World Suicide Prevention Day 2026

Every year on 10th September organisations around the world get together to raise awareness around suicide prevention.

Suicide is not inevitable. You can interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts. You could save a life.

The theme for 2024-2026 is 'Changing the Narrative on Suicide’.

You can read a full statement on this theme here: https://www.iasp.info/wspd/theme/

In this blog post we want to share how you can support someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts.
You may feel uncomfortable talking about suicidal feelings. You may not know what to say. This is entirely normal and understandable.

Small interruptions you make and actions you take could help someone who is suicidal. You don’t have to be an expert to save someone’s life.

It might help to:

let them know that you care about them and that they are not alone.
empathise with them, You could say something like "I can't imagine how painful this is for you, but I would like to try to understand."
ask if they have felt like this before. If so, ask how their feelings changed last time
encourage them to focus on getting through the day rather than focussing on the future
encourage them to seek help that they are comfortable with. Such as help from a doctor or counsellor, or support through a charity such as the Samaritans

Remember that you don’t need to find an answer, or even to completely understand why they feel the way they do. Listening to what they have to say will at least let them know you care.

Don't:

try and find an easy solution
tell them to ‘cheer up’
pull themselves together’, man up’ or ‘snap out of it'
change the subject
tell them that they should be grateful for having a good life
tell them that are being silly

Reassurance, respect and support can help someone to recover from a difficult time.

You might wonder How do I keep them safe if they have expressed these thoughts?
It is unlikely that you will be able to make their feelings go away, but you can help them by, not leaving them on their own. Ask them if they have a safety/crisis plan that they can refer too. Anyone can create a safety plan.

A safety plan includes what and who might support you in a crisis; particularly when you are thinking about suicide.

It may include techniques to distract you, what to do in an emergency and reminders of positive parts of your life you want to hold onto.

Click here for a template that is used by many different organisations.

https://stayingsafe.net/SP2/#/

Reference: Rethink Mental Illness: Suicidal Thoughts, How to Support someone https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/application/files/4316/3664/8666/suicidal-thoughts-how-to-support-someone-factsheet.pdf

If you need support today:

Rethink: 0808 801 0525

Mind: 0300 102 1234

Samaritans: 116 123

NHS: 111 Option 2