What to Know About Suicidal Ideation
What Is Suicidal Ideation?
Suicidal ideation is when you think about killing yourself. This could mean that someone is actively planning and considering suicide, or it could mean that someone is so overwhelmed that they just don’t want to go on. It’s estimated that about 9% of the general population experience suicidal thoughts, and around 5% of people between the ages of 18 and 25.
Those with health issues or other major life challenges are even more likely to deal with suicidal thoughts. Situational stressors like military service or being discriminated against can increase your risk of suicidal ideation, as can diagnoses of chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and more.
Passive suicidal ideation is when a person wishes to be dead or hopes that it will happen soon but doesn’t make any plans to make it happen. This could look like crawling into bed for the night and hoping that you don’t wake up in the morning. This could look like thinking about how you wouldn’t have to face your problems if you were gone. It could also look like feeling so tired that you wish you could just “sleep forever.” Essentially, you may not necessarily want to die, but you do not want to live your life either.
Active suicidal ideation is when a person not only wants to die but fully intends to and may even already have plans for how to do it. While both are cause for concern and treatment, if you are having suicidal thoughts that include details about how you would commit the act, it’s important that you talk to someone ASAP. Please reach out to a Hope Coach today, or call 988 for support and 911 if you’re in immediate danger.
Do You Feel Suicidal Right Now?
I know life can be hard and problems can pile so high that we cannot see a way out. I want to give you some practical ideas to try when you are at the depth of despair and feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. When you feel suicidal, please try these four steps.
When you have lost hope and believe suicide is the only way out, please try these four ideas:
1. Reach Out for Help
I understand that finding the strength to do this can be really hard, especially if you also feel alone, but suicide prevention services are available to help.
- Chat with a Hope Coach
- Call or chat with the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- Call a trusted friend, adult, pastor, parent, teacher, etc.
It is important to have someone you trust that you can reach out to when your thoughts get too heavy. This is someone you make a commitment to that says, I promise that if I have serious thoughts of killing myself, I will talk with you or with someone else I trust before I do anything destructive.
John is a survivor and here is his advice, "Don’t keep quiet if you are going to hurt yourself or others…please speak up. If you are feeling suicidal then talk to someone, don’t keep quiet about it. There is someone out there who will listen to you."
Keely said she has an older friend she calls when she feels suicidal thoughts coming on: I told her everything. And I told her that I need her help. Sometimes I just call to hear her voice to know I'm not alone. Other times, I ask if we can get together. She doesn't grill me, she's just there for me.
Having someone to reach out to is priceless because you can meet with them face to face or talk on the phone anytime. If you haven't ever talked to anyone about your thoughts, please make it a priority to reach out to someone today.
2. Refer to your Safety Plan
Take time right now to create a safety plan, if you haven't already done so. Type the answers to the questions below into Notes on your phone or write them down somewhere you have easy access to them. Then, whenever you have depression and suicidal thoughts, you can pull out your plan and follow what you have written down.
Safety Plan
- What are the warning signs that occur before your thoughts turn to suicide? (thoughts, images, situation)
- List two or three people you will ask for help when you are feeling this way. How will you contact them?
- What are a few things you can do to take your mind off of your problems? (Physical Activity, Relaxation Techniques, etc.)
- What settings provide a distraction for you?
- Crisis Lines you agree to contact in addition to TheHopeLine if necessary. (911, 988, therapist emergency #, etc.)
- What can you do to make your environment safe? (Stop drinking, remove weapon, pills, tools, etc.)
- One thing that is most important to you and worth living for is:
3. Remove whatever can harm you at that very moment
If there are guns, knives, and pills in your house, then RUN from your house. Get away from anything you can use to hurt yourself. This will buy you time to settle down and begin to think rationally. Some people are most suicidal when they are drunk.
Have someone you know, and trust clear all those things out of your house.
Wendelin said she was suicidal for over three years but was helped by knowing she wasn't alone: I had a friend who was there for me no matter what. I tried to push this friend away so many times, she took away the knives and scissors I'd cut with, my dad's diving knife, my grandpa's gun, and the hose and rope so I couldn't hang myself. Even though I was so mad at her for it, I knew she cared and that she really did love me.
Glory wrote: I tried a couple of times but it never really worked. Then one night I realized something. If you can't change it, get over it. There are much better things to do in life than sit around hating life. God gave us life so we should use it. Killing yourself is only running away from your problems. It won't help one bit.
4. Turn to other Activities
The key here is to get your mind off of doing the unthinkable. If you are near suicide, you want to change the subject, or divert your mind from what you were planning to do. Walk, jog, bike, swim, take a nap, take a hot shower, watch a movie, listen to music, read a book, do household chores, clean, go shopping, go to the park, volunteer at an animal shelter for a few hours – An excuse to play with puppies? Yes, please! Anything that has the potential to help you lift your spirit.
Kelsey discovered this worked for her: I actually went and got a knife to kill myself and I just stopped and I was thinking this really isn't solving my problems is it? So I just decided to try to get into something like hip-hop classes, get my mind off my life, and just try to live life to the fullest.
You were made for more.
