![]() ![]() If they don’t have appropriate emotional support, you’ll want to ensure that they can find help. Next, you’ll want to ask about sources of emotional support. For example, if the answer to the first question is “loneliness” and the answer to the second question is “connection,” it can give you a clear picture of how to help and support them. Their answers to these questions are key to determining what support they may need. “What might make you act on these thoughts?”.Previous attempts make future attempts more likely, and planning or acquiring the means for self-harm are signs that they may be actively suicidal. If they answer “yes” to any of these, it’s important to get more information. “Have you ever thought of how you would do it?”.“Have you ever tried to kill yourself before?”.“Have you ever tried to harm yourself before?”.If their answer to the last two questions is “yes,” here are some important follow-up questions: “Do you ever think of killing yourself?”.“Have you thought of hurting yourself?”.When you ask from a place of genuine care and concern, you create a powerful emotional bond that helps bring someone who is struggling out of isolation and darkness and back to a place of feeling connected to others. Checking in and asking will likely make talking about a difficult subject easier and lessen some of the shame and guilt they might be feeling. Asking someone if they are suicidal won’t put the idea in their head or encourage them to go through with it. ![]() This leaves many of us to wonder: What should we do when someone we care about says they wish they were gone? What do we do if we suspect they are thinking of harming themselves? Ask QuestionsĪsk them how they are - what they are thinking and how they are feeling. We’ve watched friends and family members battle the pain and challenges, and we’ve worried for their safety when they say some days feel too overwhelming. Many of us who care for someone with a mental illness have heard these words before. ![]()
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