In the US, nearly 50,000 people die by suicide per year. And hundreds of thousands more struggle with suicidal thoughts and mental health challenges [1]. It’s important to know you’re not alone. It’s possible to find hope again, and your suffering can be reduced.
Read on to understand the myths around suicide, steps you can take during a crisis, and long-term treatment options to help you heal.
What Are Suicidal Thoughts?
Suicidal thoughts involve thinking about or planning to end one’s own life. It is also known as suicidal ideation. Thoughts can vary from fleeting feelings of “I want to die” (passive suicidal ideation) to detailed plans of how one would attempt suicide (active suicide).
People experiencing these thoughts often feel hopeless, isolated, and overwhelmed by mental exhaustion. Suicidal thoughts do not always lead to suicide, but can greatly increase the risk of an attempt.
Myths and Misconceptions
There are several myths and misconceptions about suicidal thoughts that can be harmful and increase mental health stigma. Understanding these can make it easier to recognize the signs of suicide in a loved one and support them.
- Myth: People who talk about suicide won’t actually do it.
Fact: This is often a cry for help and should always be taken seriously.
- Myth: You can’t be suicidal if you aren’t diagnosed with depression
Fact: Suicidal thoughts can arise in those without mental health disorders.
- Myth: Asking someone about suicidal thoughts will encourage them to do it or plant the idea in their head.
Fact: Open conversations reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help.
Why Do People Experience Suicidal Tendencies?
Suicidal ideation doesn’t discriminate, it can affect anyone, from any gender or background. However, certain risk factors can increase the risk of someone experiencing suicidal thoughts. These include [1]:
- Mental health disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorder increase the risk of suicide.
- Stressful life events or prolonged stress, such as financial crisis, divorce, or grief, can increase suicidal ideation.
- Environmental factors such as experiencing bullying or assault, easy access to drugs or firearms, exposure to suicide in others, and social isolation all raise the risk of suicide.
Immediate Steps You Can Take
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or symptoms of a mental health crisis there are several immediate steps you can take to get stabilized and connect with support.
Talk to Someone You Trust
Speak with someone you trust, such as a family member, friend, mental health therapist, or spiritual advisor. If you already have a counselor, let them know you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts. Having suicidal thoughts won’t automatically get you involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. Hospitalization usually only happens if the mental health professional believes you are at an immediate risk of harming yourself.
Making A Safety Plan
Create a safety plan for times of emergencies. This includes what to do and who to call during a mental health crisis. This might consist of trusted loved ones, resources, or hotlines. These plans also often include coping skills to reduce distress, and soothing items such as pictures of loved ones, a stress ball, or even a stuffed animal.
Calling a Suicide Prevention Hotline
Your safety plan should include numbers for local and national suicide prevention hotlines. These offer 24/7, confidential support, and counselors can connect you with mental health resources or emergency services if necessary. For life-threatening emergencies, please call 911.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741
SAMHSA Distress Helpline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746
Long-Term Strategies for Managing Suicidal Thoughts
There are several treatments that can help reduce suicidal thinking. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) tend to be the most widely used treatments to address suicidal thoughts and behavior. These focus on reframing negative thoughts, reducing emotional distress, regulating emotions, and building positive coping skills.
However, several other less commonly known treatments show quicker results than CBT and DBT, especially when paired with holistic healing strategies and positive lifestyle changes.
Innovative Options for Suicidal Thoughts
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS): Specifically created to treat suicidal thoughts by focusing on a person’s reasons for living/dying, collaboration between therapist and client, and addressing what makes life feel unbearable.
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy: Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic and psychedelic agent used in clinical settings as a treatment for depression, trauma, OCD, and other mental health disorders. It has been shown to have rapid anti-suicidal effects (sometimes within hours) and is especially helpful for treatment-resistant depression.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT teaches patients to accept thoughts (even suicidal ones) with compassion and judgment, learning to detach from them and live according to your values. This can be helpful when suicidal thoughts come from feeling hopeless or a lack of purpose.
Medication and Psychiatric Support
Chronic suicidal ideation or severe psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or borderline personality disorder presenting with suicidal ideation, may require medication and psychiatric support. Antidepressants are often used as a first line of treatment to improve mood or treat depression; however, mood stabilizers or antipsychotics may be necessary for other conditions.
Building A Strong Support System
Isolation leads to suffering. It increases the risk of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and other problems such as drug addiction. Having a strong support system is key to helping you get through challenging times. Loved ones may not always have the right words to say or solutions to offer, but they can provide a compassionate and joyful distraction to help you escape your thoughts.
Mindfulness and Holistic Healing
There are several mindfulness-based practices and holistic healing strategies that can support mental health recovery, relieve stress, and contribute to positive well-being. These provide calming, nurturing, sensory activities to distract you from distressing thoughts and reduce suicidal ideation. Some of these include:
- Yoga
- Guided meditation
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture/acupressure
- Dance and movement therapy
- Art therapy
- Reiki energy healing
- Nutritional guidance
- Life coaching
Lifestyle Changes
Implementing small lifestyle changes contributes to overall positive mental and physical health. Sleep, exercise, and diet are closely linked to functions like mood, impulse control, and overall brain health, which can all play a role in suicidal thinking.
- Sleep: Chronic insomnia has been linked to increased suicidal ideation, mood dysregulation, irrational thinking, and even psychosis [2].
- Exercise: Regular physical activity increases key brain chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins. It is associated with improved mood, lowered risk of depression and anxiety, and improved emotional regulation. All of which lower the suicide risk [3].
- Diet: A balanced diet supports neurotransmitter balance, reducing the risk of depression and suicidal ideation. Nutritional deficiencies can worsen mood disorders and increase vulnerability to suicidal thoughts [4].
Mental Health Treatment and Suicide Prevention in Utah
We understand the difficulty in treating self-harm and that it requires a comprehensive approach to care.
At Maple Mountain Mental Health and Wellness, our compassionate team of clinical psychiatrists and experienced therapists is committed to providing life-saving interventions to help reduce self-harm behaviors in adults. Reach out for support.
Sources
[1] Suicide Data and Statistics. 2025. CDC.
[2] Black, C. et al. (2013). The link between suicide and insomnia: theoretical mechanisms. Current psychiatry reports, 15(9), 389.
[3] Working out boosts brain health. 2020. American Psychological Association.
[4] Dereń, K. (2023). Dietary Nutrient Deficiencies and Risk of Depression (Review Article 2018-2023). Nutrients, 15(11), 2433.
