THINGS TO DO AND NOT TO DO-while handling suicidal clients

Things to do

1. Listen, show empathy, and be calm;
2. Be supportive and caring;
3. Take the situation seriously and assess the degree of risk;
4. Ask about previous attempts;
5. Explore possibilities other than suicide;
6. Ask about suicide plan;
7. Buy time - make a contract;
8. Identify other supports
9. Remove the means, if possible;
10. Take action, tell others, get help;
11. If the risk is high, stay on line with the person.
12. Discourage the Behavior.
13. Keep communication channels open
14. Talk about the negative and long-term effects.
15. Teach (quick) relaxation/breathing
16. Teach anger management
17. Teach to evaluate consequences.
18. Talk about the need for sharing this information with near/dear ones
19. Make the client understand that monitoring by parents or counselors is essential for early recovery.

Things not to do

1.      Ignore the situation;

2.      Be shocked or embarrassed and panic;

3.      Say that everything will be all right;

4.      Challenge the person to go ahead;

5.      Make the problem appear trivial;

6.      Give false assurances;

7.      Swear to secrecy;

8.      Leave the person alone

9.      Do not prescribe medication.

10.  Do not punish or reprimand harshly.

11.  Do not moralize or made person feel guilty. 

12.  Help him to think of it as a problem needing help.

13.  Assertively say ‘No’ to client’s demands for taking drugs like cough syrup, pills etc. to relieve anxiety or improve concentration.

14.   Even short-term, temporary relief with the help of these drugs should be highly discouraged