Experiencing a traumatic event and/or developing PTSD can have a tremendous impact on a person's life. The symptoms of PTSD can make a person feel constantly afraid and isolated. In addition, depression is common following a traumatic event and among people with PTSD. A person may feel as though there is no hope or escape from their symptoms, leading them to contemplate suicide.
People with a diagnosis of PTSD are at greater risk to attempt suicide. Among people who have had a diagnosis of PTSD at some point in their lifetime, approximately 27% have also attempted suicide.
You may think that ending your life is the only solution. If you feel this way, you're not alone. Many people with PTSD have thoughts about suicide. PTSD symptoms, such as having stressful memories of your trauma, may put you at a higher risk.
It is important to realize that even though it may feel as though there is no hope, recovery and healing is possible. If you are having thoughts of ending your life or if you know someone who is having these thoughts, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.
Feeling suicidal is not a character defect, and it doesn’t mean that you are crazy, or weak, or flawed. It only means that you have more pain than you can cope with right now. This pain seems overwhelming and permanent at the moment. But with time and support, you can overcome your problems and the pain and suicidal feelings will pass.
If you are unable to think of solutions other than suicide, it is not that other solutions don’t exist, but rather that you are currently unable to see them. The intense emotional pain that you’re experiencing right now can distort your thinking so it becomes harder to see possible solutions to problems, or to connect with those who can offer support. Therapists, counselors, friends or loved ones can help you to see solutions that otherwise may not be apparent to you. Give them a chance to help.
Suicide is neither wrong nor right; it is not a defect of character; it is morally neutral. It is simply an imbalance of pain versus coping resources.
IF YOU ARE HAVING THOUGHTS
If you are in a crisis and thinking about suicide there are steps you can take to ensure your safety until you can get professional help. All you need to do is step back and separate your emotions from any actions you are contemplating and ask yourself some questions.
Be honest with yourself and give yourself permission to feel your emotions without personal judgement or condemnation.
For now though start by gently taking a step back and separating your emotions from any actions for the present moment. Set all actions aside and let yourself just feel what you feel right now. Now is the time to reach out to someone so you don’t have to feel and process all these emotions alone.
Recognize that depression and hopelessness can distort your perceptions and reduce your ability to make good decisions. Distortion of reality will confuse you and make you believe something that is not real. You can’t make decisions using false information.
Realize that suicidal feelings are the result of treatable problems. Seeking treatment does not mean you are weak in any way. It actually takes great strength to realize you need help and then reach out to get it.
Act as if there are other options instead of suicide, even if you may not see them right now. What options come to mind? Don’t keep focusing on self harm options right now. Logically you know that there are other options and if you can just separate from your emotions for a minute you can probably identify some. You don’t need to accept them - just identify them.
It may not be easy, and you might not feel better right now or tomorrow. Eventually with your hard work under the guidance of a trusted professional you will start to feel the hopelessness start to fade away and your suicidal thoughts will go away with it. In its place will be a new feeling called hope.
Don't try to manage suicidal thoughts or behavior on your own. Right now if you are in a crisis and do not feel safe then use the contact details at the top of this page and reach out for immediate help right now. After you get through right now you can seek out a professional who will help and guide you in overcoming these thoughts and replacing them with positive and hopeful thoughts.
Professional help offers a trained therapist who can help you identify personalized coping strategies that are customized to your unique needs. These coping strategies will help you prevent the intrusive thoughts and you will be set free from the chains that have held you so right. Even if the immediate crisis right now passed with self-care strategies you need to recognize that you need help. Make an appointment tomorrow and then make sure you go. You deserve to live without being stuck in crisis mode. Give the gift of freedom from that to yourself.
MAKE A SUICIDE PREVENTION PLAN
Create a written plan of action or a "safety plan" that you can refer to when you're considering suicide or in a crisis. Learn to spot your warning signs early, so you can put your plan into action.
WHAT TO DO IF A LOVED ONE HAS SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Learn the warning signs. Take these signs seriously. Talk to your loved one as openly as possible. Ask questions and listen. Be supportive and caring. Find out if he or she has a specific plan about suicide. Remove things that could be used for suicide, such as a gun or knife.
WHAT TO SAY TO SOMEONE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Be yourself. The right words are unimportant. If you are concerned, your voice and manner will show it.
Listen. Let the person unload despair, ventilate anger. If given an opportunity to do this, he or she will feel better by the end of the call. No matter how negative the call seems, the fact that it exists is a positive sign, a cry for help.
Be sympathetic, non-judgmental, patient, calm, accepting. The caller has done the right thing by getting in touch with another person.
