A teenage girl sitting on a railway embankment looking down at the tracks with a sad expression her face.

At times, we may have feelings of despair and hopelessness. Sometimes these can be brief, fleeting thoughts and at other times they can linger and become exhausting and overwhelming, leaving us feeling unable to cope and to go on living. 

If you are having thoughts of suicide it is understandable that you might feel alone and unable to reach out fearing others may not understand. 

Help is available though and reaching out to someone, even though it can seem really daunting, is so important….. Our thoughts and feelings are temporary, suicide is permanent.

How do I tell someone I am having thoughts of suicide?

There are different ways to tell someone and it may take some time to find the right person and to find the right words, but most people find that these thoughts don’t seem so heavy when they are shared.

We believe you have a right to talk about them and to get some support.

It’s understandable that you might be feeling nervous about telling someone, worrying about how they will react and what they might think of you?

But keeping such thoughts to yourself can be really stressful and isolating and it’s important to remember that you should never feel alone.

There are supports there but sometimes it can be hard to see that when you’re feeling over-whelmed.

If you are thinking of acting out on your thoughts of suicide, it is important to seek medical help immediately! Please contact your local GP, call 999/112 or present yourselves to an AE department. 

Who to tell?

Think about who is in your life and how they make you feel in general, and how you normally get on with them.

Is there someone you might be able to trust or maybe someone who has been there for you in the past? 

This could be a family member, a School Counsellor, a Sports Coach, a Teacher or a GP?  All of these people have a duty to care for you. 

If the person you reach out to isn’t able to support you, don’t give up – talk to someone else. 

You may have fears around talking to any of these, and if so – would there be a service that you might find it easier to talk to in confidence, such as Childline?

How to say it?

There is no right or wrong way.  Think about what words you could use that best describe how you are feeling. 

It can be hard to find the words, and maybe a listening service like Childline could help you to identify and recognise your different feeling or other sections of this website such as the ‘Feelings and Emotions’ section. 

Try to talk openly about how long you have been feeling down, what it has been like for you and how you have coped up to now.  

What difference would it make to talk to someone about these thoughts?

You have a right to be safe and to be happy and to live a fulfilling life.

We understand that sometimes things get in the way and you might be thinking that those good things won’t be happening for you.  

Many of us feel down at some times our lives and you are not alone in having these feelings.

Even though you may feel alone just now, we are always here at Childline to listen to you and support you through this time. 

Talking through your thoughts and feelings can help you to understand them better and help you to look at different options for support, and to decide what is best for you. 

You can phone us at: 1800 666 666. Or if you find it hard to talk, you can Livechat on this Childline website.

We are  here for you 24 hours a day, and you have taken a big step yourself today towards getting support, by reading this page, so well done on that!

Support

There are also support services that deal specifically in the area of suicide.  

https://www.pieta.ie/contact/ 

Freephone 1800 247 247 

Text help to 51444 

Call 1818 111 125 to make contact with a therapist