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Suicide Hotlines and Sites
What if I or someone I know is in crisis?
If you are thinking about harming yourself, or know someone who is, tell someone who can help immediately.
- Call your doctor.
- Call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room to get immediate help or ask a friend or family member to help you do these things.
- Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255); TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889) to talk to a trained counselor.
- Make sure you or the suicidal person is not left alone.
To help a friend or relative:
- Offer emotional support, understanding, patience and encouragement.
- Engage your friend or relative in conversation, and listen carefully.
- Never disparage feelings your friend or relative expresses, but point out realities and offer hope.
- Never ignore comments about suicide, and report them to your friend's or relative's therapist or doctor.
- Invite your friend or relative out for walks, outings and other activities. Keep trying if he or she declines, but don't push him or her to take on too much too soon. Although diversions and company are needed, too many demands may increase feelings of failure.
- Remind your friend or relative that with time and treatment, the depression will lift.
Warning signs of suicide include:
- Talking about suicide
- Statements about hopelessness, helplessness or worthlessness
- Preoccupation with death
- Suddenly happier and/or calmer
- Loss of interest in things one cares about
- Setting one’s affairs in order, and/or giving things away
- Statements about hopelessness, helplessness or worthlessness
- Preoccupation with death
- Suddenly happier and/or calmer
- Loss of interest in things one cares about
- Setting one’s affairs in order, and/or giving things away
Research ALSO shows that risk factors for suicide include:
- depression and other mental disorders, or a substance-abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors.
- stressful life events, in combination with other risk factors, such as depression. However, suicide and suicidal behavior are not normal responses to stress; many people have these risk factors, but are not suicidal.
- prior suicide attempt
- family history of mental disorder or substance abuse
- family history of suicide
- family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
- firearms in the home, the method used in more than half of suicides
- incarceration
- exposure to the suicidal behavior of others, such as family members, peers, or media figures.
Where Can I Go For Help?
If you are unsure where to go for help, ask your family doctor. Others who can help are listed below.
Mental Health Resources:- Mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, or mental health counselors
- Health maintenance organizations
- Community mental health centers
- Hospital psychiatry departments and outpatient clinics
- Mental health programs at universities or medical schools
- State hospital outpatient clinics
- Family services, social agencies or clergy
- Peer support groups
- Private clinics and facilities
- Employee assistance programs
- Local medical and/or psychiatric societies
- You can also check the phone book under "mental health," "health," "social services," "hotlines," or "physicians" for phone numbers and addresses. An emergency room doctor also can provide temporary help and can tell you where and how to get further help.
Alive Campaign Blog
Suicide Rates
According to federal health officials, "The U.S. suicide rate among preteens and teens rose to its highest rate in 15 years in 2004, with the biggest jump among girls ages 10-14."
According to statistics released in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Sept. 6, "From 1990-2003, the total suicide rate for 10- to 24-year-olds declined by 28.5% to 6.78 deaths per 100,000. Yet between 2003 and 2004, the overall rate of suicide for that age group climbed 8% to 7.32 deaths per 100,000, the largest single-year rise in 15 years." The report also discovered that the rate of suffocation or hanging suicides in 2003-2004 among girls between the ages of 10-14 more than doubled.
Based on an analysis of annual data from CDC's National Vital Statistics System, "In 2004, approximately 161,000 youth and young adults ages 10-24 received emergency medical care for self-inflicted injuries."
Of every 100,000 people in each of the following ethnic/racial groups below, the following number died by suicide in 2004.
- Highest rates:
- Non-Hispanic Whites — 12.9 per 100,000
- American Indian and Alaska Natives — 12.4 per 100,000
- Lowest rates:
- Non-Hispanic Blacks — 5.3 per 100,000
- Asian and Pacific Islanders — 5.8 per 100,000
- Hispanics — 5.9 per 100,000
About Me
- Katie
- I love knowing what I want out of life. I love my amazing family, my beautiful friends, and wonderful boyfriend. I enjoy doing medical research and reading the newspaper. Love meeting new people taking millions of pictures, and dancing. “This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”
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