How To Help Someone With Suicidal Thoughts
Suicidal thoughts do not just pop up from one day to the next. They are the result of a long process. Unfortunately, this process often goes unnoticed
Depression Is Not Always Clear
The most important thing is prevention. We must be alert to the signs of depression. In addition, it is important to recognize the signs that someone has suicidal thoughts.
Signs That Something Is Wrong
Suicide is more common among young people and the elderly. In general, people with suicidal thoughts are often single and have few friends. Suicidal thoughts also often occur after a loss.
Whatever the case is, we must be aware of the signs that suggest suicidal thoughts. The most common are the following:
- Neglect of the appearance
- Excessive sleep
- Experiencing stages of severe insomnia
- Isolation and rejection of having a company
- Frequent sadness or irritability
- Saying things like "I want to die" or "my life is not worth anything"
- Indifference to everything
- Regular consumption of alcohol or other drugs
- No sense in food and loss of appetite
- There are also cases of hidden depression. The symptoms of this can be very subtle and difficult to detect.
In these cases, the person can respond evasively to questions about his or her private life. The person can obsessively always be busy or constantly laugh.
Loneliness Promotes Suicidal Thoughts
Loneliness only makes depression deeper. It also makes it very difficult to see the solutions to problems.
After a while, the suicidal person starts to shut himself off. He does not want to talk to anyone. Moreover, he does not want to leave the house and it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to keep a routine going. However, It will not be easy, but what we need to do is try to talk to the person.
It is normal for suicidal persons to reject any type of conversation. This makes it essential that conversations are subtle. We must not overwhelm the person with our advice or our anxiety and fear. The most important reason to get through to the person is to prevent further isolation.
Help This Way
The preventive measures you can take to help a person with suicidal thoughts are the following:
It is important to ask the person in an open way how he feels. Listen carefully to what he says.
- Do not judge. This is crucial. Nothing the person says must be a target of judgment. Judging can make the person keep silent, while it is just so important that he says what he feels.
- Be straight. It is always better to demonstrate to the point. Ask if the person has thought about committing suicide respecting what he or she says.
- Do not panic. What the other person needs is a solid support, not another problem. You must remain calm and moderate.
- Help the person to visualize the effects of suicide. It is a good idea to ask the person what he thinks will happen to the people he loves after he has committed suicide.
- Talk about the problem or loss. Instead of looking for answers, it is more important to let the person express what he or she feels.
- Finally…
- The best thing you can do is help the person to look at the problem or loss in a different way.
Emphasize the positive side. Ask the person about the positive things he still has in his life. Discover what has prevented him from committing suicide until now.
Please...Do Not Leave The Person Alone
Encourage the person to ask for help. Cases such as these must be assessed by an expert. Without putting pressure on the person, you have to motivate him to look for a psychologist or psychiatrist.
If the person is absolutely unwilling to receive help and shows signs of instability, it is time to act.You must warn the emergency services or close family to intervene. Never choose to stay passive or just 'wait'.
After all, a life is at stake.
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