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tw suicide.
eylah
Community Connector Posts: 9,964 Supreme Poster
my friend is telling me they’re actively suicidal idk what to do.
i tried msg calm for them asking calm what should i do but they weren’t helpful at all
. i rly don’t want my friend doing anything to themselves but i rly do not know what to do. i’m stuck on what to do
. i feel so helpless
. i have so much on i can’t manage to cope with such stress like this but i have to be here for my friend bc she matters so much.
im so stuck.
ppl dont always need advice. sometimes all they rly need is a hand to hold. an ear to listen. and a heart to understand them. 🧸
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Comments
And also what i want you to do if it's okay, is to take a minute, and for you to realise what a good friend you are being to them, reaching out to try and get support for them, even despite everything your already battling with.
Whilst we aren't able to support your friend directly unless they use our services, I wanted to let you know that when someone is currently in crisis, the first thing we recommend is urging them to contact crisis services themselves - Samaritans, Papyrus, Shout, 999 or A&E. Is this something you felt able to do?
If they don't want to, that's okay. It's not your responsibility to keep them safe, and sometimes the best thing is to allow someone to make their own decision. People tend to be more capable than we give them credit for, even in crisis, and it's okay to give them and you some space.
Another option is to contact 999 for your friend yourself. We would only recommend this if you think they are in immediate danger and need emergency services to intervene directly.
I'm hearing that you have a lot on right now and this might've felt like an added stress. It's also really kind and considerate that despite this, you want to be there for your friend because she matters so much. You're right that she matters, but so do you Eylah. It's really important you're able to keep yourself safe too. Your wellbeing and emotional safety is important, which means getting the support you need.
You can contact crisis services to ask for help supporting someone else, and they'll happily chat to you. But, if you feel you've reached the end of what you can do, it's okay to say that and set some boundaries for now. That might mean saying something like "I care about you, and I feel that I've done what I can as your friend right now, so I'm going to take a step back from this conversation". This can help give you the space to step away for now, because you are not a crisis worker Eylah. Being there as a friend is one thing, but there's a reason why dedicated crisis services require a lot of training and supervision to work on: it's difficult and requires a lot of support to do long-term.
How does this feel Eylah? We'll be here for you today on the boards and in our Support Thread 11am-12:30pm if you want to share a little more how you're doing.
Hey @eylah, I know I'm late to this thread but I'm truly sorry to hear that you had to go through that, it must have been incredibly difficult. It's absolutely acceptable to take a step back, and it's really good of you to protect your own wellbeing. I hope you're doing alright - take care of yourself, and remember we're here for you