How to Help a Suicidal Person (2)by Beth McHugh | More from this Blogger 03 Jul 2007 10:05 PM This is the second in a series of articles on dealing with an emergency involving a highly suicidal person. In How to Help a Suicidal Person (1) we covered issues such as not leaving the potentially suicidal person alone, what to say to the person, and the avoidance of physical contact when dealing with a highly disturbed or threatening person. This blog covered issues 1 through 3. Today we look at further coping techniques beginning with: 4. Seek immediate help. Without leaving the person alone (see 2), phone the Mental Health crisis number in your area. If you do not know the number, phone 911 to seek backup support. Alternatively you may be able to take the person to a hospital emergency department. The latter depends on the situation: if the person resists, do not insist or make any sudden movements or physical contact (see 1). 5. If the person is consuming alcohol or drugs, try to talk them out of consuming any more. Again, this needs to be done in a non-threatening and respectful way (see 3). Keeping the dialogue going between you is one of the best ways to slow down any drinking or postpone further drug taking. Talking can be a useful distraction from these activities. 6. Try to ensure the person does not have ready access to some means of taking their lives. If possible, keep the person away from knives and other weapons, as well as places of potential danger, such as balconies. 7. Identify if the person is at risk Ask the following question directly: "Are you having thoughts of suicide?" Contrary to popular belief, asking a person this question will not precipitate a suicidal act. On the contrary, you can assess the risk far better by not avoiding the issue at hand. The person concerned will know that you are taking them seriously and not trying to skirt around the subject. Asking this question signals to them that you care, and this is precisely what this person needs at this time. 8. Assess how high the risk is. Ask them do they have a plan of action. If so, ask them to describe in detail just how they plan to end their life. This will give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation. Generally speaking, the greater the level of planning, the greater the risk. This information is of use as it can be passed on to mental health professionals when the crisis is over. Ask if they have tried to take their life before. Again, previous attempts point to a higher likelihood of a successful suicide. Next blog, further help in dealing with potential suicide. Contact Beth McHugh for further assistance regarding this issue. Related articles: How to help a Suicidal Person (1) Suicide: What do you think about it? Suicide: My thoughts on one case Learn more about Beth McHugh  Beth McHugh began her career as a geologist and worked both in industry and as a university researcher. Relevantmental health tags christmas | Scrapbooking | family | parenting | relationships | children | marriage | sex | pregnancy | Kids User Comments grandpa1917m (96) 14 Aug 2007 02:35 PMI'm new here and my name is Mike. I am impressed at what I've read here and have taken the liberty of adding a relevant item. If I've intruded, please let me know and I delete. --- Suicide Prevention in the Workplace I was a civilian during the Viet Nam War who was a paraprofessional volunteer on a suicide prevention 'hotline' as an 'added duty' to my job with the USAF. I am no longer certified to offer guidance on the subject (long-retired and much too old), but remain an informal advocate for organized and adequately staffed nationwide/worldwide suicide prevention resources. I came across this forum yesterday while browsing the site's content and thought that readers might be interested in the following information that was included in the 'The Weekly SPARK', an e-newsletter of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). The March 1, 2007 issue of 'SPARK' included links to the items listed below. IMO, the information and guidance contained at the links deserve wide dissemination to the general public, families, government and educational institutions, youth/young adults, 'all age' groups and formal organizations, military 'active' duty and veterans, disaster response, law enforcement, chaplaincy, managers and supervisors in professional and industrial entities from top executives to first line supervisors, labor union officials and staff, survivors of suicides, and other organizations and persons that readers feel may find the info useful or otherwise relevant to their interests. Applicability, in effect, is universal because 'Suicide Prevention is Everybody's Business.' The SPRC listing referred to above is headed: Spark Extra! To learn more on developing suicide prevention strategies for the workplace, visit: U.S. Air Force Leader's Guide for Managing Personnel in Distress at: http://www.sprc.org/library/AirForceCD/default1.htm and ValueOptions Strategic Principles for Suicide Prevention at: http://www.valueoptions.com/suicide_prev/html%20pages/Strategy.htm --- SPRC is supported by a cooperative agreement from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and operated by Health and Human Development Programs at Education Development Center, Inc., (EDC). SPRC works in collaboration with other national organizations and suicide prevention initiatives. In 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the leadership of the Surgeon General, published the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP). http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/suicideprevention/ The document creates a framework for suicide prevention in the nation. Advocates, clinicians, researchers and survivors around the nation collaborated in its development. Many states and territories use the NSSP for planning state strategy. The creation of the NSSP was the most important recommendation of the 1999 publication, Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide. http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/suicideprevention/calltoaction.asp SPRC was created in 2002 to fulfill Goal 4.8 of the NSSP, which called for "the development of a technical assistance and resource center to build capacity for states and communities to implement and evaluate suicide prevention programs. The SPRC Home Page is at: http://www.sprc.org/ ---- Mike1917m Community Tags alcohol, depression, drugs, suicide, stress, test-tag Discuss this article
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