Suicide Prevention
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, in danger of hurting yourself or others, feeling suicidal, overwhelmed, or in crisis, it's very important that you get immediate help!
Depending on the emergency, you may want to consider the following options:
Call 911 or visit our Emergency Resources to find a specialized crisis line.
Go to the nearest hospital emergency room or Crisis Stabilization Unit
Suicidal Ideation
Suicidal ideation sometimes referred to as suicidal thoughts, describes thoughts, fantasies, ideas, or images related to dying by suicide. When hearing the word SUICIDE, some people may shy away or feel this is a taboo topic to be avoided in any discussion. The reality is the more we talk about it, the more comfortable we get, which allows more people to access help. Suicidal ideation is often caused by depression or drug misuse. Some other factors that contribute to suicidal ideation include social difficulties, stress, academic pressure, performance pressure, poor social relationships, lack of family support, physical or sexual abuse, substance and alcohol misuse, health issues, and bullying.
It can be scary and lonely to experience suicidal ideation and sometimes you may be afraid to tell someone for fear they will “overreact” or that your pain still won’t go away. The reality is sharing with a mental health professional, trusted friend or adult is often the first step in getting the help you need to start feeling better.
For immediate support, visit our Emergency Resources.
If you are a student and you are concerned that your friend is thinking about suicide:
Don't be afraid to talk to your friends about suicide, you will not be putting ideas into their heads, as many fear. Listen to their feelings. Make sure they know how important they are to you, but don't believe you can keep them from hurting themselves on your own. Preventing suicide will require adult help.
Know the warning signs. Warning Signs
Make no deals. Never keep secrets about a friend's suicidal plans or thoughts. You cannot promise that you will not tell. You have to tell someone to get help for your friend.
Talk to a Counselor, teacher, parent, or another adult about your friend and your concerns. Their life is more important than their privacy.
For immediate support, visit Crisis Resources.
Learn how to support someone or get help with Suicidal Ideation
Get Help 🆘
If there is no immediate danger, but you are struggling with ideation, reach out to your counselor or another trusted adult so they can help you.
(Helping to keep you safe is NOT and will never be an inconvenience.)
Apps/Social Media
About Self-harm
Self-injury, self-harm, or self-mutilation, is the act of deliberately inflicting pain and damage to one's own body. Self-injury most often refers to cutting, burning, scratching, and other forms of external injury; it can, however, also include internal or emotional harm, such as consuming toxic amounts of alcohol or drugs or deliberately participating in unsafe situations.
Self-injury is a sign of emotional distress and may grow more intense if a person continues to use self-harm as a coping mechanism. Learning other ways to tolerate the mental pain will make you stronger in the long term.
To learn more about Self-injury visit NAMI's website NAMI- Self-harm.
If you’re worried a family member or friend might be hurting themselves, ask them how they're doing and be prepared to listen to the answer, even if it makes you uncomfortable. This may be a hard subject to understand. One of the best things is to tell them that while you may not fully understand, you’ll be there to help. Don’t dismiss emotions or try to turn it into a joke.
Gently encourage someone to get treatment by stating that self-harm isn’t uncommon and doctors and therapists can help. If possible, offer to help find treatment. But don’t go on the offensive and don’t try to make the person promise to stop, as it takes more than willpower to quit.
Learn how to support someone or get help for Self-harm
Apps/Social Media
Learn About Replacement Behaviors
Things to Distract You 🐕
Like all urges, the urge to self-harm will pass if you wait it out. Distracting yourself with something else helps time go by and gets your mind off the urge to self-harm. The more you wait out the urge without giving in, the more your urges will decrease over time.
Here are some things you can try while waiting for a cutting urge to pass:
call a friend and talk about something completely different
take a shower (make sure there are no sharp objects)
go for a walk or run, take a bike ride, dance like crazy or get some other form of exercise
play with a pet
watch TV (change the channel or pick something else if the content is upsetting)
drink a glass of water
Things to Soothe & Calm You 🎵
Sometimes people self-harm because they’re agitated or angry — even though they may not recognize that feeling. If that’s true for you, it can help to do something calming when you feel the need to self-harm.
Even if you’re not sure why you’re self-harming, it’s worth giving these ideas a try:
play with a pet
take a shower (make sure there are no sharp objects)
take a bath (make sure there are no sharp objects)
listen to soothing music that will shift your mood
try a breathing exercise
try some relaxing yoga exercises
check out the calming room
Things to Help you Express the Pain & Deep Emotions 🎨
Some people self-harm because the emotions that they feel seem way too powerful and painful to handle. Often, it may be hard to recognize these emotions for what they are — like anger, sadness, or other feelings.
Here are some alternatives to self-harming that you can try:
draw or scribble designs on paper using a red pen or paint on white paper — if it helps, make the paint drip
write out your hurt, anger, or pain
using a pen and paper draw the pain
compose songs or poetry to express what you’re feeling
listen to music that talks about how you feel
Things to Help Release Physical Tension & Distress ⚽
Sometimes, doing things that express anger or release tension can help a person gradually move away from cutting.
Try these ideas:
go for a walk or run, ride a bike, dance like crazy, or get some other form of exercise
punch or yell into a pillow
rip up some paper
write out your hurt, anger, or pain using a pen and paper
scribble on paper using a red pen
squeeze, knead, or smoosh a stress ball, handful of clay, or Play-Doh
Things to Help you feel Supported & Connected ❤️
If you self-harm because you feel alone, misunderstood, unloved, or disconnected, these ideas may help:
call a friend
reach out to a loved one
play with a pet
make a cup of tea, some warm milk, or cocoa
try some yoga exercises that help you feel grounded, such as triangle pose
try a breathing exercise like the one above
curl up on your bed in a soft, cozy blanket
Substitutes for the Sensation 🧊
You’ll notice that all the tips in the lists above have nothing to do with the self-harm sensation.
When you have the idea to self-injure, start by trying the ideas on those lists — such as making art, walking your dog, or going for run. If they don’t help, move on to the substitute behaviors shown below.
These substitute behaviors won’t work for everyone. They also don’t help people get in touch with why they are self-harming. What they do is provide immediate relief in a way that doesn’t involve cutting, and therefore holds less risk of harm.
rub an ice cube on your skin
wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it gently against your skin
draw on the skin with a soft-tipped red pen in the place you might usually self-harm
You Can Do It 📣
Self-harming can be a difficult pattern to break, but it is possible. If you want help overcoming a self-injury habit and you’re having trouble finding anything that works for you, talk with a therapist or other mental health professional.
Getting professional help to overcome the problem doesn’t mean that someone is weak or crazy. Therapists and counselors are trained to help people discover inner strengths that help them heal. These inner strengths can then be used to cope with life’s problems in a healthy way.