Always take suicidal comments seriously:
- Try not to act shocked.
- Get help immediately. Call 911.
- Do not handle the situation by yourself.
- Listen attentively to everything that the person has to say.
- Comfort the person with words of encouragement.
- Let the person know that you are deeply concerned.
- If the person is at a high risk of suicide, do not leave him or her alone.
- If the person talks about using a firearm that he or she owns for suicide, call the police so they may remove the firearm(s).
- Don’t be judgmental.
- Be careful of the statements that you make.
- Listen. Be gentle, kind, and understanding.
- Let the person express emotion in the way that he or she wants.
- After the person has received help and is no longer critically suicidal, help the person make an appointment with a medical doctor and a therapist.
- Before you leave the person, make sure that he or she has received professional help from qualified mental health professionals or 911 responders.
- When in doubt about what to do, call 911 immediately. Be safe.
- If someone tells you that you need to keep his or her suicidal intentions a secret, then you never can keep that “secret.”
- Follow up with the person on a regular basis to make sure that he or she is doing okay.
