The information on this page is for professionals who support other people with their mental health.
I am an adult and I need help now.
I am a young person (or I am an adult seeking support for a young person) and I need help now.
In Leeds, we have a range of resources for people who are feeling low, distressed or suicidal to help get support from local services.
MindWell is the ‘go to’ website for local mental health information.
It has an I need help now page as well as up-to-date information about support and services available in Leeds.
MindMate is a Leeds based website for young people, their families, and the professionals who support them.
It has an urgent help page as well as up-to-date information on support services available in Leeds.
Professionals can order suicide prevention resources, including the 'Feel like you've had enough?' crisis card (order code L155) and crisis poster (order code P655) and 'How are you feeling?' booklet (order code L172), for free from the Public Health Resource Centre.
We all have a role to play in preventing suicide.
If you are supporting someone within your professional role, the advice in this guidance should be applied alongside organisational and professional guidelines. Different staff groups will have different levels of responsibility in terms of understanding and responding to risk. If in doubt, always seek advice from a manager or safeguarding lead.
If you are a volunteer, you may feel unsure about your role in supporting someone who is talking about suicide. It is important to talk this through with your volunteer co-ordinator or support worker from the organisation you are working with.
It is not always easy to recognise the signs that someone might be having thoughts of suicide. However, evidence suggests someone may be feeling suicidal if they:
People often self-harm to regain control of their situations, emotions or thoughts. Self-harm can involve cutting parts of the body, burning, scratching, picking skin or pulling hair. Some ways of selfharming are not always obvious: for example, older people may neglect their nutritional needs or wear ill-fitting slippers or shoes. It is often assumed that people who self-harm are suicidal, but for many people it is actually a way of coping or surviving. However, many people who take their own life do have a history of self-harm, so it is important to take this seriously as a risk factor for suicide.
If you recognise some of the signs above and feel concerned about the person you’re supporting, start a conversation about suicide to explore whether the person has a plan to harm themselves. It is a good idea to use direct questions to do this, so that there is no confusion and the person understands you are asking them about suicide and nothing else.
It is completely understandable to feel anxious about asking someone about suicide. However, there is no evidence to suggest that bringing it up in conversation will encourage them to act on their thoughts.
Use questions such as:
Many people who have attempted or died by suicide have talked to someone about feeling suicidal or hopeless before acting on these thoughts. If someone talks about killing themselves, always take it seriously. Although it’s understandable to want to immediately jump in with solutions, allow the person to express their feelings first:
It is unlikely that you will be able to make their feelings go away, but you can help by encouraging them to see that there are some things worth living for. Talk to them about anything that might cause their suicidal feelings, and explore ideas of things that could help in these situations:
Active listening uses skills that help to build trust and connection with the person you are supporting. It will also help you to give them your full attention and help create the space to talk about how they feel. To listen actively:
Try to avoid using the phrase ‘committed suicide’ as this suggests suicide is a criminal offence. Likewise, avoid talking about people ‘threatening’ suicide as this assumes they are attentionseeking. People who are suicidal genuinely feel as though they have no other option and often just need space to talk about how they feel.
Safeguarding adults refers to the plans for protecting adults at risk from abuse or neglect. If the person you are concerned about is over the age of 18, has care and support needs (for example, they need extra help to live independently, through having support at home or with educational or social needs), and you feel they are being abused or are at risk of abuse from another person, you can seek help.
Wherever possible, involve the person at risk in decisions about reporting a safeguarding concern. If this is not possible, you may need to act in their ‘best interests’ because they do not have the mental capacity to decide this for themselves. There are also occasions when you may need to report the concern without their permission, for example, it is in their vital interests, other people are also at risk, or the person is unable to consent because of coercion or duress.
To report abuse or seek advice, call Adult Social Care on 0113 222 4401. For further information, see the Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board website.
For an explanation of safeguarding principles and procedures when working with young people under 18, please see Mindmate's ‘Supporting young people who self-harm or feel suicidal: A guide for professionals in Leeds working with young people aged 25 and under’.
Supporting someone who is suicidal can be difficult and may affect how you feel and cope. Remember to look after yourself and your own mental health too.
It is important to talk through any difficult conversations you’ve been having and check in regularly with your volunteer co-ordinator/ supervisor as well as the other people you volunteer or work with. Talk to your organisation about getting additional support, especially if you feel this is getting too much for you and affecting your own mental health.
MindWell has information on mental health support, including self-help guidance and resources.
Suggest the person talk to their GP. GP practices are still open and offering appointments by phone or video call.
If the person needs urgent care but their situation is not life threatening, they can ring NHS 111 (open 24 hours every day).
If the person has seriously injured themselves or has already tried to end their life (for example they tell you they have recently taken an overdose), encourage them to call 999 and ask for an ambulance, or do this on their behalf.
If the person you are supporting has a plan to attempt suicide or they tell you they have attempted suicide in the past, and they can’t or won’t call NHS 111 by themselves, tell your supervisor/ volunteer co-ordinator or clinical lead.
You can signpost to useful services that offer support:
In summary:
Three main sources of data inform local activity to reduce the risk of suicide in targeted populations:
The Leeds Strategic Suicide Prevention Group is a citywide multi-agency partnership that oversees this agenda and the Leeds Suicide Prevention Action Plan. The group is chaired by Public Health (Leeds City Council) and includes third sector partners, blue light services, and healthcare partners.
The Suicide Prevention Action Plan for Leeds is currently being updated to capture the impact of COVID-19 on suicide risk.
Supporting communities at risk
Examples of the activity in the Leeds Suicide Prevention Plan include:
The Men’s Suicide Prevention Grants Programme is funded by Leeds City Council in partnership with Leeds Community Foundation. This fund supports local social activities for men in order to reduce social isolation.
The Adopt a Block project from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is an example of local innovative partnership working across the city to support men at risk of suicide.
A case study can be found on the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) website.
The Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service supports people who have been affected by the death of someone by suicide at any time in their lives. The service offers individual, group, and family support.
Specialised and accredited suicide prevention training is widely available across the city and provided by different organisations. For a list of mental health and suicide prevention training courses currently available please visit our Public health priority based training page.
National media guidelines have been co-produced by local journalists through the National Union of Journalists and Leeds City Council. These guidelines encourage local journalists to report suicide sensitively and help to reduce the stigma of suicide.
As a city, we are working hard to reduce suicides with significant areas of best practice. We are happy to share what we know with other councils and organisations, as well as learn from others, so we can play our part in reducing suicide risk in Leeds and elsewhere.
For further information or to request copies of documents such as the Leeds Suicide Audit or the Leeds Suicide Prevention Plan (in PDF format), please contact the Public Health Resource Centre.
Give feedback and let us know if this page was helpful
