Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one’s own life. Suicidal feelings can affect any one of us at any time. Many people struggle to talk about these feelings or ask for help as they’re worried about how people will react.
For more information on suicidal feelings and possible causes visit:
Help for suicidal thoughts
If you feel like you want to die, it’s important to tell someone. Talk to someone you trust and/or contact one of the free helplines below.
Helplines:
Samaritans – for everyone
Call 116 123 – 24/7
Email jo@samaritans.org
Mental Health Helpline – for everyone
Call 0800 915 4640 - Monday to Friday 7pm – 11pm, weekends 12 noon – 12 midnight
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men
Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
Visit the webchat page
Papyrus – for people under 35
Call 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm
Text 07786 209697
Email pat@papyrus-uk.org
Childline – for children and young people under 19
Call 0800 1111 – the number won't show up on your phone bill, 24/7
The Silver Line – for older people
Call 0800 4 70 80 90 – 24/7
If you need immediate help to stay safe, or are supporting someone who needs immediate help:
- call your GP – ask for an emergency appointment
- call 111 out of hours – they will help you find the support and help you need
If you have seriously harmed yourself – for example, by taking a drug overdose – call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E.
Or ask someone else to call 999 or take you to A&E.
Staying safe
This site offers ways to help keep people safer from thoughts of harm and suicide. It contains useful resources, including videos from people who have felt this way themselves
The website provides guidance tools designed to help people through the process of writing their own safety plan. Safety plans can help identify actions and strategies to resist suicidal thoughts and develop positive ways to cope with stress and emotional distress.
Support after suicide
The following information may be helpful if you have been bereaved by suicide, or are supporting someone:
Help is at Hand support guide
Cruse Bereavement Care
Guide to coroner services and coroner investigations
Suicide prevention training
Free suicide prevention online training course from the Zero Suicide Alliance
This 20 minute course teaches people how to recognise the warning signs and safeguard someone who could be contemplating suicide.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two day course which enables those coming into contact with vulnerable people to:
- Identify whether someone is having thoughts of suicide
- Reach an understanding of the reasons for a person’s suicidal thoughts and their reasons for wanting to live
- Review immediate risk and develop a plan to increase safety
- Follow up on all safety commitments
- Access further help as required
Blackpool Council is offering this course free of charge to frontline staff and volunteers working with vulnerable people in Blackpool.
For more information, please email: nmdtraining@outlook.com