Talking to a Person Who May be Suicidal

  • Remain calm and choose a private place to talk .
  • Use “I” statements to talk about what you have noticed.
  • Use a direct approach, Ask:

“Are you thinking of killing yourself?” or “Are you thinking of suicide?”

  • Listen and speak non-judgmentally
  • Don’t get angry, minimize, ignore, lecture, threaten, debate or moralize.
  • Don’t try to counsel them but refer them to resources in this brochure.