warning signs

Warning signs are the earliest observable clues that a person may be considering suicide in the near-term (within minutes, hours or days).

Cause for Immediate Concern:

  • Threatening suicide or expressing a strong wish to die
  • Seeking access to lethal means--guns, medications, poisons
  • Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide

If it's you...

If you find yourself acting or feeling in one or more of these ways, get help immediately. Dial 2-1-1 in Vermont, a mental health professional , Call 9-1-1 for police or emergency services or Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will reach a real person who can help, even if you only want to talk.

Or someone else...

urgentIf someone you know is behaving in any of these ways, get help right away. Stay with the person until professional help is available. Keep the person away from firearms, medications, alcohol and other substances which they might use to kill themselves or which might lower their resistance to causing themselves harm. Dial 2-1-1 in Vermont to reach a mental health professional, Call 9-1-1 for police or emergency services or Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will reach a real person who can help. Never leave a suicidal person alone.

Here are some critical signs of worrisome distress that a person may be thinking about suicide, indicating severe psychological pain. This person needs help:
  • Hopelessness
  • Rage, anger, seeking revenge
  • Impulsiveness and unnecessary risk-taking
  • Feelings of being trapped, like there’s no way out
  • Increasing alcohol or drug use
  • Abandonment of activities once considered enjoyable
  • Dramatic mood swings
  • Persistent feelings of failure
  • Persistent physical complaints
  • Making a plan—how, when, where
  • Giving away prized possessions, putting life in order
  • Showing abrupt improvement after a period of sadness or withdrawal
  • Feeling beyond help
  • Neglect of personal appearance
  • Preoccupation with death (through music, poetry, drawings, video games, movies)
  • Difficulty concentrating
Here are some indications of serious depression that could lead to suicide. This person needs help:
  • Unrelenting low mood
  • No sense of purpose in life
  • Desperation or feeling trapped
  • Anxiety, agitation or psychic pain
  • Withdrawal from family and friends
  • Sleep problems

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