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Samaritans

woman comforting someone
How to talk with someone at risk of suicide:
  • Remain calm. Be honest with the person, let them know you care, that there is hope and that you will help.
  • Be compassionate. Acknowledge that what they are going through is difficult.
  • Let the person know that talking can help alleviate the feeling of hopelessness. Help the person evaluate how they have coped with other situations in the past.
  • Help the person talk about their feelings.
  • DO NOT LEAVE ANY INDIVIDUAL IN IMMINENT DANGER OF SUICIDE ALONE. Make arrangements for professional help, call 911, or go to the emergency room.
  • Remove any lethal means from the person’s environment.
  • Do not agree to confidentiality.
  • Be candid about what the person is feeling and thinking. Ask the question directly “Do you sometimes feel so bad that you think about suicide?”
  • If the person has thought about suicide, find out if they have a plan, if they have the means, and if they’ve told anyone else about this.
  • If you don’t feel as though you can handle a discussion about suicide, get somebody who can. Don’t ignore the situation.
  • Do not warn, moralize, preach, give advice or judge what the person is telling you.
  • Actively listen to content and feeling.
  • Be prepared to get appropriate help.
  • If you’re not getting the help you are seeking for your friend, keep trying. Ask someone else!

    1-866-912-HOPE (4673) (toll free) OR 978-327-6607

    Teen Help Line: 978-688-8336 (TEEN)

    Statewide Help Line: 1-877-870-4673 (HOPE)