Suicidal and Scared

I have worked with a number of clients who experience suicidal thoughts. Many people experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their life. Having suicidal thoughts doesn’t mean that you are “crazy”, or that you should be “locked up”. So many of the people I have worked with our afraid that if they are honest about their suicidal thoughts that they will be hospitalized, labeled, not taken seriously, or not understood. For many people having these thoughts are scary and upsetting. They may be scared about actually acting on them and taking their own life. It is important for people who are having thoughts about wanting to hurt themselves to talk to someone about their thoughts. Sometimes just being able to find someone you trust to talk to about your scary thoughts, can help them not be as scary. It is best if you can find a mental health professional who is comfortable talking to people about their suicidal thoughts, unfortunately not all therapists are. Suicidal thoughts can be overwhelming if you don’t know how to cope with the thoughts. Learning how to cope with the thoughts can help you to feel less stressed by them. Recognizing that the thoughts may be created by lies or misunderstandings, that can get created in our head from negative life experiences. Typically, I work with clients to help develop a safety plan, or a way to help you feel safe and know how to cope with the suicidal thoughts when they arise. This can look very differently based on what things you can do that are calming for you. For some people it is important for them to engage in social relationships and get out of the house when they are experiencing suicidal thoughts. For others practicing mindfulness, journaling, exercising, or going to sleep can be helpful. Some of the important tools that can help are recognizing some of the negative thoughts that are present when the suicidal thoughts come up. Realizing how these thoughts are untrue and how things can change. So many times we may want to kill ourselves because we feel worthless, hopeless, helpless, and believe that we have no way to change our current situation. Finding ways to empower yourself and engage in activities in which you do have control and the power to change something can be very helpful. So hang in there. Reach out to someone you trust and find a therapist or counselor who can help you get through this difficult time. You don’t have to go through this alone!