Mental health crisis and suicide prevention – what to do

Recognising a mental health emergency, warning signs of suicide, how to keep someone safe, rights in care and fighting stigma.

Chapters on this topic

Chapter 18: Mental-Health Emergency and Safety

Tonight is a casualty problem first : Stay. Ask. Remove access if you can. Call. Do not keep a lethal secret.

• 18.1 Why emergency knowledge is crucial
• 18.2 Recognising suicide risk
• 18.3 What to do if someone may be suicidal
• 18.4 When there is risk of harm to others
• 18.5 Severe psychosis or mania
• 18.6 Substance-related emergencies
• 18.7 Creating a safety plan
• 18.8 After a crisis
• 18.9 Local resources
• 18.10 A simple story
• 18.11 Reflection activity

Chapter 32: Rights, Stigma and Suicide Prevention

Language, law, and the night that must not be faced alone

• 32.1 Stigma
• 32.2 Rights
• 32.3 Who is pushed further out
• 32.4 Suicide prevention
• 32.5 What a family can actually do
• Volume 7 in one page
• 32.6 Understanding stigma
• 32.7 How to challenge stigma
• 32.8 Self-stigma: if you feel ashamed
• 32.9 Community-based support
• 32.10 Becoming an advocate
• Key points to remember

Stories from real life (11)

• The Message to the Team – Dev, 24, a colleague of Mira's in Mumbai, sends a late message that says, "Tell the team I am sorry for everything. I won't…
• The Night the Neighbour Stopped Sleeping – Mrs Dsouza, 45, in Bengaluru, had been unwell for years and stopped her medicine last month. For four days she has not slept, believes…
• Too Much, Too Fast – At a college party in Goa, Kunal, 20, drinks heavily after his friends dare him. Later he is slumped on a sofa, hard to…
• Four Lines on a Card – After a hospital stay, Anjali, 32, in Delhi has made it through a very dark week. Her counsellor suggests building a safety plan together…
• The Sixteen-Year-Old’s Notebook – Sameer's mother, Anita, 44, in Pune, found her son Sameer's notebook with lines about being a burden and wanting to disappear. He is 16,…
• Amit, Age 25 – For months, a heavy darkness had been swallowing Amit. He stopped going to work, locked himself in his room, and began telling his family…
• The Meeting He Did Not Join – Daniel, thirty-four, a logistics supervisor in Nairobi, had been treated for depression for four months and was doing better. He had not told anyone…
• What Farah Said at the Bus Stop – Farah, twenty-two, a college friend of Imran in Karachi, had been quiet for weeks. At the bus stop one evening she said lightly, 'You…
• The Room With the Latch – Kofi, thirty, had lived with schizophrenia for ten years in a village outside Kumasi. After his last relapse, his family, frightened by neighbours' talk,…
• Sam Told Nobody at Home – Sam, seventeen, a pupil in Sydney, had told two friends that he was a boy, though everyone at home still used a different name.…
• The Words We Use After Ravi – Ravi, twenty-six, died by suicide in Bengaluru. His older brother, Kiran, was left with a house full of relatives and whispered questions. An uncle…

More topics

• What is mental health? A simple guide to the mind and who can help
• The brain, hormones and body chemistry behind your moods
• Emotions, anger and mood swings – understanding your feelings
• Stress – causes, symptoms and how to reduce stress at work and in exams
• Anxiety, panic attacks and fear – signs, causes and what helps
• Depression and low mood – signs, causes and the way back
• Trauma, grief and loss – healing at your own pace
• Children, teenagers and parents – mental health at home and school
• Sleep problems, food and daily routine for a healthy mind
• Counselling, therapy and psychiatric medicines explained
• Helping a loved one with mental illness – family and relationships
• The five senses, the five elements and the mind
• Bhagavad Gita, yoga and Indian wisdom for mental peace
• Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and gambling – signs and recovery
• Phone addiction, social media and screen time – digital well-being
• Ageing well, memory loss and dementia – caring for elders