Support for suicidal people is a crisis intervention addressed to people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts or have made an unsuccessful attempt to take their own lives. The purpose of such assistance is to ensure the patient’s safety and restore emotional balance.
What is a suicidal crisis?
A suicidal crisis is a condition in which a person who wants to commit suicide finds himself. It means being ready to take your own life and not see other ways to solve your problems. In the eyes of such a person, death becomes an act of relief and the only escape from suffering.
The lack of faith in other methods of overcoming pain means that a person planning suicide rarely seeks specialist help on their own. That is why the support of loved ones is so important.
The fact that a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts can be evidenced by:
- statements about the meaninglessness of life and the desire to die,
- significant deterioration in mood, including severe sadness and irritability,
- loss of previous interests,
- withdrawal from social relationships,
- organizing matters and distributing personal belongings,
- sleep and appetite disorders.
What does support for suicidal people look like?
When in contact with a person who is considering taking their own life, creating a relationship based on a sense of security and empathy plays a key role. The patient must feel free from judgments in order to be able to express their thoughts and emotions. Another important goal is to learn about the causes of the crisis. It can be a single event or a series of several events that have deprived a person of hope and strength to cope with problems. Only after understanding the situation of a particular person can you strengthen their sense of meaning, help them find reasons for continuing to live and ways to overcome difficulties.