If the caller is saying Im so depressed, I cant go on, ask the key question: Are you having thoughts of suicide? You are not putting ideas in his head, you are doing a good thing for him. You are showing him that you are concerned, that you take him seriously, that it is OK for him to share his pain with you.
If they are having thoughts of suicide you can begin asking a series of further questions:
Simply talking about their problems for a length of time will give suicidal people relief from loneliness and pent up feelings, awareness that another person cares, and a feeling of being understood. They also get tired -- their body chemistry changes. These things take the edge off their agitated state and help them get through a bad night.
Avoid arguments, problem solving, advice giving, quick referrals, belittling and making the caller feel that has to justify his suicidal feelings. It is not how bad the problem is, but how badly its hurting the person who has it.
If the person is ingesting drugs, get the details (what, how much, alcohol, other medications, last meal, general health) and call Poison Control. A partner can call while you continue to talk to the person, or you can get the callers permission and do it yourself on another phone while the caller listens to your side of the conversation. If Poison Control recommends immediate medical assistance, ask if the caller has a nearby relative, friend, or neighbor who can assist with transportation or the ambulance. In a few cases the person will initially refuse needed medical assistance. Remember that the call is still a cry for help and stay with him in a sympathetic and non-judgmental way. Ask for his address and phone number in case he changes his mind. (Call the number to make sure its busy.) If your organization does not trace calls, be sure to tell him that.
WHAT NOT TO SAY TO SOMEONE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Someone who wants to end their life will not want:
SUICIDE MYTHS
Myth: Discussing suicide might encourage it.
Fact: Many people worry about this, but there is no evidence to support this fear. It is important to speak openly about suicide, both to get help if you have suicidal thoughts, and to ask about suicidal thoughts in those close to you. Without open discussions about suicide, those suffering may continue to feel isolated, and are less likely to get the help they need.
Myth: The only people who are suicidal are those who have mental disorders.
Fact: Suicidal thoughts and actions indicate extreme distress and often hopelessness and unhappiness. While this may be part of a mental disorder, it isn't always. Many people with mental illness never have suicidal behavior, and not all people who commit suicide have a mental illness.
Myth: Suicidal thoughts never go away.
Fact: Increased thoughts or risk for suicide can come and go as situations and symptoms vary. Suicidal thoughts may return, but are not permanent, and suicide is not inevitable.
Myth: A suicidal person is determined to end his or her life.
Fact: People who have survived suicide attempts often state that they didn't want to die but rather didn't want to keep living with the suffering they were feeling. They are often ambivalent about living or dying. After an attempt, some people clearly indicate that they want to live on, and most people who survive an attempt do not end up ending their lives later. Access to help at the right time can prevent suicide.
Myth: There is no warning for most suicides.
Fact: When looking back, most people who committed suicide showed some signs in the things that they said or did in the weeks before. Some suicides may be impulsive and not planned out, but the signs of depression, anxiety, or substance abuse were present. It is important to understand what the warning signs are and look out for them.
Myth: Individuals who discuss suicide won't really do it.
Fact: People who talk about suicide may be reaching out for help or support. Most people aren't comfortable talking about suicide, so they might bring it up in a joking or offhand way. However, any mention of suicide should be taken seriously and viewed as an opportunity to help. Most people contemplating suicide are experiencing depression, anxiety, and hopelessness but may not have any support or treatment.
Myth: Suicide attempts are just a "cry for help" or a way to get attention.
Fact: Suicide attempts, even "minor" ones that don't require serious medical attention, are a sign of extreme distress. Suicide attempts should be taken seriously and are a reason to assess and treat any ongoing mental-health issues.
SOURCE: Suicidal Thoughts, eMedicineHealth
SUICIDE BY THE NUMBERS
RESOURCES & HELP
10 Things Suicide Attempt Survivors Want You to Know https://www.health.com/condition/depression/suicide-attempt-survivors
8 Tips Complex Trauma Survivors Need to Know About Living With Chronic Suicidality
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/8-tips-complex-trauma-survivors-124521130.html
5 Steps to Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts
https://headsupguys.org/five-steps-overcoming-suicidal-thoughts/
Calling the Suicide Hotline - FAQ
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/faq/
How To Deal With Suicidal Thoughts—From 7 Women Who’ve Been There
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19940699/overcome-suicidal-thoughts/
When Should You Worry About Suicidal Thoughts?
https://www.rewire.org/living/worry-suicidal-thoughts/
Dealing with Suicidal Thoughts
https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/suicidal.htm
SUICIDE HOTLINES
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
People with a diagnosis of PTSD are at greater risk to attempt suicide. Among people who have had a diagnosis of PTSD at some point in their lifetime, approximately 27% have also attempted suicide.
