Question: has anyone come to you and said im gonna kill myself

Sheffield Psychiatry Ward Team answered on 5 Feb 2019:

Emma here 🙂

Yes – this is often the reason why people are admitted to hospital.

I think the most important thing we can do is to listen to them and give them space to talk about how they are feeling. Feeling suicidal can be an incredibly lonely and scary place so the fact they have opened up to us is a really big step. People often speak to their GP or go to A&E and they will be referred to mental health teams that way.

When in hospital we support them by allowing them space to talk, such as with 1:1 time with our nurses, we offer medication, we monitor how they are doing and try and encourage them to think of what they can do if suicidal thoughts come back.

Outside of hospital, if someone said this to me I would offer them space to talk and encourage them to see their GP. If I thought they were in danger, e.g. they were going to take an overdose or harm themselves, I would call 999 or take them to A&E.
There are also some other sources of support, such as the Samaritans, which is a charity phone line where people can call anonymously 24/7. There are usually helplines in each city too, such as a crisis line – here is a good resource I like to point people to: https://www.rethink.org/about-us/our-mental-health-advice/crisis-contacts