We tend to characterize suicidal thoughts in two ways. Active and passive. Active suicidal thinking is when you think through a plan. You may not actually make the plan, but you’re thinking about options in your head. But of course you can start to execute the plan. Self-harm can also be mistaken for suicidality. Sometimes it is the intention, but many times people will cut themselves to relieve tension for feel real. Some people may even take overdoses of pills as a way to get help, to show people they are hurting and need help.
One thing you can do is develop a suicide safety plan. This is something that’s best done with the help of your doctor or therapist. But if you don’t have one, you can still think through this yourself. The safety plan is a list of coping strategies and sources of support that you can have in place to use when you feel suicidal. Here is a 6-step safety plan based on research studies and I have references in the description. You want to write down these steps and I’ll have link to a template that you can download from my website.
Step one - identify warning signs.
Step two - write down coping strategies.
Step 3 - identify social contacts or settings that can distract you from the crisis.
Step 4 - engage friends or family members. You want to list 3 or more people in order of priority, with the first person on the list being the most supportive of you. Step 5 - contact a professional or an agency.
Step 6 - make your environment safe.
The last thing is to ask yourself What’s one thing currently in your life that is important
enough for me to stay alive. Write this one thing down on your list so you can keep yourself focused on the big reason you are going to implement this plan.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK [8255]
You can download the Safety Plan Template here: The safety plan app is MY3 downloaded from Itunes or Google Play.
References
Stanley, B. & Brown, G. (2011) Safety planning intervention: A brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk. Cognitive and Behavioral
Practice, 19(2), 256-264.
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