Coping with Suicidal Ideation

Written By Moriah Conant M.A.

October is National Depression Education & Awareness Month! You are probably here because you or a loved one may have experienced the symptoms of depression or a depressive episode and are looking for support. You are not alone: depression is a condition that an estimated 21 million U.S. adults experience every year and is considered one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States.* Here at Woven, we want to be able to provide information and support for you. Today we’ll talk about coping with suicidal ideation.

Suicidal ideation (SI) is a symptom of depression that some people experience. Suicidal ideation and suicide are stigmatized topics, but I believe that knowledge and conversations about suicide reduce stigma. I wrote a blog about Active SI and Passive SI that provides foundational information to understand the components of SI. This information helps us better understand what we’re experiencing and have the language to express it. We also discussed talking to your therapist about SI.

Coping with SI

There are many ways to cope with suicidal ideation. You could do some of the ways of coping with a therapist, some with your loved ones, and some on your own. It is helpful to have a range of ways to cope because one will not always be a good fit. We have talked about different aspects of SI, and before we talk about coping, I want to talk about ways of experiencing SI.

You might experience intrusive thoughts of suicidal ideation, or they might feel like normal thoughts. The OCD & Anxiety Center defines intrusive thoughts as “unwanted thoughts, images, impulses, or urges that can occur spontaneously or that can be cued by external/internal stimuli. Typically, these thoughts are distressing (hence “intrusive”) and tend to reoccur.”

If you experience intrusive thoughts of suicidal ideation, you might have thoughts of suicide that pop up in your mind occasionally. These might be passive thoughts that have no intent behind them, or they might be a plan that you’ve thought through. 

You may experience more constant thoughts of SI instead of intrusive thoughts, or maybe you experience some of both. Identifying how you experience the thoughts and the aspects of SI that come up can help you find the best ways to cope.

Therapy 

Hey, you knew that we would recommend therapy. Working with a therapist can be very helpful if you are experiencing suicidal ideation. Therapists are trained to work with various experiences and symptoms and can help you cope with SI.

Some supports that a therapist can provide are:

  • Identifying the root of the symptoms. SI is generally a symptom of something else going on. Maybe you are stressed, hopeless, or don’t want to be a burden. Thoughts of SI are generally trying to signal that something else is going on. Identifying the root, processing, and providing support for what’s going on will probably decrease your SI.

  • Normalizing the experience. SI can be very distressing- not knowing why you are having thoughts of SI, fearing that you’ll hurt yourself, or feeling like no one would understand what you’re going through.  

  • Safety planning. Creating a plan to keep you safe by identifying coping skills, connecting you to social supports, and holding hope for you.

Safety Plan

You can do this with a therapist, with loved ones, or on your own. Safety plans compile a bunch of information in one places so that it is easily accessible on the tough days.

Safety plans identify things like:

  • Warning signs

  • Coping strategies

  • Reasons to live

  • Places for distraction

  • Ways to make your environment safe

  • Social supports (loved ones, professionals, hotlines)

There are some written templates for safety plans like this one, or apps like this one so you can have your safety plan close at hand.

Hotlines

There are many hotlines that provide support (typically 24/7) available for people who are in crisis or experiencing SI. If you are curious what it is like to contact a hotline, this article provides a very thorough overview of what it is like to reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Even though the article is about the 988 hotline, there are many similarities between the various hotlines.

Similarly to what we discussed in the last article, hotlines may involve outside support for a voluntary or involuntary hospitalization if it is the only way to keep you safe.

Some crisis hotlines:

These are a few of the many ways to cope with SI. If you are experiencing SI, reach out for help. 

If you are interested in learning more about depression therapy, you can read more here.

Want to learn more about how Woven treats depression? These blogs talk about our approach to depression treatment.

How We Treat Treatment-Resistant Depression

How to Recognize Depression Symptoms & Presentations

All therapists at Woven Together Trauma THow We Treat Treatment-Resistant Depressionherapy are trauma-informed and specialize in treating all forms of trauma. We also offer EMDR Therapy, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and Brainspotting Therapy which have shown to be extremely effective in treating and healing depression as well as treatment-resistant depression. Want to read more about our unique therapy options?

These blogs talk more about the basics of EMDR Therapy:

You can read more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy here:

If you would like to learn more about Brainspotting Therapy, check out our blog: What is Brainspotting?

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Talking to Your Therapist About Suicidal Ideation