You may think that ending your life is the only solution. If you feel this way, you're not alone. Many people with PTSD have thoughts about suicide. PTSD symptoms, such as having stressful memories of your trauma, may put you at a higher risk.
It is important to realize that even though it may feel as though there is no hope, recovery and healing is possible. If you are having thoughts of ending your life or if you know someone who is having these thoughts, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.
Feeling suicidal is not a character defect, and it doesn’t mean that you are crazy, or weak, or flawed. It only means that you have more pain than you can cope with right now. This pain seems overwhelming and permanent at the moment. But with time and support, you can overcome your problems and the pain and suicidal feelings will pass.
If you are unable to think of solutions other than suicide, it is not that other solutions don’t exist, but rather that you are currently unable to see them. The intense emotional pain that you’re experiencing right now can distort your thinking so it becomes harder to see possible solutions to problems, or to connect with those who can offer support. Therapists, counselors, friends or loved ones can help you to see solutions that otherwise may not be apparent to you. Give them a chance to help.
Suicide is neither wrong nor right; it is not a defect of character; it is morally neutral. It is simply an imbalance of pain versus coping resources.
IF YOU ARE HAVING THOUGHTS
If you are in a crisis and thinking about suicide there are steps you can take to ensure your safety until you can get professional help. All you need to do is step back and separate your emotions from any actions you are contemplating and ask yourself some questions.
Be honest with yourself and give yourself permission to feel your emotions without personal judgement or condemnation.
- As you engage in this self talk be compassionate with yourself and forgiving for all the feelings you are struggling with.
- As you move down the list you may find yourself in desperate need to be heard and understood by someone else. That is when you know it is time to pick up the phone and reach out to a trusted friend, loved one or, if you need an objective professional, the Suicide Hotline.
- You do not need to go through this alone. There are people who will listen, not judge and offer care and support with the assurance that they will not make you feel bad about your thoughts.
For now though start by gently taking a step back and separating your emotions from any actions for the present moment. Set all actions aside and let yourself just feel what you feel right now. Now is the time to reach out to someone so you don’t have to feel and process all these emotions alone.
Recognize that depression and hopelessness can distort your perceptions and reduce your ability to make good decisions. Distortion of reality will confuse you and make you believe something that is not real. You can’t make decisions using false information.
Realize that suicidal feelings are the result of treatable problems. Seeking treatment does not mean you are weak in any way. It actually takes great strength to realize you need help and then reach out to get it.
Act as if there are other options instead of suicide, even if you may not see them right now. What options come to mind? Don’t keep focusing on self harm options right now. Logically you know that there are other options and if you can just separate from your emotions for a minute you can probably identify some. You don’t need to accept them - just identify them.
It may not be easy, and you might not feel better right now or tomorrow. Eventually with your hard work under the guidance of a trusted professional you will start to feel the hopelessness start to fade away and your suicidal thoughts will go away with it. In its place will be a new feeling called hope.
Don't try to manage suicidal thoughts or behavior on your own. Right now if you are in a crisis and do not feel safe then use the contact details at the top of this page and reach out for immediate help right now. After you get through right now you can seek out a professional who will help and guide you in overcoming these thoughts and replacing them with positive and hopeful thoughts.
Professional help offers a trained therapist who can help you identify personalized coping strategies that are customized to your unique needs. These coping strategies will help you prevent the intrusive thoughts and you will be set free from the chains that have held you so right. Even if the immediate crisis right now passed with self-care strategies you need to recognize that you need help. Make an appointment tomorrow and then make sure you go. You deserve to live without being stuck in crisis mode. Give the gift of freedom from that to yourself.
MAKE A SUICIDE PREVENTION PLAN
Create a written plan of action or a "safety plan" that you can refer to when you're considering suicide or in a crisis. Learn to spot your warning signs early, so you can put your plan into action.
- Your plan is a checklist of activities and actions you promise to do, so you can stay safe when you have thoughts of suicide.
- Stick with your therapist’s treatment plan. Commit to taking your medication as prescribed and attending all treatment sessions and appointments.
- Keep a list of contact names and numbers readily available. Include your doctors, therapists and crisis centers that can help you cope with suicidal thoughts. Include friends or loved ones who agree to be available as part of your safety plan.
- Remove potential means of killing yourself. This may include ridding your home of guns, razors or other objects you may consider using to hurt or kill yourself. If possible, give your medications to someone who can safeguard them for you and help you take them as prescribed.
