What should you do if you're feeling suicidal?
10 October 2018
Many adults will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. Here, we outline how to best seek help if you find you're experiencing suicidal thoughts.
A recent survey by the mental health foundation found that 32% of adults who have felt stress at some point in their lives had experienced suicidal thoughts. For the majority of people these thoughts come and go and they can be managed with support.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, there are many options for support and treatment to help you manage these feelings.
One of the first things you could do is book an appointment with a GP. If you are new to London, you can register with your local doctor’s surgery. Mind have some great tips to support you in having that first conversation with your doctor. If you do not have a GP but would like to speak with a doctor urgently, you can call NHS 111 and they will direct you to the closest available walk-in centre or doctor’s surgery
For some people, psychological support such as talking therapies can help manage these thoughts. You can access talking therapies through your doctor or you can self-refer to UCL Student Psychological and Counselling services.
There are a number of organisations and helplines you can call to help when you’re feeling down or experiencing worrying thoughts.
Samaritans
Call: 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Nightline are available overnight and can help students across London; call them on +44 (0) 207 631 0101.
Papyrus (for people under 35)
Call: 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm
Text: 07786 209697
Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
Care First
Care First support is confidential, free of charge and is available for UCL students and staff:
from 5pm to 9am, Monday to Friday
for 24 hours during weekends
for 24 hours during bank holidays and UCL closure periods
For telephone counselling, call 0800 197 4510.
For online counselling, visit Care First Lifestyle, where you can access a one-on-one messaging service with a counsellor in real-time. You will need to log in using these details:
username = uclstudent
password = bentham
Coping tips for right now:
Try to not consume drugs or alcohol.
Be around friends or family. If this is not possible, get to a safe place and call them. You may also choose to call a helpline.
Do something you enjoy, such as listening to music, exercising, or watching a favourite TV show.
You can put down emergency phone numbers and what you should do when you are feeling suicidal in a safety plan. You can download a template from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing website.
There are apps you can use to create a safety plan or get some advice to look after yourself, such as the Stay Alive app.
Suicide Awareness Training
Free online training by Zero Suicide Alliance is available to you. The training focuses on suicide awareness and covers the following:
- Spotting the signs
- Having a conversation about suicide using scenarios
- Provides personal stories to further reinforce the importance of being suicide aware
The training takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
UCL Student Support and Wellbeing