As soon as suicidal thoughts arise, tell someone nearby and hand over those first few minutes
In an interview, nearly half of those who attempted suicide said that the time from the emergence of the thought to the act was no more than 10 minutes. Three-quarters of people had contact with those around them during that period. For those who visited the hospital due to self-harm, approximately 2% died by suicide by the 1-year follow-up, and about 7% after more than 9 years, while the vast majority did not die by suicide during the observed follow-up.
No cost involved. The hard part is actually speaking up at…
82 individuals who attempted suicide were interviewed within 3 days of admission: 47.6% (39 people) said that…
No cost involved. The hard part is actually speaking up at that moment and admitting you can’t be alone for a few hours.
82 individuals who attempted suicide were interviewed within 3 days of admission: 47.6% (39 people) said that from the first suicidal thought in that episode to actually acting on it, no more than 10 minutes had passed. For those whose process lasted longer, suicide intention scores were significantly higher. The scores on the impulsivity scale had no relationship with the duration of the process. 76.8% (63 people) said they had some form of contact with a partner, family member, or friend during this period. The author's conclusion is: the window of time available for intervention is usually very short, and there is limited room for professionals to intervene at this stage. The author therefore advocates for popularizing the identification of signals and intervention methods among ordinary people. Additionally, a systematic review summarized 90 follow-up studies. For people who sought medical attention due to self-harm, the median proportion of those who self-harmed again but did not die by the 1-year follow-up was 16%. The proportion who died by suicide by the 1-year follow-up was 2%. For those followed for more than 9 years, approximately 7% died by suicide.
Deisenhammer EA, Ing CM, Strauss R, Kemmler G, Hinterhuber H, Weiss EM (2009). The duration of the suicidal process: how much time is left for intervention between consideration and accomplishment of a suicide attempt? Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 70(1), 19-24. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.07m03904；Owens D, Horrocks J, House A (2002). Fatal and non-fatal repetition of self-harm: systematic review. British Journal of Psychiatry, 181, 193-199. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.181.3.193
Open source linkGrade B is assigned for two main reasons: the Deisenhammer study involved only 82 participants from a single hospital and relied on retrospective recollections; Owens’s review reported the median proportion across 90 studies using different methods, rather than pooling them into a single figure. That same review also emphasizes that the suicide risk among self-harm patients remains hundreds of times higher than in the general population. Consequently, the statement “the vast majority did not subsequently die by suicide” describes the overall trajectory of this group, not a guarantee for any individual; appropriate medical care must still be sought. For advice on removing lethal means and contacting the helpline 12356, see item 25 in this section. Steps to take when feeling down are outlined in item 18 of Section 3. Long-term consequences following survival are discussed in item 33 of this section. If you suspect someone close to you has such thoughts, you can ask directly; see item 43 in this section (ask someone whose mood seems wrong directly). Finally, actions you can take if someone close to you expresses such thoughts are detailed in item 15 of Section 8.