I know it feels like life will never get better, but I believe that you can get to the other side of this pain. I believe you were created for more than what you are feeling right now. God designed you in His image. He breathed life into you. He KNOWS you and LOVES you and has a purpose for your life. It may not FEEL that way, but we can't always trust our feelings.
There is a man in the Bible who God says was a man after his heart. His name was David. Yet David struggled with his feelings a lot. Read the book of Psalms and you will see what I am talking about. For example, here is what King David said in Psalm 6:6-9, "All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies. Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer." Here are other Bible verses to encourage you - Verses of Hope when Struggling with Suicidal Thoughts
There are many more articles on TheHopeLine regarding suicide and we want you to know you are not alone. You matter, you are good enough and you are loved.
If you or a friend need support right now, chat on-line with a Hope Coach, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, for free confidential, 24/7 help. Head here for a list of crisis centers around the world. For additional help, please visit the suicide prevention resource page.
Maybe there is a world better developed I do not belong in society im nothing. family dont care more poison than anything. not one friend... Its so easy to just jump off the cliff.. the world i want to be in is not here.. Just once i wanted help but was to ashamed to ask for it i wanted somebody anyone to tell me make me get help. now i know that its too late cause im at the cliff to afraid to go over and to afraid to stay.
I live chatted with a very strong and beautiful soul at HOPE line, I was feeling Suicidal but after chatting with her and her telling me her story I did feel better. I felt HOPE and I had not felt that in a very long time. But with each passing day I have noticed my resolve in the fact I don't want to die is waning again, I feel like I should not call or chat again because I feel like I am letting her down now that those thoughts are creeping in again. My panic attacks during the night are getting worse and my night terrors are getting worse, and I am remembering things That I thought I had buried so deep they could not resurface, But there they are and I am feeling like my hope is slipping away, Should I or would it be bad if I chatted again?
Teresa, Thank you so much for your kind words and story! We are here for you 24/7 please feel free to chat with a HopeCoach again. If they didn't get a chance on your first chat to give you some resources they will be able to give you some the next time you chat in. We have some great partners and one that you may really like is to sign up for an email mentor that you can continue to email back and forth with for as long as you like about what ever is going on in your life. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again when you feel like you need to talk. We care!
Tersa it would not be bad if you speak to them again that's what they are there for to help you
Darren please do not kill yourself you ARE LOVED and needed on this earth I believe God has a plan and loves each and every one of us life can be hard but it does get better
I now will kill me self
Try Calling the Help line...
We sent you an email and hope you have talked to someone about how your feeling of wanting to end your life. Please continue to seek out help by calling us at 800.394.4673 or chatting with a HopeCoach at http://www.thehopeline.com/gethelp. You can also find help at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255
I hope you're okay.
DON'T!!! IF I EVER DID/WILL FEEL LIKE IT, GRAB YOUR WRISTS BEHIND YOUR BACK, AND THINK OF EVERYTHING THERE IS IN LIFE!!!!! THINK HOW AMAZING IT IS YOUR HEART BEATS, BY ITSELF, TO KEEP YOU ALIVE!!!!! PLEASE, DO IT FOR ME!!!!!
Please don't. Do it for me, a sad girl. A sick girl. A girl who is treated like a trash can by her *Best Friend*. I have suicidal thoughts sometimes, so I look up cute kittens online, and stare deeply in space into the kitten's loving eyes. Heavenly Father(aka God, I'm mormon) wanted you to have a place in this world, and everyone has trials, for jugglers sake, my mom had a 2 ton cargo luggage cart park on her foot! Think of that, think about how you are not bedridden like my poor, poor mother! Go to the E.R. IMMEDIATELY!!!!! Mental illnesses are JUST AS IMPORTANT as physical illnesses! Trust me. Everyone has trials. Everyone suffers! Please, don't do it, and even if this email is useless, just know, I am here for you, family is here for you, God is here for you. Just pray(if you don't know what praying is, it is folding you arms and bowing your head, talking to God) to God and ask him for advice. Ask him what to do. Trust me. *Trust him!* Please, I beg with all my heart! Don't commit suicide. Suicide is a degree of murder. Trust me.....
I'm a Mormon as well. I've had suicidal thoughts on and off my whole life.
Has being a Mormon seen answered prayers and life transformation? I became a christian three years ago in the last year my life has fallen apart in a way I could never imagine, 8 months of unanswered prayers have now turned to suicidal thought i just dunno what to do.
