Suicide is a tragic event, made all the more tragic because there are often warning signs that indicate that someone may be considering this option.
Unless these things are talked about, then those signs may be missed and someone else ends up taking their life, with the ripples of such an event touching many lives.
Suicide must always be viewd as a possiblity among those who are under extreme stress. Analysis of suicidal behaviour often reveals the presence of conflicting forces that compete for the greater share of the person's mental energies. At issue is the will to live versus the will to die. Plans for self-destruction often proceed siumultaneously with fantasies of rescue.
Given this ambivalence, one way to assist people who are experiencing a suicidal crisis is to help them discover somethng about themselves that matters, hoever small or insignificant it may seem. Suicidal thoughts and behaviours indicate a critical loss of a person's belief in himself. Nevertheless, the desire to help a suicidal person should be tempered by the recognition that the sustaining motive to survive cannot come from outside, it must be generated from within the potentailly suicidal person.
Having said that, expert help from a mental health professional is essential. Therefore, if you suspect someone is suicidal, then you need to try and get them to see a professional. Encourage your friend to talk and to take positive steps to improve his situation. If you feel there is an immediate danger of suicide, ensure that the person is not left alone.
Please, give some serious consideration to these things for those friends you think may be at risk.
M.