When a good friend threatens suicide.
By seabeauty
@seabeauty (1480)
United States
April 10, 2009 6:28pm CST
I was on another message board earlier and there was a thread from a member who was on the phone trying to talk her friend out of committing suicide.
She was on there asking for help as to what to do to help her friend.
Of course most people told her to call 911 and have someone go to the house.
One person said that if she calls 911 it will only make the person do it faster.
That doesn't sound like good advice to me.
So should she have just kept talking to her friend and not call 911?
What would you have done in this situation?
4 people like this
4 responses
@coolcoder (2018)
• United States
10 Apr 09
I would stay on the phone for as long as possible and have someone else call 911, if there is anyone else around. You want to keeping talking to the person for as long as possible, in a non-threatening, non-judgmental manner. This person is in a world of pain--the last thing she needs is a scolding.
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
11 Apr 09
This is an excellent series of points that you have made coolcoder. You want to try to keep in constant contact so that you can be aware of all events taking place in an event like the one being discussed. You can't convince someone to avoid doing something stupid if you are no longer there to talk to them. People in a precarious state of mind can come up with some strange ideas which can lead to weird and irrational decisions.
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
11 Apr 09
Well it happened to me right here on Mylot, one of the users was telling me and everyone, they they mad a mistake and slept with his best friends girl. I had to talk to him snd tell him that there is nothing worth killing yourself over.
@nowthinklater (12)
• United States
11 Apr 09
I'd say the best kind of support you can give in that kind of situation is just being there in the first place. Sometimes, simply being a friend is enough to bring someone back from the edge, and even when you need to take more drastic steps, being there is always a good place to start.
