Suicide prevention guide
Notice the signs. Ask directly. Connect to help.
Suicide is complex, and no single sign predicts what someone will do. New, escalating, or concerning changes deserve attention—especially after a painful event, loss, or major change.
Concerned about immediate safety?
In the U.S. or Canada, call or text 988. If someone has already seriously harmed themselves or is in immediate danger, call emergency services now.
Possible warning signs
The National Institute of Mental Health advises paying attention to changes in what a person says, feels, and does. Warning signs can include:
- Talking about wanting to die, feeling like a burden, or experiencing intense guilt or shame.
- Feeling hopeless, trapped, empty, extremely distressed, agitated, enraged, or in unbearable emotional or physical pain.
- Researching or making a plan for suicide.
- Withdrawing, saying goodbye, giving away meaningful belongings, or putting affairs in order unexpectedly.
- Taking unusual risks, showing major mood swings, or changing sleep, eating, alcohol, or drug use.
Seek help promptly when these signs are new, have increased, or appear connected to a major stressor.
Actions that can support safety
- Ask about suicide clearly. Asking “Are you thinking about suicide?” does not cause suicidal thoughts and can open an honest conversation.
- Listen without judgment. Take the person seriously. Avoid debating, lecturing, minimizing, or rushing to solve everything.
- Reduce immediate danger. Help create distance from firearms, medications, or other lethal means when it is safe to do so.
- Connect to care. Contact 988, a mental health professional, a trusted person, or emergency care depending on urgency.
- Follow up. Ongoing, supportive contact after a crisis or discharge can matter.
A pledge is not suicide-prevention treatment
The Alive On Record pledge is a voluntary public statement about choosing connection and help-seeking. It is not a “no-suicide contract.” Agreeing to a pledge does not show that risk has decreased, and declining one does not establish that someone is in immediate danger.
Use direct, respectful language
Responsible communication avoids sensationalizing suicide, describing methods, or presenting suicide as an inevitable response to hardship. Better communication makes room for recovery, coping, treatment, and support.
Say: “died by suicide” rather than language that frames death as a crime or success.
Say: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Direct language can make it easier to answer honestly.