"You gotta pick yourself up by your own bootstraps."
PLANNING AHEAD
Advance knowledge is excellent prevention. Read the previous article on what a depressed person can do, and think what you can do to help that person. If your friend or companion needs someone to call on in a crisis you can be that someone. If you are living at home with a depressed person, you can cooperate in making the house as safe as you can.
IN AN ACTUAL CRISIS
Listen. Do not be judgmental. Allow the person to vent his or her anger or frustration.
Ask if he or she is planning to commit suicide, or has a plan. This gives the person another chance to vent his or her concerns and allows you to gauge the nature of his or her intentions. This question is a fairly standard one, and apparently will not trigger an actual attempt.
Do not leave the person alone, once you have determined he or she is suicidal.
Try to convince the person to seek help. The fact that he or she is talking to you is a start. Offer to make the necessary arrangements if you think that will get the ball rolling.
Remind the person, if necessary, that seeking help for depression no longer carries the stigma it once did, that going for help is not a sign of weakness, and that the chances for recovery are excellent.
For a directory of local hotlines, visit About.com.
You are invited to place a memorial at our Suicide Wall.
For three free issues of my depression and bipolar newsletter, mailto:jmcmanamy@snet.net and put "Newsletter" in the subject line and your email in the body.
