
  • Substance misuse 
  • Feeling like you’re a failure 
  • Being in prison
  • Pregnancy, childbirth or postnatal depression
  • Cultural pressures
  • Being confused about your sexuality or gender identity


There are groups that are more at risk of taking their own life. These are:

  • Men – men are more likely to feel pressured to “man up” and get on with life, resulting in them keeping their thoughts and feelings to themselves as opposed to expressing it and appearing weak. Men also are more likely to choose methods of suicide that have a lower chance of survival as opposed to women.
  • LGBTQ – people in this group are more likely to experience bullying, homophobia, transphobia etc. They may also experience rejection from members of society, including family and friends, which can lead to feelings of isolation and a struggle to open up about both your identity and your feelings.

How can I help myself?

  • If you are worried about acting on any thoughts of suicide, you can call an ambulance, go straight to A&E or call the Samaritans for free on 116 123
  • Get through the next five minutes – just focus on getting through the next five minutes. Taking things minute by minute can help to make things more bearable. Once five minutes have passed, reward yourself.
  • Tell someone how you’re feeling – talk to a friend or a family member, it doesn’t even matter if you are talking to your dog, expressing your feelings to someone else can help you feel less alone and more in control
  • Focus on your breathing – breathing is so simple but is always overlooked. Try to slow it down, breathing in through your nose for three seconds and then out through your mouth for five
  • Distract yourself – finding ways to distract yourself when you feel an urge to self-harm can really help. Hold ice cubes, snap rubber bands on your wrist, have a cold shower, tear a piece of paper into many pieces etc. 
  • Find reasons to live – make a note of things that you are looking forward to, make plans to do something that you enjoy tomorrow or in the near future and think about the people that you love
  • Keep a diary – it might help if you keep a diary of your experiences so you can look back at it, identify triggers and then be able to anticipate stressful situations and deal with them better. Try writing down what happened before you wanted to end your life – did you have specific thoughts or did something or someone remind you of something difficult?
  • Tell yourself that you can do this – reassuring yourself that you can get through these feelings will allow you to regain hope and focus on overcoming these feelings
  • Look after your physical health – get some more sleep, choose a healthier diet and do some exercise!
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself – practice self care, do nice things for yourself, most importantly, be kind to yourself and treat yourself as you would treat a friend – try not to be hard on yourself on your bad days, it’s a process.

Treatment

  • GP – your GP can assess you and let you know about the treatment that is available, can prescribe medication for any anxiety or depression or psychosis symptoms and can refer you to a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) or a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT) team who can support you at home when you are having a mental health crisis
  • Talking therapies – these are a form of treatment that involve talking to a professional about your feelings. They will focus on helping you to understand your suicidal feelings and think about ways that you can help yourself cope with them and resolve them.

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