If you are thinking about suicide

If you are reading this because you are thinking about ending your life, we are glad you are here. The pain you feel is real. You do not have to face it alone, and you do not have to decide anything right now.

This page is written for you. It starts with what to do in the next few minutes. Then it covers why these feelings can change, how to make a safety plan, and how to get through the next hours and days. If you are in danger right now or have hurt yourself, call 911.

Right now: four things you can do

1. Reach out to someone. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. A trained counselor will listen and help you stay safe. Veterans can press 1. For Spanish, press 2.¹ Or call a friend, relative or neighbor and say, "I'm not okay. Can you stay with me?"
2. Put distance between you and danger. If there is anything nearby you could use to hurt yourself, move away from it or ask someone to take it. If there are firearms in your home, ask a trusted person to store them somewhere else for now. Ask someone to keep your medicines and give you only what you need.⁹
3. Go somewhere safer, and do not stay alone. Be with a person you trust. Go to a public place, a friend's home or an emergency room.
4. Stay away from alcohol and drugs. Substance use is a known risk factor for suicide.⁸ Alcohol and drugs can make painful feelings stronger and make it harder to keep yourself safe.

Why these feelings can change

When pain is very strong, the mind narrows. It can feel as if nothing will ever change and there is no way forward. That narrowing is part of the pain itself. It is not the full truth about your life or your future.

Suicidal thoughts are not fixed. In one study, people rated their suicidal thoughts several times a day. For nearly everyone, the strength of those thoughts went up and down a lot within a few hours.⁴ Hopelessness, loneliness and feeling like a burden rose and fell too.⁴

So the moment you are in now is likely to shift. Your only job right now is to get through this moment, and then the next one.

You are also far from alone. In 2024, about 14.3 million adults in the U.S. had serious thoughts of suicide.³ Many people who once felt this way are alive today and glad to be. A review of 90 studies followed people treated at a hospital for self-harm or a suicide attempt. Even 9 or more years later, about 93 in 100 had not died by suicide.¹⁰

Make a safety plan

A safety plan is a short, written list of steps to use when suicidal thoughts get strong. The best-known version is the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention. You can make it with a counselor, a doctor or on your own. It works best written in your own words and kept where you can find it fast.⁵

The plan has six steps. You start with step 1 and move down the list until you feel safer.⁵

1. My warning signs. Thoughts, feelings or situations that tell you a crisis may be starting. For example: "I stop answering my phone," or "I start thinking everyone would be better off without me."
2. Things I can do on my own. Simple ways to cope without contacting anyone, such as a walk, a shower, music, prayer or slow breathing.
3. People and places that take my mind off things. A friend to call about anything, a coffee shop, a place of worship, a library or a senior center.
4. People I can ask for help. Family members or friends you can tell, "I'm having a hard time and need help."
5. Professionals and crisis lines. Your doctor or therapist, 988, and the address of the nearest emergency room.
6. Making my surroundings safer. A plan to limit access to anything you could use to hurt yourself, often with help from a trusted person.

Does it work? In a study at 9 Veterans Affairs emergency departments, 1,640 people at risk got either usual care or a safety plan plus follow-up phone calls. Over 6 months, about 3 in 100 people with a safety plan had suicidal behavior. With usual care, about 5 in 100 did. That is about 45% fewer.⁶ People with a safety plan were also more likely to go to a mental health visit.⁶ A review of 6 studies with 3,536 people found similar results. Safety planning cut suicidal acts by about 4 in 10, though it did not clearly lower suicidal thoughts themselves.⁷ Moderate evidence

Tips for your plan:

• Keep a copy on your phone and a paper copy in your wallet or by your bed.
• Share it with one or two people you trust.
• Update it when your life or your supports change.

You can build yours now with our free safety plan tool.

Reasons for living

Having reasons for living is one of the things that protects people from suicide. Family, friends and pets are common examples.⁸

It can help to write your reasons down and add them to your safety plan. Small reasons count. Here are some ideas:

• People you love, or who love you
• A pet that depends on you
• Your faith or values
• Something you want to see, finish or try
• Small things you would miss, such as a favorite meal, the first warm day of spring, or a song

If you cannot think of any right now, that is common when pain is strong. Ask someone who knows you well to help. You can also come back to this list on a better day.

Getting through the next few hours

Strong feelings are like a wave. They build, peak and then ease. These steps can help you ride the wave until it passes.

• Slow your breathing. Try a cyclic sigh or box breathing for a few minutes.
• Ground yourself in the room. Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you can taste. See grounding.
• Use a skill made for crisis moments. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches distress tolerance skills for getting through intense moments without making things worse.
• Be near people. Sit with a family member, call a friend, or go somewhere with other people around.
• Put off big decisions. Tell yourself, "Not today." You can decide to wait.
• Take care of your body. Drink water, eat something small and rest if you can.

Our calm plan can help you list the calming steps that work best for you.

The next few days

• Tell a professional. Call your doctor or therapist and say you have been having thoughts of suicide. If you do not have one, a primary care doctor is a good first step. See how to find a therapist.
• Keep dangerous items away for now. Leave medicines, firearms and other dangerous items with a trusted person until you feel steadier.⁹
• Ask someone to check on you each day. A short call or text is enough.
• Plan one small thing each day. A walk, a meal with someone, or a task you can finish. Small actions can lift mood over time.
• Go easy on alcohol, or avoid it.
• Keep your safety plan close, and use it when you notice your warning signs.

Talking to a doctor

It can feel scary to say the words out loud. You might start with, "I've been having thoughts of suicide, and I want help."

Doctors and nurses are trained to ask about suicide. They will ask questions to understand how you are doing and how to keep you safe. When patients screen positive for suicide risk in medical settings, only a small share need urgent care in a hospital. Most are helped with outpatient follow-up and other mental health care.¹²

Several treatments focus directly on suicidal thoughts. They include cognitive behavioral therapy for suicide prevention, DBT, and treatment for depression, substance use or pain. Learn more in Treatment to lower suicide risk and Depression.

If you take medicines, tell your doctor about all of them. Do not stop or change a medicine on your own. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before changing anything.

When to call 911

Common questions

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.