- Schedule daily activities. Activities that brought you small pleasure in the past can make a difference — such as listening to music, watching a funny movie or visiting a museum. Or try something different. Because physical activity and exercise may reduce depression symptoms, consider walking, jogging, swimming, gardening or a new activity.
- Get together with others. Establish your support network by reaching out to friends, family and people who care about you and are there when you need them. Make an effort to be social, even if you don't feel like it, to prevent isolation.
- Join a support group. Joining a support group can help you cope with suicidal thinking and recognize that there are many options in your life other than suicide.
- Avoid drug and alcohol use. Rather than numb painful feelings, alcohol and drugs can increase suicidal thoughts and the likelihood of harming yourself by making you more impulsive and more likely to act on your self-destructive feelings.
- Avoid risky websites on the Internet. Stay away from websites that may encourage suicide as a way to solve your problems.
- Write about your thoughts and feelings. Consider writing about the things in your life that you value and appreciate, no matter how small they may seem at the time
- The hopelessness you feel as you consider suicide may be the side effect of a difficult situation or an illness that can be treated. This emotion can be so overpowering that it clouds your judgment and leads you to believe that taking your own life is the best, or only, option.
- Recognize that these feelings are temporary and that with appropriate treatment you can learn how to help yourself feel better about life again. Asking others for support can help you see that you have other options and give you hope about the future.
- Create a list of the reasons you have to live. This list can include being alive for your pet, your children, a favorite niece, or something that you enjoy doing at work or at home. It doesn't matter what the list includes, but finding a sense of purpose in your life can make a difference.
WHAT TO DO IF A LOVED ONE HAS SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Learn the warning signs. Take these signs seriously. Talk to your loved one as openly as possible. Ask questions and listen. Be supportive and caring. Find out if he or she has a specific plan about suicide. Remove things that could be used for suicide, such as a gun or knife.
WHAT TO SAY TO SOMEONE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Be yourself. The right words are unimportant. If you are concerned, your voice and manner will show it.
Listen. Let the person unload despair, ventilate anger. If given an opportunity to do this, he or she will feel better by the end of the call. No matter how negative the call seems, the fact that it exists is a positive sign, a cry for help.
Be sympathetic, non-judgmental, patient, calm, accepting. The caller has done the right thing by getting in touch with another person.
If the caller is saying Im so depressed, I cant go on, ask the key question: Are you having thoughts of suicide? You are not putting ideas in his head, you are doing a good thing for him. You are showing him that you are concerned, that you take him seriously, that it is OK for him to share his pain with you.
If they are having thoughts of suicide you can begin asking a series of further questions:
- Have you thought about how you would do it (PLAN)
- Have you got what you need (MEANS)
- Have you thought about when you would do it (TIME SET). 95% of all suicidal callers will answer no at some point in this series or indicate that the time is set for some date in the future. This will be a relief for both of you.
Simply talking about their problems for a length of time will give suicidal people relief from loneliness and pent up feelings, awareness that another person cares, and a feeling of being understood. They also get tired -- their body chemistry changes. These things take the edge off their agitated state and help them get through a bad night.
Avoid arguments, problem solving, advice giving, quick referrals, belittling and making the caller feel that has to justify his suicidal feelings. It is not how bad the problem is, but how badly its hurting the person who has it.
If the person is ingesting drugs, get the details (what, how much, alcohol, other medications, last meal, general health) and call Poison Control. A partner can call while you continue to talk to the person, or you can get the callers permission and do it yourself on another phone while the caller listens to your side of the conversation. If Poison Control recommends immediate medical assistance, ask if the caller has a nearby relative, friend, or neighbor who can assist with transportation or the ambulance. In a few cases the person will initially refuse needed medical assistance. Remember that the call is still a cry for help and stay with him in a sympathetic and non-judgmental way. Ask for his address and phone number in case he changes his mind. (Call the number to make sure its busy.) If your organization does not trace calls, be sure to tell him that.
WHAT NOT TO SAY TO SOMEONE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Someone who wants to end their life will not want:
- Feel rejected by friends, family or colleagues,
- People to change the subject when they are talking about how they feel
- To be told that they are wrong or silly,
- To be patronized, criticized or analyzed,
- To be told to cheer up or ‘snap out of it’,
- To be told that they should be grateful for having such a good life.
SUICIDE MYTHS
Myth: Discussing suicide might encourage it.
Fact: Many people worry about this, but there is no evidence to support this fear. It is important to speak openly about suicide, both to get help if you have suicidal thoughts, and to ask about suicidal thoughts in those close to you. Without open discussions about suicide, those suffering may continue to feel isolated, and are less likely to get the help they need.
