Supporting Someone With Suicidal Thoughts

Warning: Triggering Content

Writing about suicide is tough and reading about it is tough and although as a society we have improved- we are not nearly as open about suicide as we should be. And quite frankly our discomfort, the ignorance, the stigma and the deafening silence continues to kill.

Ones discomfort should NEVER be put above someone’s pain.

The sad truth is many people battling suicidal thoughts don’t actually want to die- they want their f*cking pain to stop. And a common trait amongst suicide survivors is the moment they have acted, they often feel immediate regret.

Those suffering mental illness are more likely to have suicidal thoughts or act on those thoughts but not all those with a mental illness are suicidal. And some people struggling with suicidal thoughts and ideations do not always have a mental illness. People suffer all sorts of crisis moments in their life including trauma and grief.

And what you need to understand is sufferers often feel immense guilt and shame and believe their loved ones and the world would be better off without them in it.

A quick look at some stats from around the world.

In Australia 9 people die everyday from suicide.

In the US 132 people die everyday from suicide.

In the UK 18 people die everyday from suicide

In Brazil 29 people die everyday from suicide

In Japan 58 people die everyday from suicide

I don’t know about you but these are bloody sobering numbers, and in 2021 we see no improvement.

I personally set out to learn more and it’s one of the reasons I’m studying holistic counselling and coaching and the number one reason I have embarked on the incredible training of a crisis support worker. My growth has been immense and whilst it’s hugely confronting to hear the enormous pain of others, it’s also very humbling and rewarding because in that moment you put yourself in the position to hold space for someone in acute crisis and even though you don’t always know what the outcome will be- you do know that at that critical time- that person had someone who cared enough to listen.

I would be naive to think I can save everyone- none of us can and it’s not our responsibility to do so- we just have to listen.

So how do we support someone battling suicidal thoughts?

As a mum, family member, friend, colleague, counsellor, coach and crisis phone supporter- the answer remains the same. We allow people to TALK about it. We create a safe space where people can share their feelings as awful as they may seem to us. We sit in their pain and allow them to open up about what they are feeling. We validate their distress so they feel heard and know somebody cares. We check on their immediate safety and we ask them directly if they have a plan.

We don’t judge them. We don’t make statements such as “you have no reason to feel like that”, “there are so many people worse off than you”, “that is is selfish to think like that” or “just think positive thoughts”. We don’t offer advice on their situation- it’s not our place to do so.

We listen and I mean really listen. We create an environment where they feel heard, validated and supported.

We have somehow managed to create a world of toxic positivity– where silencing another’s negative feelings and pain is common because it makes us uncomfortable. Well guess what? It’s time we feel some discomfort because people, friends, family and loved ones are dying every f*cking day because most of us don’t want to listen or we are scared at what we may hear. So many of us with our own limited beliefs and triggers like to judge people as weak. And we are simply not willing to create safe spaces for people to open up.

I know people who have lost loved one’s and I’ve sat in front of my own child and heard those words “I don’t want to live anymore”– and those words will cut through you like a knife. It was about ending the pain not about dying.

Another issue we have in Australia and I suspect around the world in a broken mental healthcare system and COVID highlighted that even more. This will need to be a separate article but in the immediate here and now we can all do our bit. We can make it clear to those in our life that it’s safe to come to us and talk. We can work on ourselves to ensure we know how to listen actively and sit with someone in their pain. We can learn that our own discomfort is nothing compared to someone suffering thoughts of suicide. And we can ensure we are never judgemental when faced with someone in crisis.

Some things to watch:

• if someone speaks of suicide-believe them. Always check if they have a plan.
• if someone has a preoccupation with death and particularly suicide- ask them directly if they are having thoughts of suicide.
• if someone starts giving personal items away or behaving in a way they won’t see you for a while- talk to them and again don’t be afraid to ask them directly.
• if someone withdraws reach out to them.

It’s time as individuals we get serious. It’s time we become brave and ask the questions. It’s time we get uncomfortable and it’s time we start listening because the time of toxic positivity, denial, ignorance, stigma and the deafening bloody silence is over.

Kindness, authenticity, vulnerability, empathy and compassion is what we need to make a difference- and quite frankly it’s not that f*cking hard.

Always remember vulnerability is strength and it takes an enormous amount of courage for someone to open up about their feelings of suicide– the very least we can do as compassionate and caring human beings is listen and allow them to feel what needs to be felt.

Let’s work together to be the change that educates and destigmatises suicide.

This video is a profound insight from a suicide survivor.