I am also LDS! I have had so much happen to me in the past two years that I have lost faith in everything! I was talking to a guy that left for his mission and is still currently on it and everything just turned to crap. I started drinking with my best friend from high school and she let a guy we also knew Rape me while I was passed out! I woke up while he was still on top of me! A year has passed and I still feel numb! My depression has taken over me and now I have no friends to talk to and i don't want to bother my family with my problems. I've talked to my mom about it and she just starts to talk about Heavenly Fathers plans and starts telling me stories about random things. I have all of this stuck inside and I have no one to talk too! I'm so tired of trying to act fine. I go to YSA activities once a month because that's all we have here and that the only time I get to talk to anyone and it's not like I'm going to sit and talk about my problems there. I sit there and see all of these happy people and all I can think about is everything I have done wrong. That guy I was talking to comes back in a couple of months and all I can think about is how I'm too damaged for him now. How could I look at him? I keep asking myself why all bad things have to happen to me. Why can't I ever catch a break? Talking to my bishop is out of the question because I don't want people knowing what happened to me. My bishop has known me my whole life and he knows everyone I know. I ask myself how people can look at me and not see that I am dying inside. Going to church just doesn't seem right anymore... because all I think about is what he did to me and then I look around at all of these happy families and happy couples in my ward and then there's me alone! We only have about 10 ysa's in my area and that's in two states. Everyone moves to Utah or Idaho and finds someone. I lived in Utah for almost a year and then I thought Heavenly Father wanted me to go back home and then two moths later I was driving home and a drunk driver hit me and then 8 months later I was Raped. Nothing is supposed to go right for me I guess... when that guy comes back he will probably just move on to someone that's skinny and pretty and a lot less damaged than me! I'm almost 21 and I just don't see a future for me anymore! The husband, kids, house everything is just gone! I was supposed loose my virginity to the man I loved and that's gone. How can I ever go back to the temple? I just found a video that explains some of what I'm feeling because all I think I have done at this point is rant and told complete strangers my problems because I have no one else to talk too!
Precious Bekah, what happened to you was NOT your fault. You are still a treasure and you have value. Please don't give up on life. Please chat with one of our HopeCoaches who understands what you are experiencing. Our trained HopeCoaches are available 24/7 on chat. I found this quote for you on the LDS website. You were a victim and your Bishop will have compassion for you. See the quote below. You are loved, sweet girl.
"Victims of abuse should seek help immediately, normally from their bishop or branch president. His first responsibility is to help those who have been abused and to protect those who may be vulnerable to future abuse. Victims of abuse should be assured that they are not to blame for the harmful behavior of others. They do not need to feel guilt. If they have been a victim of rape or other sexual abuse, whether they have been abused by an acquaintance, a stranger, or even a family member, victims of sexual abuse are not guilty of sexual sin. Victims of abuse can seek help from their priesthood leader to guide them through the process of emotional healing. Through the blessings of the gospel, victims of abuse can stop the cycle of abuse and be freed from the suffering they have experienced."
Hi you don't know me and I know what your going through. You are amazing and I am your friend. Don't give up because what happened to you is horrible but you can't let it be the end of your story. Even the people that go through the most difficult problems in life bounce back and become some of the greatest people on this earth. I want you to think of this as an chance to be the greatest and I believe that you are. You are beautiful and wonderful and you will make a difference in this world. Dont give up because I am counting on you living and I know that you deep down is the cure to all the darkness. My name is Jonah and I am 16 years old. I am friend to all that need one and If your struggling I will support you!
Hi, how can you be that positive ? I'm losing faith in everything, I don't even know how people wonderful as you make to live in this world.
Btw I'm sorry my english isn't very good
Hi, how can you be that positive? I'm losing faith in evere ything, I don't even know how people as wonderful as you make to live in this world.
Bless you Jonah! You are a Blessing...
Hey I want to know how are things now? Please don't give up on your life, all that happened to you is not your fault! You deserve so much better but death is not the answer. The solution and your happiness lies in this life of yours.
My friend is suicidal she sticks needles in to her self she pearced her ear cut her hand and her leg she made scratch marks on her leg...She's my bff...and now I feel like suicide...I have tried but could put my mind to it....
(edited, I felt my past comment is too... ) Hope spirit of the universe blesses you and your bff. You both were created in the universe hands. You are a fragment of the universe and an important part of it. Just hope your bff to be blessed by the iniverse
Deleted comment. I felt my point is over exaggerated. But to those feeling bad, hope the spirit of the universe bless you. You were created in The universe hands. You are a part of the universe.
Idk when this was posted... are you alright? Please don't do it!
It's just too hard. I can't live with who I am.
I'm so seriuos I'm killing myself..I need help pleaaassee someone
Tiarra,
Hope you doing Well. Just read your Comment... Dear Please reply me back if you can. God is the strongest have faith in him.. He is just next to you giving you the helping hand please accept his help, by helping your self.
We sent you an email and hope you have talked to someone about how your feeling of wanting to end your life. Please continue to seek out help by calling us at 800.394.4673 or chatting with a HopeCoach at http://www.thehopeline.com/gethelp. You can also find help at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255
Thank you so much for this! I realise how stupid I was for considering the so called 'easy way out' I realised that my pain would just pass on to the people around me if I did kill myself. I've decided to enjoy all aspects of life the good and the bad because I can learn from them. I really can't thank you enough for this powerful message. You saved my life!
Im thinking of ending it i have tried in the past but i was stop by my old friends but now i have pushed them out my life end im scared cuz i know i will do it and this time i have no1 to stop me i need help
Hi Javier,
Please don't think you are alone.. They are people like you who wants to end there lives too. Please come in contact with one of those people listen to there problems may be you will save there lives and you will get an internal strength to not to Suicide.
And FYI I am one you too... Please remember we don't know what life is after death? We have option to end this Life will we have the same option there? I ask my self this question.