by Teresa Weimer

Created on: October 08, 2009   Last Updated: October 09, 2009

Suicide is serious, so whatever you do don't take it lightly. Unless you're a doctor, counselor, suicide survivor, or someone with professional mental health training, be aware that even your best intentions won't prepare you to deal with your friend's needs on your own. Helping a friend over the initial hurdle by keeping them alive should be your ultimate and immediate goal.

1. The moment suicidal thoughts are conveyed to you is the moment you should take first action. Don't delay, thinking you have time, or put the information on the back burner. You can't be certain how serious or how quickly your friend might be willing to act when dealing with desperate or hopeless emotions.

2. Offer your friend every bit of assistance you can, from listening to staying with them. Suicide is typically an act of isolation, so few people will take their own lives with an audience. Your ability to remain close helps prevent your friend from acting on their desire or impulse to commit suicide.

3. Understand that you alone cannot resolve all of your friend's problems by saying the right things. You can help by being uplifting, supportive, and reassuring, but preventing suicide is rarely as simple as offering some sweet and fluffy icing on a soft and floppy cake. It takes a lot more than comforting words and pleasant thoughts to break a depressive cycle. Your kind words help, but they aren't a cure.

4. If you don't have instant access to resources like the internet, you may consider contacting a family member, close friend, or someone you trust to help you locate professional help such as suicide hot lines or mental health providers. Make the effort to find someone qualified quickly that can talk to your friend. Most suicide prevention hot lines operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Suicide counselors are trained to handle critical situations, so don't take on the burden alone. You could wind up opening the door to your own guilt if you're friend manages to follow through.

5. Listen carefully and try to retain as much information as your friend is willing to share. You may need to provide the information to a professional at a later date. Your friend needs your help, since they are incapable of knowing how to help themselves in their current state of mind. You can act as their temporary logic and rationale until medical intervention can occur.

6. Don't offer to run errands which will leave them alone, as this provides them with an opportunity to follow through on the suicide.

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