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If
You Are Feeling Suicidal
If you are feeling like you want to kill
yourself, we want to help. We know you are hurting right now, but
you don't have to go through this alone. This page contains some
suggestions for things you can do right away to help yourself get
through the immediate crisis and have a chance to find other solutions.
Talk to someone who has experience helping people
in your situation:
- a crisis or suicide hotline
- a private therapist, counselor, or psychologist
- a community mental health agency
- a school counselor
- a family physician
- a religious/spiritual leader
Develop a list of things that you can do when
you are in crisis.
When you find yourself getting overwhelmed, go down your list and
do each thing until you are able to go on. For instance, your list
might include:
- Do some deep breathing exercises. Count to
ten while breathing.
- Take a hot bath.
- Call a crisis hotline (keep the number with
you and by your phone).
- Eat your favorite food.
- Watch a movie on TV.
- Read a magazine.
- Write in a journal.
- Call friends or support people (keep their
numbers with you and by your phone).
- Go for a walk.
Your list should contain many items that help
you to calm down, and may not be like the list above at all. The
important thing is that it is useful to you.
Avoid using drugs and alcohol when you are
feeling desperate or in a crisis.
Although it is tempting to try to use them to try to numb painful
feelings, they can make your emotions more volatile, and affect
your judgment. Using drugs or alcohol while you are in crisis will
greatly increase your risk of hurting or killing yourself impulsively,
even though you may not have have fully decided to do that.
Give yourself today.
The option of killing yourself isn't going to go away. It is a choice
you can make tomorrow or next week or next month, if you decide
that's still what you want. When you are feeling so bad that you
want to kill yourself, the thought of just surviving the days ahead
can seem exhausting, overwhelming, and unbearable. So
try to focus on just getting through today, not the rest of your
life. Your coping ability is greatly weakened right now.
You may not be able to imagine getting through this -- but your
thoughts can play tricks on you when you're in crisis. So don't
try to handle thoughts of the future right now; just make a decision
to get through today. Today may be painful, but you can decide to
survive it and give some other options a chance, at least for a
day.
Remember that however alone you feel, there
are people who want to talk with you, who want to help. Call
a crisis line to talk with someone like that right now. In the Tallahassee
/ Big Bend area, call 2-1-1, 24-hours
a day. If you are located elsewhere in the United States, check
your phonebook or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
You may also wish to visit some of the links
on our Suicide Resources page.
Disclaimer: The information provided here
is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute
for seeking professional care for the diagnosis and treatment of
any mental/psychiatric disorders.
Reference: Suicide Prevention Resource Center |
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