What to Do When You’re Worried Someone Is Considering Suicide

Disclaimer: This blog discusses suicide directly, including warning signs and how to talk about it. If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.

Talking about suicide is hard. Most people avoid it out of fear of saying the wrong thing, but avoiding the conversation can make someone who’s struggling feel unseen.

This Suicide Prevention Month, Clay-Battelle Health Services Association wants you to know the best way to help is by showing up. Below, we’ll walk through the warning signs to watch for, how to start a supportive conversation, and how and where to find help for someone you care about, or yourself.

Suicide warning signs vary from person to person. Noticing them doesn’t mean you have to diagnose or predict what someone will do. What you can do is pay attention, take changes seriously, and use them to start a conversation.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), warning signs can show up in what someone talks about, how they feel, and how their behavior changes:

• They mention wanting to die or feeling like a burden to others. Whether they drop it in a group conversation or as an aside in a chat, this is a sign that should never be ignored.
• Their behavior shifts. This varies by person, but typically includes pulling back from relationships, changes in sleeping and eating habits, or donating personal items.
• They may start taking bigger risks. Often, this presents as driving at high speeds and/or recklessly, or an increased use of alcohol or drugs.
• They experience severe mood swings or deep depression. They experience increased anxiety, anger, or agitation; are in constant emotional or physical pain; feel despair or intense sadness.

If you notice any of these signs, especially if they’re new or becoming more intense, that’s your cue to reach out immediately.

If you’re worried about someone, the hardest part is often just beginning. Here’s how to approach it.

• Start by asking, “Are you considering suicide?” It can feel like a frightening question to ask, but a 2012 study shows that asking does not increase the risk, while a 2005 study shows that it may, in fact, do the opposite.
• Ask if they have a plan. This gives the person a safe, non-judgmental space to be honest and helps you understand how urgent the situation may be.
• Listen more than you talk. You are not there to fix their feelings, talk them out of it, or offer solutions. You are there to listen and let them know they’re not alone.
• Stay present. Make eye contact, respond aloud, and avoid interrupting. Let them finish their thoughts. Small things, such as nodding, acknowledging what they’ve said, and not rushing to fill silence, can communicate that you’re there to help.
• Talk about safety, if they’re open to it. If the conversation allows for it, you might gently raise the idea of a simple safety plan for what to do if things start to feel unmanageable.
• Connect them with support before you go. Towards the end of the conversation, share a resource like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988).

People who are struggling often assume the people around them would rather not be bothered. Listening without judgment and following through afterward shows them the opposite. 

Having a conversation is a good starting point. Here’s how to keep supporting someone in the following days and weeks. 

• Keep following up. A short “Just checking in. How are you doing?” reminds someone they’re on your mind.
• Reduce access to lethal means where you can. If it’s safe and appropriate, help remove or secure weapons, medications, or other means of self-harm to help lower risk during a crisis.
• Help them connect with professional support. Encourage and, if needed, help arrange care with a behavioral health provider who specializes in this kind of support. 
• CBHSA’s Behavioral Health team provides counseling for children, teens, and adults at our Blacksville and Burton locations.
• Stay connected. Showing up consistently is one of the most protective things you can offer someone who is struggling.

If you recognized yourself while reading this, we want you to know you’re not alone, and reaching out is not a burden on the people who care about you; it’s one of the most important steps you can take.

• Tell someone you trust how you’re feeling. A friend, family member, coworker, or faith leader- anyone you trust to sit with you in this space.
• Reach out to a trained crisis counselor. Call or text 988 at any time to talk with someone confidentially. You don’t have to be in immediate danger to call.
• Talk to a behavioral health provider. A trained professional can help you work through what you’re feeling and build a plan going forward.
• Build a safety plan. Often created with a provider, this is a simple plan for what to do if things start to feel like too much. The 988 Lifeline offers an easy template if you need one right away.

You matter. Your life has value. Support is available when you need it.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, available 24/7
• West Virginia’s HELP4WV Line: Call 844-HELP4WV (844-435-7498) for free, confidential-crisis and substance-use support statewide
• CBHSA Behavioral Health: Counseling for children, teens, and adults, available at both our Blacksville and Burton locations.

This Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the most powerful thing any of us can do is keep talking honestly, gently, and without judgment. If this guide raised questions about your own well-being or someone else’s, CBHSA’s Behavioral Health services are available at both our Blacksville and Burton locations. Learn more or schedule a visit here.

1. “Warning Signs of Suicide.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2026, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/warning-signs-of-suicide.
2. Mathias, Charles W., et al. “What’s the Harm in Asking about Suicidal Ideation?” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 Apr. 2012, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22548324/.
3. Gould, Madelyn S., et al. “Evaluating Iatrogenic Risk of Youth Suicide Screening Programs; a Randomized Controlled Trial.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 Apr. 2005, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15811983/.
4. “Safety Plan.” SAMHSA, 22 Apr. 2025, www.samhsa.gov/resource/988/safety-plan.