Myth: The only people who are suicidal are those who have mental disorders.
Fact: Suicidal thoughts and actions indicate extreme distress and often hopelessness and unhappiness. While this may be part of a mental disorder, it isn't always. Many people with mental illness never have suicidal behavior, and not all people who commit suicide have a mental illness.
Myth: Suicidal thoughts never go away.
Fact: Increased thoughts or risk for suicide can come and go as situations and symptoms vary. Suicidal thoughts may return, but are not permanent, and suicide is not inevitable.
Myth: A suicidal person is determined to end his or her life.
Fact: People who have survived suicide attempts often state that they didn't want to die but rather didn't want to keep living with the suffering they were feeling. They are often ambivalent about living or dying. After an attempt, some people clearly indicate that they want to live on, and most people who survive an attempt do not end up ending their lives later. Access to help at the right time can prevent suicide.
Myth: There is no warning for most suicides.
Fact: When looking back, most people who committed suicide showed some signs in the things that they said or did in the weeks before. Some suicides may be impulsive and not planned out, but the signs of depression, anxiety, or substance abuse were present. It is important to understand what the warning signs are and look out for them.
Myth: Individuals who discuss suicide won't really do it.
Fact: People who talk about suicide may be reaching out for help or support. Most people aren't comfortable talking about suicide, so they might bring it up in a joking or offhand way. However, any mention of suicide should be taken seriously and viewed as an opportunity to help. Most people contemplating suicide are experiencing depression, anxiety, and hopelessness but may not have any support or treatment.
Myth: Suicide attempts are just a "cry for help" or a way to get attention.
Fact: Suicide attempts, even "minor" ones that don't require serious medical attention, are a sign of extreme distress. Suicide attempts should be taken seriously and are a reason to assess and treat any ongoing mental-health issues.
SOURCE: Suicidal Thoughts, eMedicineHealth
SUICIDE BY THE NUMBERS
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. (CDC)
- Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide. (CDC)
- There is one death by suicide in the US every 12 minutes. (CDC)
- Depression affects 20-25% of Americans ages 18+ in a given year. (CDC)
- Suicide takes the lives of over 44,965 Americans every year. (CDC)
- The highest suicide rates in the US are among Whites, American Indians and Alaska Natives.
- Only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment. (NAMI)
- 80% -90% of people that seek treatment for depression are treated successfully using therapy and/or medication. (TADS study)
- An estimated quarter million people each year become suicide survivors (AAS).
- There is one suicide for every estimated 25 suicide attempts. (CDC)
- There is one suicide for every estimated 4 suicide attempts in the elderly. (CDC)
RESOURCES & HELP
10 Things Suicide Attempt Survivors Want You to Know https://www.health.com/condition/depression/suicide-attempt-survivors
8 Tips Complex Trauma Survivors Need to Know About Living With Chronic Suicidality
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/8-tips-complex-trauma-survivors-124521130.html
5 Steps to Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts
https://headsupguys.org/five-steps-overcoming-suicidal-thoughts/
Calling the Suicide Hotline - FAQ
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/faq/
How To Deal With Suicidal Thoughts—From 7 Women Who’ve Been There
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19940699/overcome-suicidal-thoughts/
When Should You Worry About Suicidal Thoughts?
https://www.rewire.org/living/worry-suicidal-thoughts/
Dealing with Suicidal Thoughts
https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/suicidal.htm
SUICIDE HOTLINES
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress
- Military veterans suicide hotline (press 1)
- Suicide hotline in Spanish (press 2)
- Teens can get text support from the crisis text line by texting "listen" to 741-741
- LGBT Youth Suicide Hotline: 1-866-4-U-TREVOR
- For local suicide hotlines, check this directory: http://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
- American Association of Suicidality
- http://www.suicidology.org
- 202-237-2280
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Survivors of Suicide (SOS) Support Groups
- Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF, formerly NARSAD)
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Suicide prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
- Support group finder: http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=peer_support_group_locator
- Healthy Minds (http://www.healthyminds.org)
- Finding help -- locate mental-health providers: http://www.psychiatry.org/mental-health/key-topics/finding-help
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (http://www.nami.org)
- Suicide resources: http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?template=/contentManagement/contentDisplay.cfm&contentID=23041
- Support groups and programs: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?section=Find_Support
- National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Suicide prevention: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Suicide prevention: http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention/suicide.aspx
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Suicide topic page: http://www.who.int/topics/suicide/en/