Tell someone as soon as suicidal thoughts arise, and let them help you through the next few minutes
Nearly half of interviewed suicide-attempt survivors said no more than 10 minutes passed between the first thought and the attempt. Getting through those minutes can matter enormously. Three-quarters had contact with someone during that period but did not necessarily disclose what was happening. Among people treated in hospital after self-harm, about 2% died by suicide within a year and about 7% over follow-up of 9 years or more; the great majority did not later die by suicide.
What it takes
Free. The difficulty is speaking up and accepting that you should not be alone for the next few hours.
What you may gain
Interviews with 82 suicide-attempt survivors within 3 days of admission found that 47.6% (39 people) reported no more than 10 minutes between first considering that attempt and acting. Those with a longer interval had significantly higher suicidal-intent scores; impulsivity scores were unrelated to the interval. During that time, 76.8% (63 people) had some contact with a partner, relative or friend. The authors concluded that the intervention window is often short and offers limited opportunity for professional involvement, making public recognition and response skills important. A separate systematic review of 90 follow-up studies found median one-year rates of 16% for nonfatal repeat self-harm and 2% for suicide. With follow-up of 9 years or longer, about 7% died by suicide.
Context & considerations
Grade B: Deisenhammer studied only 82 people at one hospital, relying on retrospective recall. Owens reported median proportions from 90 heterogeneous studies rather than a single pooled estimate. That review also states that suicide risk after self-harm remains hundreds of times higher than in the general population. “Most did not later die by suicide” describes the group, not a guarantee for an individual; needed treatment still matters. See moving lethal items away and 12356, first steps when feeling low, lasting injury after rescue, and helping someone who expresses suicidal thoughts.
Research & references
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