Listen and respond honestly
Listening to someone who is hurting is very important and can make a difference.
Talking about suicide or suicidal thoughts will not push someone to kill themselves, but will let them know that you are here to help and support them while they are having these feelings. It is important to respond to someone honestly. You do not have to pretend that suicide is not scary, that it makes you sad to hear that a person is hurting, or that you do not know what to do, but you can say that while you may not have all of the answers, maybe an adult in your school or community could help.
Don't promise to keep a secret
Many times, teens and adults will share very personal feelings and thoughts and ask their family and friends to keep the information a secret. Keeping secrets about thoughts about and plans for suicide can put someone at risk for completing suicide. Rather than making a promise that you cannot keep, you might say, “I don't feel comfortable keeping this a secret because I'm worried about you. Would it be alright if I talked or we talked to the school counselor together?” If this scenario does not fit for you, try and come up with a response that you do feel comfortable with, but do not make promises that you cannot keep or that may be harmful to someone you care about.
Take a risk
You can help someone at risk for suicide by taking a risk; get help and advice from a responsible adult. This step can be a difficult one, but it is worth the risk. Most people do not want to kill themselves, but they want to stop feeling deep and desperate sadness and despair. Adults can help you to help the person you are concerned about and can find appropriate health care professionals who are trained to help people to develop skills for coping with their feelings and to develop new self awareness.
It can be a burden to have concerns about someone and not know who to talk to or what to do. You do not want the person who you are worried about to be threatened by your concern or mad at you, but you also do not want them to hurt themselves.
It is worth the risk to ask for help and to get help for someone who may need it.
Through your actions you are saying that you care and that you are concerned. Your friend, relative, or acquaintance may react badly by being mean, saying harsh words, or ignoring you, but if you can help them to stay alive your efforts and actions are worth it.
Talk to a responsible adult
This is an extremely important step in responding to a potentially suicidal person. A responsible adult may know information, know who would be the best professional person to help, and can give you the support that you need to best help prevent suicide.
(Source: www.preventinsuicide.com)