Definition (1)
- Suicide: What to do when someone is suicidal
Prevention (1)
- Considering suicide? How to stay safe and find treatment
Risk factors (1)
- Depression (major depression)
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Considering suicide? How to stay safe and find treatment
Keeping yourself safe
Some mental health providers and support organizations recommend creating a "plan for life," "safety contract" or similar plan of action that you can refer to when you're considering suicide or are in a crisis. Such plans offer a checklist of activities or actions you promise yourself to take in order to keep yourself safe when you have thoughts of suicide.
For instance, your plan may require that you contact certain people when you begin considering suicide. It may also include commitments to take medication as prescribed, to attend treatment sessions or appointments, and to remind yourself that your life is valuable even if you don't feel it is.
Also, consider creating a list of specific activities to try when negative thoughts start to intrude. The key is to engage in activities you find soothing for your negative feelings. Don't wait to do these activities until you've reached the point of suicidal thoughts. Engage in healthy activities when the first negative thoughts start to creep in. Also, make certain they're activities that would normally offer enjoyment and that can help comfort you, not cause additional stress.
Then, do each item on your list until you feel like you can go on living. Your list can include such things as:
- Practicing deep-breathing exercises
- Playing a musical instrument
- Taking a hot bath
- Eating your favorite food
- Writing in a journal
- Going for a walk
- Seeing a funny movie
- Contacting family, friends or other trusted confidantes
Even if the immediate crisis passes with your self-care strategies, consult a doctor or mental health provider, or seek help through a hospital emergency room if your community doesn't offer good access to mental health providers. They can help make certain you're getting appropriate treatment for suicidal thoughts and feelings so that you don't have to continually operate in a crisis mode.
Beyond thoughts of suicide
The despair and hopelessness you feel as you consider suicide may be the side effects of illnesses that can be treated. These emotions can be so overpowering that they cloud your judgment and lead you to believe that taking your own life is the best, or only, option.
But even people who've had suicidal thoughts for months or years can learn to manage them and to develop a more satisfying life through effective coping strategies. Take an active role in saving your own life, just as you would help someone else. Enlisting others for support can help you see that you have other options and give you hope about the future. Remember that suicide isn't a solution — it's an ending.
Previous page(2 of 2)
