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that could indicate a need to see a medical
or mental health professional. These
early warning signs include:
1. Confused thinking or problems
concentrating
2. Extreme mood changes
3. Avoiding friends and social activities
4. Changes in sleeping habits
5. Multiple physical ailments without
obvious causes
6. Thinking about suicide
7. Inability to handle daily activities
8. Eating or sleeping too much or too
little
9. Abusing alcohol, drugs, or tobacco
10. Fighting more with friends and
family
11. Considering harming yourself or
others
12. Feeling fatigued with low or no
energy
13. Feeling apathetic
14. Feeling hopeless or helpless
15. Feeling sad or irritable for long
periods of time
16. Experiencing excessive amounts of
anger, anxiety, confusion, fear, forgetfulness,
and worry
17. Experiencing extreme mood swings
that negatively impact relationships
18. Experiencing unexplained physical
pain
19. Hearing voices or having delusional
thoughts
21. Withdrawing from other people
and social activities
22. Being unable to do your daily tasks
Feeling Suicidal?
What does it mean to
feel suicidal?
Thoughts of suicide can happen in the context of .mental illness, but
they can also be triggeredby stressors that exceed the capacity of
currently available coping strategies. You are not alone in experiencing
thoughts of suicide. And as hard as it can be to talk about it, silence only
makes it worse.. The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented
changes in most people's lives. But there are things that can help.
Suicidal Ideation
Suicidal ideation is the psychiatric term used for thoughts about suicide.
Those kinds of thoughts can show up in a few different ways such as:
1. not wanting to live, but not really thinking about dying
2. feeling like you'd be better off dead, but not thinking about doing
anything to speed that along (also known as passive suicidal ideation)
3. thinking about specifics of how to kill yourself, e.g. how, when, and
where (active suicidal ideation)
Once you get to the point of active suicidal ideation and thinking of specifics,
it's really important to get help.
Where to get help
There are a few different avenues for getting help.
Fanily/friends
These people can offer emotional support, but they may not know how to
deal with suicidality.
Online resources & apps
There are websites and apps that allow you to create safety plans. These
probably won't be enough on their own if you're really in crisis. You'll find
ideas on our website as we have Find a therapist page.
Crisis lines/chats
These are manned by trained volunteers.
Mental health professionals
This may be your treatment team, your GP, Thearpist or the
hospital emergency department.
Feb 2022 Issue 1 Mental Balance 11