Suicidal Thoughts

If you need immediate help and are worried you can’t keep yourself safe, please:

Suicidal ideation (or suicidal thoughts) means having thoughts, ideas, or contemplations about the possibility of ending one’s life. It is not a diagnosis, but is a symptom of some mental disorders and can also occur in response to adverse events without the presence of a mental disorder.

Completing suicide means someone has intentionally taken their own life. Suicidal thoughts and feelings are when you think about this or feel like you may want to do this. The thoughts and feelings themselves can range from feeling preoccupied with thoughts that others in your life would be better off without you, to making clear plans to end your own life.

Whatever form they take, suicidal thoughts can be incredibly scary, overwhelming and confusing. If you’re experiencing these types of thoughts, please know that you’re not alone (many people think about suicide during their life) and that help is available.

Here we will look at how suicidal thoughts can make you feel, ideas to help in both the short and long-term and where to find further support.    

How suicidal thoughts can make you feel

Everyone experiences suicidal thoughts differently. It may be that you feel unable to cope with what’s happening in your life. For many, it’s less about wanting to die but instead feeling unable to continue living the life they currently have.

You may find the feelings come and go, or like they build gradually over time. Not understanding why you feel this way is very common.

Here are some examples of how suicidal thoughts can make you feel:

When you’re feeling this way, you may experience the following:

If this is resonating with you, you may feel as if you’ll never get ‘back to normal’ or experience happiness again. With help and support, most people who have experienced suicidal thoughts can recover, living full lives.

Telling someone how you feel is the first step to getting the support you deserve. Remember, we are all worthy of help and support.

If you’re not sure how to tell someone, you may find it helpful to print out this page for them to read. This can help them understand how you’re feeling and how they can support you when you feel like this.

What can help?

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts there are several things you can do right now to help and longer-term plans to help you feel better.

Right now

Make yourself safe. Your priority when you feel suicidal is to make yourself safe. This means removing anything you could use to harm yourself (or asking someone else to remove it) or removing yourself from a dangerous location. If you have a safety/crisis plan, follow it.

Get through the next five minutes – Make things less overwhelming by focusing on small chunks of time. Focus on just getting through the next five minutes, then reward yourself and move on to the next five minutes.

Distract yourself – If you feel an urge to hurt yourself, try distraction techniques. These include; holding an ice cube until it melts, focusing on how cold it is, writing down how you feel and tearing up the paper, focusing on your five senses, taking slow, deep breaths.

Challenge your thinking – Write down some things you have coming up that you’re looking forward to. This may be watching a new film you’re excited about, seeing a loved one or eating something delicious. Make plans to do something you enjoy tomorrow.

Speak to someone – Visit or call someone and tell them how you feel. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, try a helpline like Samaritans – they are available 24/7 and will listen without judgement. Know that you are not a burden on anyone, loved ones and helpline volunteers will want to support you.

In the long-term

Talk to your family doctor – If this is the first time you’ve felt like this, booking an appointment with your doctor is a great first step. They can refer you for talking therapies, prescribe medication where necessary and put you in touch with specialist services like a community mental health team.

Consider counselling – Counselling is offered by and can help you understand why you feel the way you do and help you find ways to resolve/cope with your feelings.

Peer support – This means talking to other people who have had similar experiences to you. Many people find support networks online helpful for this, though you may prefer to meet in person if there are support groups in your area

Make a safety plan – This is a plan to help you when you have suicidal thoughts. This plan might include your warning signs, coping strategies that help you, number of people to call in a crisis and the steps you need to take to make yourself safe. You may find it helpful to make this plan with your doctor or counsellor.

Why do we have suicidal thoughts?

Everyone’s reasons for having suicidal thoughts will be different, often it’s a combination of factors. It may be that you’ve been experiencing a growing sense of unhappiness and hopelessness and it’s developed into suicidal thoughts.

For some, certain difficulties in life trigger these thoughts. These may include:

Regardless of your reasons for having suicidal thoughts, know that it is not a sign of weakness. It is simply a sign that you are carrying more weight than you can handle, and that you need a helping hand. Speak up and let others help you lighten the load. As hard as it may be to understand right now, there is a way out and you can be happy again.

If you need immediate help and are worried you can’t keep yourself safe, please: