What to do if a friend is suicidal

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If your friend is in imminent danger of hurting themselves, or has said they will kill themselves, CALL 911 and if you are with them, do not leave them alone.

If you notice:

  • your friend does not feel like they can talk to anyone, even you
  • your friend is afraid of how they are feeling
  • your friend is not coping with day to day life and not taking care of the basics (eating, sleeping, keeping clean)
  • your friend is often under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • your friend is acting differently, like giving away favorite things, can't decide on anything when they used to be good at doing that, has been really moody, sleeping more or less than usual
  • your friend is talking about 'When I'm not around', 'Things would be great if I weren't here', 'I wish I was never born', 'I wish I would just die'
  • your friend seems to feel sad, overwhelmed, hopeless, withdrawn, confused, irritable

ASK YOUR FRIEND IF THEY ARE THINKING OF KILLING THEMSELVES.

It is a MYTH that talking about suicide will make or encourage someone to do it. They need someone to talk to. You can talk to them but NEVER keep threats or concerns about suicide to yourself. Someone tries suicide because they cannot see an end to their pain, not because they want to die. Offer your support but CALL 911 if they threaten to kill themselves. After they get help, they might be angry - but would you rather have your friend be angry, or be dead? An angry friend will get over it. A dead friend has no chance of being your friend again.


If you are worried about a friend who is going through a very hard time, and they are feeling like they just can’t go on, you can be there to support them and you can give them a hotline number to call and find professional support.

Suicide Hotlines There are several national hotlines for people who feel they cannot go on....you can call all of these numbers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) Deaf Hotline 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)


One hotline is dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people who are feeling hopeless:

The Trevor Project 1-866-4UTREVOR (1-866-488-7386)

A list of California based crisis hotlines can be found at http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/california-suicide-hotlines.html

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