What To Do about Suicide
For Yourself:
Talk to someone you trust. Things seem very bad sometimes, but the crisis will pass. Ask for help. You can be helped. You deserve it. You can talk to a relative, friend, Elder or councillor on your reserve or in your community. If there's nobody close to you that you feel you can trust, try telling someone from your community resource list.
For a Friend:
Don't act shocked. If someone tells you about her/his intentions, don't act shocked. This will put distance between the two of you.
Take it seriously. Even if it's a child saying he or she wants to die, pay attention to her/him. Maybe it is really nothing. But at the very least, it requires a heart to heart talk.
Listen. Allow her/him to express her/his feelings. Accept these feelings. Ask her/him questions about them.
Be non-judgmental. Don't debate whether suicide is right or wrong, or whether her/his feelings are good or bad. Don't lecture on the value of life. Don't argue with the person.
Show your concern. Tell them how much you care about them.
Get involved.
Show interest and support. Stay with the person until you know they are out of danger.
Don't dare him or her to do it.
Don't be sworn to secrecy.
Seek support. Make him/her aware of the alternatives. Be sincere; don't offer half-baked, far-fetched alternatives. Don't offer them clichés or things they've heard a million times.
Take action. Remove means, such as guns or stockpiled pills.
Get help. Contact a counselor, school counselor, psychologist, doctor, etc. It may take years for a person to mentally recover from a suicide attempt or to embrace life after thinking about suicide. Her/his family members and friends can speak with counselors and professionals, to find ways of helping the person heal the emotional or spiritual pain that pushed her/him to the attempt.
When it's Already Hppened...
If a relative or friend of yours has committed suicide, you might be blaming yourself. You might think that you could have helped or done more to help. You might be replaying the last time you saw the person, looking for any warning signs you missed. It's NORMAL for you to think and feel this way. But you have to know that when someone chooses to take their own life, it was a choice they made. You are not to blame for their death. Talk to someone you trust.
