Connection + Means Safety is the most powerful combination. People survive acute suicidal
intensity when they’re not alone and when fast, lethal methods are out of reach. Prevention is not a single tool; it’s a stack: caring contact, safer environments, and rapid routes to support.
What to do now
- Increase connection: daily check-ins, peer groups, family involvement, culturally safe
spaces. - Means safety: lock firearms and meds; remove stockpiles; ask a trusted person to hold
items temporarily. - Care pathways: hotlines/text/chat, same-week primary care/therapy, and proactive
follow-ups after crises.
Why it works
Suicidal crises are often brief and impulsive. Connection shortens isolation; means safety slows action. Together they bridge a person to tomorrow.
If you’re in immediate danger: In the U.S., call or text 988. Outside the U.S., visit FindAHelpline.com.