Suicide
How can I support someone who has survived a suicide attempt?

“How can I support someone who has survived a suicide attempt?” Frequently Asked Questions (2018).

“How can I support someone who has survived?” Frequently Asked Questions.

How can I support someone who has survived a suicide attempt?

1:45

Loved ones and ward members can play an important role in the recovery of a suicide attempt survivor. Feeling loved and included can give attempt survivors hope for the future and may help them avoid another suicide attempt. As you offer help, be compassionate and prayerful (see 1 Peter 3:8). Heavenly Father knows what they need and can guide your efforts. If you are part of a ward council, consider how members of the ward and stake can help. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you offer support:

  • It is their story. Allow attempt survivors to disclose their challenges in their own time and to the people they choose. Do not be offended if they decline your invitations to share.

  • Be yourself. Talk with attempt survivors in the same way you did before the attempt. Offer to listen if they want to talk. Don’t minimize their pain or compare their experience to someone else’s, including your own.

  • Believe that recovery is possible. While recovery from an attempt may be difficult, it is possible. Be patient and understanding as the person works through any physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Never forget that they, just like anyone else, can become healthier and stronger with the Savior’s help.

  • Practice good self-care. Make time to care for your own spiritual, physical, mental, and social health (see Mosiah 4:27). Increase your faith by studying the scriptures and attending the temple. Eat healthy foods, exercise, and get enough sleep so that you will have physical and emotional strength. Visit mentalhealth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org for more ideas.

Church and Community Resources

(Some of the resources listed below are not created, maintained, or controlled by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These materials are intended to serve as additional helpful resources as you study this topic. The Church does not endorse any content that is not in keeping with its doctrines and teachings.)