Suicide Prevention PSA

Research has shown that there is an uptick in the number of suicide attempts following a highly publicized suicide death. Such has happened recently within the trans community, which is prompting this off-day post. Given that 41% of trans people have attempted suicide, right now would be an excellent time to reach out and support the trans people in your life, as well as brush up on your skill set of responding to students in crisis who confide in you. It’s very possible that your university has a suicide prevention specialist. If you don’t know who yours is, or even if you have one, now would be a good time to look into it.

Along with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (800-273-8255), there is an LGBT-specific hotline through the Trevor Project (866-488-7386), as well as a trans-specific hotline available where the caller is guaranteed to reach a trans person on the other end (877-565-8860 in the US, 877-330-6366 in Canada).

If you are planning on talking or sharing information about a suicide death, a number of LGBT organizations have put together a useful guide of Do’s and Don’ts that are meant to prevent copy-cat suicides. They include:

  • DO emphasize individual and collective responsibility for supporting the well-being of LGBT people.
  • DO encourage help-seeking by people who may be contemplating suicide, and emphasize the
    availability of supportive resources.
  • DO emphasize the vital importance of family support and acceptance—not just as a factor that can help protect against suicide, but also as a crucial part of nurturing the emotional and psychological well-being of LGBT and questioning youth.
  • DON’T include details of a suicide death in titles or headlines.
  • DON’T describe the method used in a suicide death.
  • DON’T attribute a suicide death to experiences known or believed to have occurred shortly before the person died.
  • DON’T idealize suicide victims or create an aura of celebrity around them.
  • DON’T use terms like “bullycide.”
  • DON’T talk about suicide “epidemics.”
  • DON’T use words like “successful,” “unsuccessful” or “failed” when talking about suicide.
  • DON’T say that a specific policy (or its absence) will in and of itself “prevent suicide.”

Additionally, Kevin Caruso at has posted a fantastic resource of how to help a suicidal person. His suggestions are:

  • Always take suicidal comments very seriously. When a person says that he or she is thinking about suicide, you must always take the comments seriously. Assuming that the person is only seeking attention is a very serious, and potentially disastrous, error. Get help immediately.
  • Follow the information that is on the home page of Feel free to view the home page of this site and to use it to help you. Dealing with a person who is suicidal is not easy, so following what is on the home page of can help you. And always remember that you need to call 911 or your local emergency number immediately for anyone who is at a high risk for suicide. Do not hesitate.
  • Try not to act shocked. The person is already highly distressed, and if you are shocked by what is said, the person will become more distressed. Stay calm, and talk with him or her in a matter-of-fact manner, but get help immediately. If the person is at a high risk for suicide, call 911 immediately.
  • Get help immediately. Call 911, 1-800-SUICIDE, or 1-800-273-TALK. This point cannot be overemphasized; a person who is suicidal needs immediate professional help.
  • Do not handle the situation by yourself. A suicidal person needs immediate assistance from qualified mental health professionals. Again, call 911, 1-800-SUICIDE, or 1-800-273-TALK. And do not allow untrained individuals to act as the only counselors to the individual.

While you are waiting for help to arrive (or if there is no emergency):

  • Listen attentively to everything that the person has to say. Let the person talk as much as he or she wants to. Listen closely so that you can be as supportive as possible, and learn as much as possible about what is causing the suicidal feelings.
  • Comfort the person with words of encouragement. Use common sense to offer words of support. Remember that intense emotional pain can be overwhelming, so be as gentle and caring as possible. There is no script to use in situations like these, because each person and each situation is different. Listen carefully, and offer encouraging words when appropriate.
  • Let the person know that you are deeply concerned. Tell the person that you are concerned, and show them that you are concerned. A suicidal person is highly vulnerable and needs to feel that concern.
  • If the person is at a high risk of suicide, do not leave him or her alone. Do not leave a critically suicidal person alone for even a second. Only after you get professional help for the person can you consider leaving him or her.
  • Talk openly about suicide.
    Ask the person, “Are you feeling so bad that you are thinking about suicide?”
    If the answer is yes, ask, “Have you thought about how you would do it?”
    If the answer is yes, ask, “Do you have what you need to do it?”
    If the answer is yes, ask, “Have you thought about when you would do it?”Here are those four important questions in abbreviated form:

    1. Suicidal?
    2. Method?
    3. Have what you need?
    4. When?

    You need to know as much as possible about what is going on in the person’s mind. The more planning that someone has put into a suicide, the greater the risk. If the person has a method and a time in mind, the risk is extremely high and you cannot hesitate to call 911 and ensure that professional treatment is given.

  • 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).Firearms are used in the majority of suicides, and those who use a firearm usually do not survive. It is thus an emergency that needs to be handled by the police immediately.
  • Don’t be judgmental. Do not invalidate anything that the person says or feels. The person is probably suffering from a chemical imbalance in the brain, and thus could not possibly think clearly. Be supportive and caring, not judgmental, but get help immediately.
  • Be careful of the statements that you make. You do not want to make the person feel any worse than he or she already does. Again, the person is probably suffering from a chemical imbalance in the brain and is thus extremely sensitive.
  • Listen, listen, listen. Be gentle, kind, and understanding. Again, allow the person to talk as much as he or she wants. Always listen very attentively, and encourage him or her to talk more. Be as gentle, kind, and understanding as possible.
  • Let the person express emotion in the way that he or she wants. Allow the person to cry, yell, swear and do what is necessary to release the emotion. However, do not allow the person to become violent or harm himself or herself.
  • Again, use the home page of to help the person. Make a copy of it and give it to him or her. This will not only help the person now, but also in the future when he or she needs help. You can also make copies of any of the pages of the site that you think will help the person, and give them to him or her. (There is no charge for distributing copies of pages of this site in print media, not on the Internet, for noncommercial, nonprofit use.)
  • 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. If the person has not yet seen a medical doctor or a therapist, help him or her make the appointments. Suicidal feelings need to be dealt with on a professional level. Only trained professions should assume the care for the person. This is very important. Do not try to help the person by yourself. Make sure that the person is seen by 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 that the risk of suicide has dissipated. You cannot leave the person until the risk of suicide is gone or he or she is in treatment. A person who is suicidal is at risk of suicide at any juncture. Ensure that all appropriate actions are taken to help the person before you leave.
  • When in doubt about what to do, call 911 immediately. Be safe. A suicidal person needs professional help. Period. If you are not sure what to do, it is certainly better to err on the side of caution and get professional assistance immediately. Again, if you are not sure what to do, call 911.
  • If someone tells you that you need to keep his or her suicidal intentions a secret, then you never can keep that “secret.”Under no circumstances can you keep a “secret” that could cause someone’s death. You are not violating a privileged communication; you are taking the steps necessary to prevent a suicide. That is an expression of love, caring, and deep concern, and is the only ethical choice in a situation as serious as this.
  • Follow up with the person on a regular basis to make sure that he or she is doing okay. Suicidal feelings can come and go, so follow up to see how the person is. It is very important to show continued support. If the person becomes suicidal again, take immediate action to help him or her.

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