Are you having suicidal thoughts?

Involving a trusted person and professional help

Suicidal thoughts should not be experienced alone. Even if a person is sure that they are not going to do anything, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, family doctor or other mental health professional should know about them.

There is no need to wait until the thoughts become “serious enough.” The sooner a person receives help, the greater the opportunity to reduce the intensity of the crisis and deal with the condition that is behind suicidal thoughts.

You can also tell someone close to you what is happening. Agree with them who to contact if your condition worsens. If depression comes with the thoughts, that person can find advice in the article “How to help someone with depression”.

A professional can help you prepare a safety plan. It has four parts:

1. what a crisis usually starts with;
2. actions that help in the hardest moments;
3. people and services you can call;
4. ways to make your surroundings safer.

What should you say directly about risk?

Suicidal thoughts are thoughts about suicide or ending your own life.

A professional will be interested not only in the thoughts themselves, but also in how they change. You can simply take these questions with you to the consultation:

• Since when have you had suicidal thoughts?
• How often do they occur, and are they becoming more intense?
• Can you switch your attention, or are the thoughts becoming more and more persistent?
• Do you have a desire to die or an intention to end your life?
• Have specific plans or preparatory actions emerged?
• Do you feel like you might lose control of your behaviour?

A “yes” to the question about intention or plans is a signal not for an appointment but for the emergency help in the section “If you are unsure you can stay safe”.

You can start the conversation with one example and no medical terms.

One sentence instead of explanations

Neither Zoreslava nor Zynovii had to explain everything at once: the first step was a single sentence or a request to stay nearby. The questions in the section “What should you say directly about risk?” suggest what to tell a professional next.

A professional is needed sooner than it seems

It is worth seeking help as soon as suicidal thoughts appear, even without a specific plan or intention to act.

Emergency help is needed if:

• there is an intention to end your life;
• a specific plan has been formed;
• preparatory actions began;
• there has been a recent suicide attempt;
• the person is in a state of severe intoxication or severe agitation against the background of suicidal thoughts;
• you are not sure that you can maintain your own safety.

In such a situation, call 103 or 112 in Ukraine or go to the nearest emergency department. If possible, do not be alone. Immediate risk requires emergency help; a routine appointment cannot replace it.

You can read about the first meeting with a psychiatrist on the initial psychiatric consultation page. The page with our specialists lists who works at the clinic.

None of these experiences is minor

Suicidal thoughts sometimes intertwine with other states, and an accurate description shapes the help a professional offers. Here is how they differ:

• Self-harm thoughts. A person wants to hurt themselves but does not always want to die, and sometimes feels both.
• Thoughts about death. This may be a fear of dying or grief after a loss, without suicidal intent.
• Not wanting to live. You want to disappear or not wake up, although thoughts of suicide may be absent.
• Hopelessness. The future seems to have no way out, and your own efforts seem pointless.

One of these states does not rule out another, and a professional needs to hear about all of them.

Why should you not assess risk alone?

A crisis can make alternatives hard to see and leave you feeling there is no way out. That does not prove support is impossible. To arrange help, a professional needs the full picture: thoughts, intentions and any preparation.

Suicidal thoughts can be linked to depression, but not only to it. So their appearance does not yet mean that you have depression, and whatever the diagnosis, they need a conversation with a professional.

Pick the option that fits

1. If there is an intention to end your life, a specific plan, preparatory actions, a recent suicide attempt, you are severely intoxicated or highly agitated, or you are not sure you can maintain your own safety, call 103 or 112 in Ukraine or go to the nearest emergency department, and if possible do not be alone.
2. If the thoughts keep returning or intensify, or marked hopelessness, a wish to isolate yourself or a feeling that there is no point in living further appears, arrange a consultation with a psychiatrist soon.
3. If there is no plan but the thoughts do not go away, use the advice in the section “Involving a trusted person and professional help” so that you do not keep them to yourself.
4. If an urge to harm yourself comes with the suicidal thoughts, check your state against the points in the section “None of these experiences is minor”.