In any given year, suicide kills more people than homicide. It is a leading cause of death among young people, and accounts for more deaths than car accidents. If you are faced with a suicidal crisis, it is important to know how to handle the situation. In this blog post, we will discuss brief interventions for managing suicide. We will provide tips for assessing the risk of suicide, and offer advice for how to help someone in danger of harming themselves.
If you are worried that someone you know may be suicidal, the first step is to assess the risk. There are a number of factors that can contribute to suicide risk, including mental health disorders, substance abuse, stress, and trauma. If the person has any of these risk factors, they may be more likely to attempt suicide.
The best way to help someone who is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, it’s important not only that you are there for them but also what they can do when an episode gets too intense. You need something quick and effective so the person doesn’t feel like giving up on their life entirely- this means brief interventions! Research has shown these small periods of time where a person may have seemed at risk will make cognitive function less flexible which leaves little space in our brain reserved specifically towards coping skills such as problem solving; however by providing alternate actions/activities we’re able offer ourselves during difficult moments instead allow room within ours heads dedicated solely toward painful emotions.
Safety Planning Intervention (SPI)Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) was developed by Drs. Barbara Stanley and Gregory Brown and involves a collaboration between an individual and a mental health care provider. The Safety Plan is personal, unique and includes the individual’s identification of the thoughts, feelings and experiences just prior to a decline in mental health that they can learn may signal an impending suicidal crisis; and helpful and effective actions they have found helpful at earlier times of distress in their life. The Safety Plan steps can be written down or contained in one of many apps. It is most effective when an individual creates their plan with someone who is knowledgeable about the goals and components of a Safety Plan. The plan is feasible and accessible with the goal of providing options when the suicidal person may feel like there are none. A Safety Plan is personal and lists things the person will actually do when in distress. In this way, the person is actually trusting their own knowledge, being an expert on their own experiences and what helps them best. People are in fact using Safety Plans and research has shown that when they are used, suicidal behavior can be averted.The Safety Plan Intervention involves:• Warning signs that a suicidal crisis may be developing • Specific things — activities and/or places — that will distract a person’s attention away from suicidal thoughts • People who can help an individual distract themselves • People with whom they can discuss their distress and suicidal thoughts and feel heard or supported • Professionals available for consultation • Emergency contacts such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) and the Crisis Textline (text ‘TALK’ to 741741) and other relevant help lines • A plan to reduce access to lethal means in the home or immediate environment • The person’s unique hopes for the future and reasons for living
Lethal Means Counseling (LMC)The basic goal of Lethal Means Counseling (LMC) is to reduce risk of suicide by engaging the individual and/or family in securing and reducing access to every form of lethal means possible, especially in the home environment. If a person does not have access to lethal means they will not die from self-harm behavior. It’s about helping a person stay alive through a crisis and therefore removal of lethal means may be temporary. A suicidal crisis can escalate quickly and the time between the decision to end one’s life and taking action is often brief, even when people have thought about suicide for a long time. The crisis usually passes, and this allows the person to come back to a mental space where they can consider other coping strategies. Since it is difficult to predict when a suicidal crisis will occur and because in a suicidal crisis the individual develops tunnel vision and cannot see alternatives for ending the pain, putting time and distance between the suicidal person and lethal means can save a life. It allows for the crisis moment to pass, and also makes it more likely that a supportive person can intervene and provide help.
Lethal Means Counseling involves these steps: • Express concern for the patient’s safety • Let them know what they can do to create a safe environment • Remove or secure any type of lethal means from the home (or work) environment • This can include items such as firearms, medications (prescribed and over-the- counter), toxic substances like cleaning supplies, sharp objects • Explain how lethal means safety works • Can’t predict crises • During moments of acute risk, need to reduce access to lethal means they have honed in on • People usually don’t switch quickly to a different method since thinking is less flexible in that moment • If attempt does occur, other methods are likely to be less lethal
If you are worried about someone, the most important thing is to talk to them. Let them know that you care and want to help. You can also contact a suicide hotline in your area for more support. If you are feeling suicidal yourself, please reach out for help. There is always someone who wants to listen and help you through this difficult time. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. We want to remind our readers that there is always hope, no matter how dark things may seem. With the right intervention, we can save lives from suicide. Please don’t hesitate to get help if you need it – we are here for you.
