CALM'S Guide to
Suicidal Thoughts

HOW DO SUICIDAL THOUGHTS FEEL?

You can have suicidal thoughts at any point in your life. They can be general thoughts about not wanting to be alive, or specific thoughts about how to end your life. When you’re in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, sad, angry, or panicked, you might briefly think about wanting to take your own life. This is a passing feeling and so long as those feelings don’t last for extensive lengths of time or become too intrusive or overwhelming, they’re nothing to worry about. In fact, they’re actually pretty common.

Suicidal thoughts can spiral and make it difficult to think about or do anything else. If you are regularly having suicidal thoughts, or they are becoming overwhelming and difficult to ignore, you should talk to someone about how you're feeling. Speaking to someone about how you feel can help you to break the cycle and stop your mind running wild. It could be a friend or family member, a medical professional, or a CALM helpline worker.

WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?

People who experience suicidal thoughts often want to end their life to be free of emotional or physical pain, to put an end to a difficult situation, to regain a sense of control when everything else feels out of control, or to relieve someone of a perceived burden. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, life can feel hopeless. Often in this situation, you can feel that other people will be better off without you, but this is never the case. Suicide has a devastating effect on the people left behind, including family, friends and whole communities.

While suicide can seem like the only way to deal with your situation, there's ALWAYS another option – even if that feels impossible right now. CALM’s helpline workers are there to listen, not to judge, have links with other helpful organisations and could offer you the support you need to stop feeling suicidal. We offer help, information and support to anyone calling within the UK, regardless of age, gender or geographic location. CALM is there to support whoever needs us, no matter what.

DEALING WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

Thoughts of hurting yourself are temporary and will pass. If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts there are things you can do to help you cope with the distress you are feeling. It can help to come up with a list or a plan to follow when you feel like hurting yourself. It could include:

• Talk to someone you trust about your suicidal thoughts. It sounds like a big deal, but speaking to someone will help you find a way forward.
• Don’t know who to speak to? The CALM helpline is here for you if you’re thinking about taking your own life. CALM helpline staff are non-judgemental, and your call will be free, confidential and anonymous.
• Suicidal thoughts are just that – thoughts. Thoughts will pass, you don’t need to act on them.
• Focus on the here and now. You can’t control the future, but you can get through the next hour.

TALK ABOUT SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

It can be difficult to talk about suicidal thoughts with your friends, family or a medical professional. Here’s some ways you can start a conversation around how you’re feeling:

YOU'RE NOT ALONE

Illustration by Thomas Hedger.