Encourage Professional Help

Encourage Professional Help

• Actively encourage the person to see a physician or mental health professional immediately.
• People considering suicide often believe they cannot be helped. If you can, assist them to identify a professional and schedule an appointment. If they will let you, go to the appointment with them.

Take Action

• If the person is threatening, talking about, or making specific plans for suicide, this is a crisis requiring immediate attention. Do not leave the person alone.
• Remove any firearms, drugs, or sharp objects that could be used for suicide from the area.
• Take the person to a walk-in clinic at a psychiatric hospital or a hospital emergency room.
• If these options are not available, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for assistance.

Follow-Up on Treatment

• Still skeptical that they can be helped, the suicidal person may need your support to continue with treatment after the first session.
• If medication is prescribed, support the person to take it exactly as prescribed. Be aware of possible side effects, and notify the person who prescribed the medicine if the suicidal person seems to be getting worse, or resists taking the medicine. The doctor can often adjust the medications or dosage to work better for them.
• Help the person understand that it may take time and persistence to find the right medication and the right therapist. Offer your encouragement and support throughout the process, until the suicidal crisis has passed.