How to get help when you are having suicidal thoughts

Fearing that your life is never going to be good can give you dark, negative, and self-harming (suicidal) thoughts.  

These thoughts can make you think that death might solve your problems. But this is far from the truth. Although these thoughts might not always lead to suicide, these thoughts can give you stress, depression, or anxiety. So, it is important to get help before it’s too late.  

Keep reading this article to know how you can get help to deal with your suicidal thoughts.  

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, causing 45,979 deaths in 2020. World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed annually on September 10th. 

 Suicidal thoughts are defined as clear thoughts on how to execute a suicide, even though, not all suicidal thoughts lead to suicide. But these kinds of thoughts can make you overwhelmed, hopeless, and unsure of who can help you or support you. Sharing these thoughts with someone is hard because you don’t want to be judged or questioned about them.  

Let us tell you, these thoughts are common even in people who don’t have depression or anxiety. You can get help from various social services and groups with your problems without judging you. So that you can lead a happy life.
 “Don’t avoid people instead, learn how you can avoid these thoughts that ruin your happiness.” 

What are the causes behind these thoughts? 

Suicidal thoughts are caused by multiple factors that lead you to these thoughts:  

• Having a challenging situation in life where you can’t find a way out.  
• Having a death or suicide (in family or friends). 
• Suffering from chronic or life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, etc. 
• Bullying in school or the workplace 
• Having a firearm or weapon at home 
• Attempting suicide in the past 
• Inherited from the family 

Other than these causes some mental conditions can lead to these thoughts, including: 

• Severe depression 
• Schizophrenia 
• Bipolar disorder 
• Anxiety 
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 
• Eating disorders 

How do I deal with these thoughts? 

These thoughts do not always mean that you want to commit suicide but still, these thoughts are the major plan builder on how to execute suicide. So, you must know how you can deal with these thoughts.  

These are the several ways that can help you to manage these thoughts: 

• Watch out for signs and triggers that lead to that kind of thought. Note them and try to avoid them as much as possible. Make a safety plan to escape. Don’t make any decisions. Your mind will only give you negative thoughts which can be harmful to you and even lead to suicide.  
• Learn how you can cope with these thoughts. You should visit a doctor or psychiatrist to learn some strategies that will help you cope with these situations. They also guide you on how to identify the triggers or signs that lead to these kinds of thoughts and help to make a safety plan. 
• Find some distractions that help you to avoid those kinds of thoughts. For example, watching tv, playing games, going out for a walk, playing with your pet, etc.  
• Make sure you don’t stay alone because staying alone increases the amount of these thoughts and not being able to ignore them. So, stay with the people who care about you and make it easier for you to cope with these thoughts.  
• Understand that these feelings and thoughts are temporary and with time things will change. So, hold on to the hope that everything will be all right with time. You can write down the reasons that make you go on living such as people that love you, people that depend on you, your pet, etc.  
• Avoid relying upon drugs and alcohol because it does not reduce your pain and thoughts instead, it increases your thoughts and impulses in you to harm yourself.  
• Make sure you have the helpline numbers on speed dial in case you have self-harming thoughts.  

You are not alone, remember that. Sharing your feelings not only eases your mind but might help you in the situations you’re dealing with. If you share those feelings with a psychiatrist, it is better because they can give you the right kind of support that you need.  

How to get help?  

Getting help is not hard but making up your mind to get help is hard. But understand that this can solve your problem or might give you the relief you need. These are the ways you can get help: 

• Talk to your friend and share everything without the thought of them judging you.  
• Call a suicide hotline number to prevent self-harming actions. For example, call or text 988 to reach a Suicide and crisis lifeline that is available 24/7 to save lives. 
• Visit a psychiatrist for treatment.  
• Visit your family doctor or health care provider.  

Suicide thoughts are not permanent. Having bad and negative thoughts is normal but thinking that killing yourself is never the solution to the problems. Understand that life has its hurdles, and you need to clear them to move on. 

You can avoid these thoughts by avoiding their triggers and signs or getting help. A psychiatrist helps you to avoid these thoughts by teaching some strategies and giving you treatment if you have a mental condition.  

Want to know how to handle suicidal thoughts? At Doral Health and Wellness, we have doctors that can help you manage your condition. For more information, you can visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11212, or call us on 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://doralhw.org or contact us at info@doralhw.org if you have any queries.