Suicide is one of the main causes of death among people in Scotland today, with two people dying by suicide each day. Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy.
Many people contemplating suicide may not want to die but feel unable to cope with the situation they are in and want to stop the pain and difficulties they are suffering at the time. It is also likely that they find it very difficult to talk about it, or to show their feelings.
How you can help
The best way to find out if someone is having thoughts of suicide is to ask them directly. Being open, direct and showing genuine concern about someone's thoughts and feelings can be a huge source of relief and can help to prevent the immediate danger of suicide occurring.
It is important that if you find yourself in a situation where someone has told you they are thinking about suicide that you know what to do next. You are not expected to know all the answers - the most important thing is to listen and to know where to get further support.
There are many local and national organisations that can help with this, such as Breathing Space and the Samaritans.
- Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87 (lines open Monday-Thursday 6pm-2am, Friday-Sunday 6pm-6am)
- Samaritans 116 123 (FREE) (Lines open 24hours)
Support directories
We have also produced useful support directories which are full of contact numbers and advice if you or someone you know needs help:
If you are worried about someone don’t be afraid to ask them, it could save their life.
Every life matters: suicide prevention and keeping people safe
safeTALK training
Vibrant Communities CHIP team are involved with delivering safeTALK; a training course that helps to identify when people may be having thoughts of suicide and connect them to support agencies and resources which can help them.
If you would like further information about safeTALK training, please contact Health and Safety or Vibrant Communities or download the Suicide Prevention Training Calendar (PDF 308Kb)
ASIST
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid, which aims to enable participants to become more willing, ready and able to recognise signs and intervene effectively to help persons at risk of suicide. If you would like to become a suicide first-aider, please contact Health and Safety.