Bulletin Board Post

Suicide

How Can I Help My Sister?

<div class="ExternalClassD8AA66053CCA4A90B0BECC2EB5A3C799">My sister has expressed interest in hurting herself earlier this evening. My dad met her at a stop sign on his way home from work. He rolled down his window to talk to her and she was balling and said she hates her life. She said she was thinking about hurting herself. She just started a new job last week, so we are unsure if we should call 911 or not. We don’t want to ruin her chance at this job. But we also don’t want to ignore it. After she talked about hurting herself, she went out for a drive with a friend to talk. She has since said she is “fine.” But she clearly is not fine. We told her we were thinking about calling 911, she responded by saying don’t do that, its not like that. She has never talked like this before. She apparently got into a fight with a guy she likes this past week, so we think this is part of the reasoning, but there has to be more than that going on for her to feel this way and express it. What do you recommend we do? </div>

<div class="ExternalClassA957BE5D276C49EC9579770BD8F46719">Thanks for writing in. It does sound like your sister is feeling a lot of distress right now. We understand why you are concerned about her safety. We are glad that you are involving your parents so you can all talk about it together. When it comes to someone feeling suicidal it is best to be direct and supportive. Be direct, talk about her plans for hurting herself. We know this is scary for you and your family as you have not dealt with these kind of feelings before. Take some time to calm yourself and your family so you can have the best conversation possible. When you are talking to your sister, if she feels that she is able to keep herself safe, talk to her about HOW she is going to do this and HOW YOU AS A FAMILY can help. We call this safety planning. On our My Life My Voice app there is a safety planning feature. Help your sister find the app and talk through what safety planning means to her.We also have more tips and tools for you to look at together:<a href="/Pages/suicidal-thoughts.aspx">http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/v2/Pages/suicidal-thoughts.aspx</a> <a href="/Pages/break-ups.aspx">http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/v2/Pages/break-ups.aspx</a> We are so glad that you want to help your sister to be safe. Ask her what kind of support that she needs from you and your family. If your family feels that she is unsafe but does not want to bring her to the hospital, consider taking turns staying with her so that she has someone to observe her actions and give her support. You are so right, you want your sister to feel supported and loved. You don't want to ignore the fact that she is struggling.Thanks for reaching out and let us know if you or your sister would like to talk.Sara, Counselor </div>

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