Personalized Prevention Plans for Suicidal Moments

It's one of the most sensitive subjects regarding mental health but it's something that we need to talk about, to empathize with, and to find ways to prevent. But we don't have as much understanding about the suicidal thought process or triggers which would help us devise methods of helping people who struggle with it.

But there’s been some encouraging progress in recent years, both in understanding the suicidal thought process and in developing individual and societal interventions to better assist those caught in the crucible of such a crisis. Instead of encouraging people to sign no-suicide contracts, clinicians now are more likely to work with a patient to design a personalized prevention plan to use when suicidal thoughts flare.

In trying to formulate prevention methods, we look first into how a person gets from one point to another, that is, how suicidal thoughts lead to an attempt. The Three-Step Theory is especially useful in giving insight on how this happens.

The gist of the Three-Step Theory is that it starts when a person feels a sense of hopelessness from emotional or physical pain.

That may not be enough to push someone to the edge but the second step, not having a tether or someone that a person deeply connects or resonates with, might provide the basis for a person to take the third step, which is to make an attempt.

This leads to the discourse on trying to prevent the act by removing the means as well as providing intervention plans that would help the person look for another way to deal with their situation.

But there is a surprising safety net for all potential suicide victims: time. It’s on their side if they can be kept away from guns or other immediately lethal means. Research shows again and again that the window of peak suicide risk is narrow, frequently just an hour or so, and sometimes less than 20 minutes. “The choice to take one’s life is rarely a long-term stable choice,” Klonsky says. “It’s usually made in the moment of crisis that’s not as bad even five or six hours later.”

People going through this struggle need to know that there is hope and that there are people who care about them. Go and show someone you care. For those who are on the verge of crisis, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24/7, 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).

(Image credit: Benjamin Davies/Unsplash)


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