Help for Someone Else Who is Suicidal<O:P> </O:P> A suicidal person needs professional help. If someone is immediately suicidal, you need to get that person help at once:<O:P> </O:P> - if the person is under the care of a psychiatrist or psychologist, try to contact them, if you can
- take the person to the nearest hospital emergency room, or, if necessary: <O:P></O:P>
- call 911, or call your local police or ambulance service directly <O:P></O:P>
- If you are with the person, avoid leaving the person alone<O:P> </O:P>
If you think someone may be suicidal, talk to them. <O:P></O:P> - Let them know you are concerned <O:P></O:P>
- Listen to what they say <O:P></O:P>
- Watch how they look (do they look nervous, unhappy, agitated, depressed or listless, even though they are saying that "everything is fine"?)
- Try to be calm and non-judgmental<O:P> </O:P>
Avoid:<O:P> </O:P> - Criticizing the person, or trying to make them feel guilty (a suicidal person is already feeling depressed, unhappy, angry, guilty, etc.). <O:P></O:P>
- Minimizing the problem (saying "It's nothing," etc.) Remember that what seems like a small problem to you may be a very big problem to the person that you're talking to.
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