Submitted by SnowCode in offmychest
Someone on Discord has suicidal thoughts, I care about her and I really don't want her to die. It seems she's abused by her parents and is minor. I don't know how to help her.
I don't know what to do or say.
Submitted by SnowCode in offmychest
Someone on Discord has suicidal thoughts, I care about her and I really don't want her to die. It seems she's abused by her parents and is minor. I don't know how to help her.
I don't know what to do or say.
Styx wrote
This is not easy, SnowCode, and there are no methods that would guarantee she won't act on her thoughts. Having said that, having suicidal thoughts does not necessarily mean she'll commit suicide. But it most definitely means that she is hurting a lot.
What might help is to get her to talk about what bothers her and validate her feelings (don't suggest 'solutions', but say something to the effect 'that's really hurtful/abusive,' or even things like: 'I can't imagine being in your situation, I'm so sorry you are going through this.' -- or even, get angry on her behalf, if that makes sense). Alternatively, if she doesn't want to talk, offer to share some of your hurts and traumas and see if she's willing to hear you out (I know this sounds weird, but the point is to connect in some way and some people find it more soothing to listen than talk).
Ideally, this should be done in person or at least through a phone; text chat is really not a good medium for this. But mind you, whichever way you do it, this is incredibly difficult. People in this state tend to be irritable (to understate it) and it often seems that no matter what you say, you are making things worse. However, as long as they are talking, whatever you are doing is working. The aim here is not to 'heal' them, but to help them to calm down. Ultimately though, there's only so much you can do.