Suicidal feelings
Explains what suicidal feelings are, and what you can do if you feel suicidal right now. Also covers the causes, treatments and support options for suicidal feelings, including ways to help yourself in the long term.
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Where can I get treatment and support for suicidal feelings?
If you are experiencing ongoing suicidal feelings, you might feel as if there's nothing that could help. But there is support available to help you cope with the problems that may be causing you to feel suicidal.
This page covers:
Support through your GP
Going to your GP is a good starting point for getting support. It is common to worry about talking to your doctor about suicidal feelings. But they will be used to listening to people who are experiencing difficult feelings.
Your GP can:
- refer you to talking therapies
- prescribe you medication
- refer you to specialist services, such as a community mental health team (CMHT).
See the page on talking to your GP for tips on how to speak to your doctor about your mental health.
Always ask for help. Talking is hard but people can help us through the hard times.
Helplines and listening services
Helplines and listening services can be good ways of getting information or support when you need it. Many are available across different times of the day, and provide a confidential, judgement-free service.
Talking to someone on the telephone can also be helpful if you are finding it difficult to open up to people you know, or don't want to speak to someone face-to-face.
You can call Mind's Infoline for information and signposting to other sources of help.
Or see our page on helplines and listening services for more information, including a list of organisations you can speak to.
I've saved the Samaritans number so I know there is always a place to talk.
Peer support
Peer support brings together people who've had similar experiences to support each other. You may find it a helpful way to share your thoughts, feelings and tips for coping with others who understand what you are going through.
Peer support can happen face-to-face, in groups or one-on-one. It can also happen over the telephone or via text messages. Or it could take place online, for example over email, within online support communities or on social media. You might prefer online support if you aren't comfortable talking face-to-face about how you feel.
There are a few different places that you can find online peer support, including:
- Big White Wall, which offers support from trained professionals as well as peer support from other people experiencing mental health problems. The website is free to access for many areas of the UK, although in some cases you might need a referral from your GP to use the service.
- Side by Side, Mind's supportive online community.
See our pages on peer support or contact your local Mind for more information about peer support options in your area.
Or see our page on online mental health tools to find out more about accessing peer support online.
Talking therapies
Talking therapies are treatments which involve talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. For example, this could be speaking with a counsellor or a psychotherapist.
Talking therapies can help you understand why you're experiencing suicidal feelings. They can also help you think about ways to help yourself cope with and resolve these feelings.
There may be a long waiting list in your area to access talking therapies on the NHS. But you may be able to access them through charities, your workplace or university. Or you might be able to access them privately at a reduced rate.
See our pages on talking therapies for more information about different types of treatment and how you can access them.
Medication
There isn't a specific drug licensed to treat suicidal feelings. But your doctor might prescribe you psychiatric medication to help you cope with your symptoms. Or they might prescribe medication to treat a mental health problem which may be causing your suicidal feelings.
These medications may include:
Can medication make me feel worse?
Psychiatric medication may be prescribed to help treat a mental health problem that is causing suicidal feelings. But some people find these medications actually make them feel worse. See our page on coping with the side effects of psychiatric medication for more information.
If you experience suicidal feelings while taking psychiatric medication, you should talk to your GP as soon as possible about this.
Crisis services
A crisis service is any service that is available at short notice to help and support you during a mental health crisis. These services include the following:
- Crisis resolution and home treatment (CRHT) teams can support you if you have a mental health crisis outside of hospital. They're often called 'crisis teams' for short, although your local service may have a different name. See our page on crisis teams for more information.
- Crisis houses offer intensive, short-term support to help you manage a mental health crisis in a residential setting, rather than in a hospital. See our page on crisis houses for more information, including how to find out what is available near you.
- Local support services may offer day services, drop-in sessions, counselling or issue-specific support. Many local branches of the Samaritans offer walk-in, face-to-face support. See our page on day services for more information about how to find and access local support services.
This information was published in April 2020.
This page is currently under review. All content was accurate when published.
References and bibliography available on request.
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