What to do if someone is threatening imminent suicide:
Call 999 and stay with them until the emergency services arrive.
Rethink Mental Illness has produced an informative factsheet on how to support someone having suicidal thoughts. Rethink has also produced a factsheet aimed at someone in crisis themselves.
If you think someone may be suicidal, encourage them to seek help from their GP, EAP, the Samaritans or to talk to a trusted friend or family member.
According to Rethink Mental Illness, changes someone having suicidal thoughts could exhibit could include:
- Becoming anxious or restless.
- Being more irritable or agitated.
- Being more confrontational or angry.
- Becoming quiet and distant.
- Having mood swings.
- Acting recklessly, such as taking risks they wouldn’t normally.
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- A lack of energy.
- Not wanting to be around other people.
- Avoiding contact with friends and family.
- Saying they feel hopeless or worthless.
- Saying they can’t see a way out of a difficult situation.
- Finding it hard to cope with daily issues.
- Having problems with work or studying.
- Saying negative things about themselves.
The following things could indicate that someone is thinking of attempting suicide:
- Threatening to hurt or kill themselves.
- Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide.
- Saying goodbye or sending messages that feel like an ending.
- Preparing or making plans to end their life, such as storing up medication.
- Putting their affairs in order, such as giving away belongings or making a will.
Every year, there are more than 5000 suicides in England and Wales. Data on occupational suicides published by the Office for National Statistics show the risk of suicide amongst female primary and nursery schoolteachers to be 42 per cent higher than the national average.
Currently, suicide is not included in the list of work-related deaths that must be reported to the HSE under RIDDOR reporting requirements. The NEU believes this must change in order that suicides are properly investigated within the framework of health and safety law.
Risk factors of suicide
The Zero Suicide Alliance website points out that reasons for suicide are complex. But by increasing awareness of some of the health and social factors that contribute to suicide, we are more informed of who might need support with their mental health.
The Zero Suicide Alliance website goes on to say that some risk factors of suicide are:
- Previous suicide attempt.
- Mental health conditions (such as depression).
- Traumatic experiences in childhood or adulthood (such as abuse, violence).
- Substance misuse (such as drugs or alcohol).
- Social isolation.
- Job or financial issues.
- Relationship problems.
- Serious illness and chronic pain.
- Barriers to support or care and stigma.
Risk factors can be part of a wider, sudden crisis – which is often compounded by a lack of appropriate support – and then ends tragically because the need for support isn’t recognised quickly enough.
