I’m feeling suicidal. What should I do?

What to do when you feel suicidal.

If you are reading this page then perhaps you or someone you know is thinking about suicide. If your friend or family member is thinking of suicide you can read more on our factsheet on helping a friend who is suicidal.

Understanding suicidal feelings

Suicidal feelings can be frightening for the person experiencing them as well as their friends and family. Suicide is complex and sometimes there may seem to be no obvious reason as to why you might feel suicidal. You may be finding it difficult to talk about your feelings, and what’s going on for you. You may want people to understand but may not have the words to adequately describe what is going on.

What can I do if I feel suicidal?

Here are some things you can do if you're having suicidal feelings.

1. Go to where you feel safest

Try to avoid being alone, and think about where you feel safe. This may mean coming out of your bedroom and joining family or flatmates, asking someone to call over or making a call to someone.

2. Talk to someone

If you are concerned about yourself the first thing you should do is to talk to someone. Choose someone you trust like a family member or friend. You might find it difficult to put words on how you’re feeling but that’s ok. Just even saying to someone that you’re not feeling well and not ok will be enough to let them know you need their support. Read about how to open up to someone about your mental health here.

It can be hard to talk, and it can be hard to know where to start. Talking about your inner fears and feelings can be difficult. Sometimes it feels like you don’t have the right words to describe how you are feeling, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed by your emotions. It’s easy to understand a physical pain but an emotional pain can be confusing and it can be harder to understand why you feel a certain way. Don’t worry this is extremely common, and you’re not the first person to feel this way.

3. Write things down

Sometimes people choose to write their feelings down on paper and use that to help them speak to a family member or friend.

4. Visit your GP

If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to someone you know, you should go to your local GP who will be able to refer you onto other services if necessary. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed by what you are feeling, as your GP will have seen it all before. Read our article on visiting a GP for a mental health problem.

5. Call emergency services

If you are feeling extremely bad and feel that you may be suicidal, you should ring 999 or 112 or go to you local A&E as soon as you can.

6. Get rid of anything you can use to hurt yourself

If you have anything that you could use to hurt yourself, dispose of it or give it to someone you trust.

7. Call or text a helpline

Pieta House offer services for people who self-harm, suffer from suicidal ideation or have made suicide attempts, you can contact them 24/7 by texting 'Help' to 51444 to get started (standard text messaging rates apply) or by calling 1800 247 247.

Samaritans offers a 24 hour listening service over text message, text 'Hello' to 087 260 9090 to get started (standard text messaging rates apply) or call 116 123 to talk to someone over the phone.

Childline text and instant messaging services are available from 10am - 4am every day to young people under 18, text 'Talk' to 50101 to talk to a trained counsellor by text message or call 1800 66 66 66.