Suicidal Feelings
If you’re having thoughts of ending your life, the most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. These feelings, however permanent they may feel right now, can and do change with the right support.
ℹ️ Reach out for support – you can use our Find Help page to search for online, over-the-phone, or in-person mental health services that can help with suicidal feelings.
How common are suicidal thoughts?
Suicidal thoughts are more common than most people realise, but rarely spoken about. Many people experience thoughts of suicide at some point in their life without ever acting on them, and having these thoughts doesn’t mean something is fundamentally wrong with you.
According to the World Health Organization, More than 720,000 people die due to suicide every year, and it is the third leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. These numbers show that this is a widespread, serious public health issue, not a private failing.
Why do people feel suicidal?
There’s rarely one single cause. Suicidal feelings tend to emerge when emotional pain feels unbearable, when it feels like it won’t end or there’s no way through it, especially if someone also feels disconnected from other people or like a burden to those around them.
Factors that can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts:
- Living with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, BPD, or another serious mental health condition
- Alcohol or drug dependence
- Chronic pain or serious physical illness
- Unemployment, stress at work, financial hardship, or housing insecurity
- Living alone or feeling isolated
- Experiencing a difficult life event (e.g. bereavement, redundancy, a relationship ending)
- Bullying or harassment (in-person or online)
- A previous suicide attempt, or a close friend or family member who has died by suicide
Having one or more of these doesn’t mean someone will become suicidal, and plenty of people become suicidal without any of them being present. They’re patterns that show up often, not a checklist for diagnosing yourself or someone else.
If you’re having these feelings, it’s worth knowing that the underlying pain, whatever is driving it, is very often something that can be treated or that genuinely does get better with time and support. That’s not a platitude, it’s what the evidence on recovery consistently shows.
What can help someone experiencing suicidal feelings
Talk to someone, even if it feels hard. Sharing what you’re feeling, even briefly and imperfectly, tends to take some of the weight off. This can be a friend, a partner, a helpline, or a healthcare professional, whoever feels most possible right now.
See your doctor. They’ll ask about how you’re feeling and why, and can check whether something treatable, like depression, is part of the picture. They can refer you for therapy, prescribe medication where appropriate, or refer you to your local mental health team if things feel more serious.
Therapy can make a real difference. CBT and DBT both have strong evidence, particularly DBT where suicidal feelings are tied to intense emotional dysregulation.
Make a safety plan, ideally before you’re in crisis, not during it. A safety plan sets out your warning signs, things that help you cope, people and services you can contact, and how to make your environment safer if you’re at risk of acting on an urge.
Reduce access to means. If you’re worried you might act on an urge, consider asking someone you trust to hold on to items (e.g. medications) that you could otherwise use to harm yourself. This is an evidence-based way to create space between a thought and an action.
Be mindful of your consumption of alcohol and drugs. Both can intensify low mood and lower the barrier between having a thought and acting on it. If you’ve been drinking or using and you’re in crisis, it’s still worth reaching out, but know that being sober will help you get properly assessed and supported.
Supporting someone else with suicidal thoughts
If you’re worried about someone, the most important thing you can do is ask directly and listen without panicking. Asking someone if they’re having thoughts of suicide does not put the idea in their head or make things worse, it usually brings relief that someone has noticed and is willing to talk about it.
- Take what they say seriously, even if it’s hard to hear.
- Check in regularly, not just once.
- Encourage them to seek support.
You could even offer to go with them to a doctor’s appointment or to make a call together if that would help. If they’re in immediate danger, don’t leave them alone, and contact emergency services if it safe to do so.
Supporting someone through this is hard, and it’s okay to need your own support too, whether that’s a friend, a doctor, or a helpline for yourself.
Suicidal feelings and the games industry
Some of the risk factors for suicidal thoughts show up in gaming and games industry contexts: isolation, financial insecurity from job loss, chronic overwork, and communities where struggling can be seen as weakness. Read more about how stress shows up in the games industry.
If work, or the state of the industry, is part of what’s contributing to how you’re feeling right now, you are not alone. Stress related to current pressures on the games industry is a real and legitimate part of the picture, and not something to minimise. Consider discussing it with whoever you reach out to for support.
What can I do next?
You don’t need to have a fully-formed plan, or even the right words – and nobody should be expecting that of you. Contrary to what some people believe, asking for support when you are struggling is a show of strength. It means you are willing to find solutions, strategies, and steps towards a healthier, happier future.
If you, or someone you care about, is struggling with suicidal thoughts and feelings, please use our Find Help page to search through our directory of mental health services, helplines, and crisis lines.