5 action steps for helping someone in emotional pain:
Ask if they’re suicidal.
Keep them safe – remove lethal weapons if you can, or get them immediate help via parents/trusted adults/suicide prevention hotline/etc.
Be there – listen and validate their feelings.
Help them connect with resources and support.
Stay connected – check on them and see how they’re doing.
Get them to a professional.
Tell them they have options.
Listen to them, let them tell you why. Sometimes all it takes is to be heard, to be understood and to gut it out with someone.
Some people benefit from psychiatric help, others don’t. I told a friend of mine once that she had three options, to talk to someone who wouldn’t say a word, to confess to her psychologist, or to go to the hospital. She chose to go to the hospital, and it was the best thing for her. Other people may not have the same experience. I personally found psychiatric help more damaging as I just lied to get out.
It’s about knowing your friend. Ask questions, such as if they want distractions or to vent or for advice. Ask what they think they need. Do they want to get better? How do they think they will if so? Do they want help? Are they afraid of death? Reinforce your love for them and other friends or family and remind them of the after effects of suicide on those people, and how a world can change entirely without one person.
However, if things escalate to self-harm or concrete planning, then you may have to take drastic measures, such as calling the police.
Things will be okay. Feel free to message me if you need anything.
/r/suicidewatch is whom you should ask
Don’t try to be their therapist. Well-intentioned but untrained advice and sometimes even listening can do more harm than good in intense situations, and could lead you into self-harm as well. Let your friend know that you love and support them but suggest professional help. Misery loves company is not just a pithy saying. Some of the most important training a clinical psychiatrist undertakes is how to protect themself from being drawn in or tempted to commiserate with the patient. This is not good for patient or physician.