What to do if someone you know is suicidal

[forgetmenot]

Thats what they say about my daughter who ended up in ICU, twice on ventilator.

How can they say she is just attention seeking? They don't know her pain or whats in her mind.

God this infuriates me. One dr put her on form 3 then her dr takes her off it and just let her go to do it all over again.

Ah.

 

[Into The Light]

that infuriates me too mary. they just don't understand the kind of pain a person is in when something like this happens.

 

[forgetmenot]

to me they are minimizing her cries for help if the support systems were in place she would not have tried to do this 4 times she was stable up to ayear ago so why do they think she is seeking attention now she is in pain these professionals who i work with don't seem to have any insight into her pain or the families pain because if they did they wouldn't make such a stupid comment cries for help should not be minimized or ignored. thanks for your response i just hope anyone out there that is crying for help ignores these ignorant peoples comments and just try to reach out to someone anyone before attempting again becaus there are people who do care

 

[GDPR]

My sister is currently suicidal. Actually, she has been for about 6-8 weeks now. I don't know what to do. She calls and tells me when she has had close calls. She will tell me she just {specific details deleted} and changed her mind. She tells me she is thinking of ways to do it, etc.

She tells me she doesn't want to die, she just wants people to see how much pain she's in. She says suicide would be THE way for everyone to realize it. She said she wants to hurt others by doing it.

I did convince her to go to a therapist, which she did do last week and will be going once a week now. She has been talking about admitting herself, which I have been encouraging, but she hasn't yet.

It's really taking it's toll on ME.Maybe it's selfish for me to be thinking about myself right now, but it's all very triggering. It's causing flashbacks, bad memories, anxiety, etc. for me. I don't want to end up suicidal myself.

She's acting irrational, stalking, peeping in windows, doing things she doesn't normally do. Not only do I worry about her killing herself, but I worry about her harming someone else.

I made sure her new therapist knows what's going on, but evidently, it's not being taken as a serious matter.

How do I know when it's time to get her admitted involuntarily?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

How do I know when it's time to get her admitted involuntarily?

You can't do that (unless you can get her declared legally incompetent and acquire power of attorney but even then you would have to go through someone with the legal authority to diagnose).

If she is seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist, that person can have her admitted on a temporary involuntary certificate for up to 72 hours, at which time her status must be reviewed by the attending physician.

Or, if her behavior becomes erratic or threatening in a manner that suggests imminent risk of harm to self or others, you can call 911 and let the police escort her to hospital for evaluation.

 

[GDPR]

Thanks. Now I know what I can do. I would hate to call 911, but I would in a heart beat to save her...or to keep her from harming someone else.

 

[Jazzey]

Lost..when I've been in those periods, the best a person has done for me, personally...is keep reminding me that they love me. And then just spent time with me. Even if there's no talking involved.

I've had friends called me when they felt it coming on...and just told me that they loved me. It helps. When you're in that space, you feel alone. And it's important for that person to know that they're not alone.

 

[Retired]

Additionally you might want to call the local crisis phone line in your area and explain your situation. Crisis lines are usually staffed by volunteers trained in suicide intervention and know what resources are available in your particular area.

They should be helpful in providing you with strategies you can use if your sister appears to act on her suicidal thoughts.

She tells me she doesn't want to die

When someone talks about or even just hints suicide, it should never be ignored. The best way to intervene is to pursuade the person to see their mental health therapist as you have done, and I'm puzzled by your comment this was not taken seriously.

Does your sister live with someone or is she living alone? Has she made any previous attempts at suicide?

If you have access to her home and with your sister's agreement, alcohol and unnecessary drugs and medications should be disposed of. In your conversations with her, if you can determine her reasons for dying and reasons for living, draw her attention to her reasons for living as opposed to her reasons for dying.

To provide your sister with tangible help, you could write the phone number of the local crisis line on a piece of paper and stick it on her fridge or other prominent place, along with the numbers 911.

Recommend that she call the crisis line when she begins thinking about suicide at home and if she does happen to act on her suicide plan, reinforce with her that she calls 911.