How to Empathize with People Who Have Suicidal Tendencies

Over 800,000 people die due to suicide every year and there are many more who try to attempt it.^[1] Having suicidal tendencies is actually a call for help that shouldn’t be ignored by the society. A person’s life is at stake from the constant torments of their inner demons to the points that they decided that enough is enough and chose to end it. Suicidal feelings may include believing that “death is your only option, having low self-esteem and feelings of anger that you direct towards yourself.”^[2] There are several ways to show your empathy towards people with suicidal tendencies, including lending an ear, showing that you care about them and giving them hope.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Lending Your Ears

Start by being an “active listener”. In other words, be attentive to what the person in crisis has to say and maintain direct eye contact, as well as showing your willingness to talk about anything with that person, including their feelings about suicide.
Try to communicate about their problems. Seek to understand their situation without passing your judgement on them as this would only drive them away. Offer them the specific help that they wanted, despite them being dormant or closed-off.
Validate their feelings. Let them know that it's okay to be upset, and there's nothing wrong with them for having a hard time. This can help them feel cared about and understood. Use phrases like "I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with that" and "That must be hard."

[Edit]Showing That You Care

Hide harmful materials from their line of sight. This falls under the category of exhibiting care for their well-being. This is because statistics has shown that 49.9% of U.S citizens committed suicide using a firearm and 26.7% uses suffocation as a means for suicide.^[3] In other words, people with suicidal tendencies are at a higher risk of committing suicide should they be exposed to harmful materials.
- Offer to help them manage their medications. Work with them to help them take their medication safely and as directed. Ask them how they want you to help them.
- Lock up any firearms, and don't tell them the combination. Or, get rid of the firearm.
Don't leave them alone to their thoughts. This falls under the category of showing that you care for them as a whole. If a person has expressed suicidal feelings has a plan, the means available and has a time set, you should always take them seriously and be sure to never leave them unattended.
- If you absolutely must leave them alone for a while, make sure they are set up with something to do (e.g. a movie), ensure that they feel they're feeling okay enough to be left alone, and tell them when you'll be back to check in and say hi.
Keep in touch with them so you can be there for them. Stay with them or arrange for someone whom they trust to stay with them. It is important for them to stay in supportive circle of people that will always remind them that they are important, and give them a sense of belonging. Never let them be alone and mulling about with their dark thoughts without support.
- It's also helpful to provide them with a list of helpful resources, especially if they live alone. This can help them reach out when they need help. For instance, tell them if they want to text someone, they can reach the Crisis Text Line by sending a message to 741741 in the US, 686868 in Canada, or 85258 in the UK.
Look out for any warning signs. For example, if the person suddenly isolates themselves from the society, drops in academic performance, or constantly visits suicide promoting websites, these could be indicators of a problem. It is very important for you to keep a constant awareness and to always look out for signs of a cry for help. Usually, the people with suicidal tendencies are reluctant to seek help due to societal stigma, so it's important for you to be the one who is on the lookout.

[Edit]Showing Your Empathy

Give them hope. Help them think about positive things, such as how valuable they are to others, how their loss would be tremendous for the people around them and to look forward to the exciting events that is to come in life, and also help them to love themselves because there’s always a second chance, even for people who feel they've made mistakes in the past.
Encourage them to stop dwelling on the past. While there are many reasons why a person would consider suicide, thinking about the past can make things worse. However, it's often hard to stop thinking about past events. Help them focus their thoughts on the present and their future. Additionally, get them brainstorming about positive events that may come.
Build a strong support system for them. Connect them with people who have survived suicide attempts, people they trust, and people in their life who are supportive. This will help them feel a sense of belonging and eventually they may feel positive and hopeful about life.