If you ask people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, ‘do you want to die, or do you want things to change?’ you tend to find that most people are looking for their lives to improve, not to end.
Last year, Scotland registered almost 800 deaths by suicide – and that’s only the ones which were reported. If we want to help prevent these tragic losses, we have to offer more than just ‘don’t do it.’ We need to open up conversations about what changes people need to make life liveable, and help find ways to make those changes happen.
Supporting people to find other options
Just the presence of support services in someone’s life can have an enormous impact. People who aren’t engaged with any kind of support services are 2-3 times more likely to end their own lives. But across Scotland, thousands of people either don’t have support available, or don’t know that support could be available for them. Our job as mental health supporters is to make sure that people know where to turn, whether they’re considering suicide or not.
Support at the point of crisis
In my experience, part of what pushes many people towards actively considering suicide is a feeling of worthlessness or rejection. As much as the right word at the right time can be a literal lifesaver, a bad experience can feel like a confirmation of all your negative thoughts. Having a phone call missed or going to answerphone due to lack of resource; being passed from service to service; being told your problems aren’t serious enough to justify intervening – these can all reinforce the feelings of worthlessness and of having no way out.
When you’re in crisis, it’s hard to reach out. It can feel intimidating, overwhelming, and embarrassing. It takes a huge amount of courage and resolve for somebody actively planning suicide to take the step of asking for help, especially when so many suicides come following failed attempts to find or access support. We owe it to everyone who makes that difficult step to meet them where they are, and not to add more barriers.
When somebody asks for help – when somebody expresses, out loud or through their actions, that they’re considering suicide – it’s important that they’re heard, and that help is there for them. As organisations and as individuals, we have to be proactive about recognising suicidal intentions and helping people reach out. There are things all of us can do, and it starts with knowing what warning signs to look out for, and what support you can direct someone to.
Read more about recognising and responding to high-risk situations
Prevention beyond crisis support
Crisis intervention at the right time can save lives. But it’s not enough to simply prevent an attempt – we also have to deal with the reasons why death feels like the only way forwards. Before people reach the point of active suicidal intent, and after they’ve survived an attempt, there must be accessible support available to help address the root causes.
Suicide prevention doesn’t only happen when someone’s actively contemplating suicide. Where possible, the most effective prevention can mean stepping in and offering support before suicide has even begun to seem like an option. In a world where support is available how and when it’s needed, only a tiny minority of people would reach the point where suicide felt like the most realistic option. Most of us don’t want to die – we just need the support to build a life worth living.
Helping people find paths past suicide can be as simple as finding strategies for managing money, housing, or health. It could look like helping people to get out in the community and build support networks they can rely on. For people who are struggling with traumatic experiences, it can mean offering the space and support to process, and to find ways to feel safe and resilient. Through relationship-led support, we offer a positive example of what it means to be cared for and about, and we can help people to find ways to change things for the better.
Health in Mind are not a crisis support organisation – but by working to build better access to the right support for mental health and wellbeing, we can have a massive impact on the number of people lost to suicide.
What can I do?
So far, I’ve mostly talked about what we as support professionals can do. But anyone – whatever their role or their experience – can help reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide prevention doesn’t just happen when you ask someone if they’re considering suicide, or talk them through crisis – we can all contribute by creating a more supportive, mental health aware community.
Be part of making your community more compassionate and inclusive.
Poverty, social deprivation, and being pushed out or treated with hostility (such as LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities) is connected to much higher risks of suicide. Where people are offered acceptance and support, they are less likely to consider or act on suicidal thoughts. So one thing we can do to reduce suicide is to make an active effort to build accepting, inclusive communities. Reach out to those around you, build relationships, and don’t let stereotypes get in the way of connecting with people.
Get informed
You could be the bridge to the help someone needs. If someone in your life is struggling, whether it’s with their mental health, their relationships, their finances, their health, or anything else, you don’t have to wait until they start actively considering suicide to step in. Help people look for support that meets their needs – you could consider checking out our mental health portals to find support in your area, or look at local community services.
Sometimes, looking for support feels too much for someone who’s already feeling overwhelmed. If you can step in and help someone take that first step, you could be opening the door to huge positive change – and if you keep an active eye out for support available in your area, you may be more likely to know where to point them.
Break down the stigma
Another key thing that all of us can do is to be open and honest about mental health. Because of the stigma associated with mental health or with struggling to cope, many people struggle to express or even recognise how much they’re struggling until they’re at the point of crisis. We can all be part of changing that stigma by talking openly and sharing what’s worked for us.
You also don’t have to be a mental health professional to help build a supportive environment for people struggling with their mental health. Especially if you’re working with the public, you could consider taking some training on how to respond in a helpful, trauma-informed way. A good starting point is our Scottish Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) course, which is designed to help anyone recognise and respond to someone experiencing mental health distress.
Look after yourself
Remember – you’re only human. It isn’t up to you to save everyone, or to have all the answers, and you need to look after your own mental health as well. If you’re finding things difficult, offer yourself the same advice you’d offer someone you loved, and reach out for support. You don’t have to wait until things become unbearable – you can ask for help now.
If you are looking for urgent crisis support, visit our get help now page. To speak to make an enquiry about our services, get in touch through our enquiries page or call 0131 225 8508 to find out about our services.