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Suicidal Feelings

Disclaimer:

This publication is based on a Mind UK publication and the original version may be found here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/a-z-mental-health/

Thank you to Mind UK for sharing their valuable content with us. Content included in Mental Health A-Z is made available free of charge and does not form part of any commercial activity. The adaptation has been done independently by Mind HK and is intended for general information purposes only.

How can I cope right now?

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it’s a mental health emergency.

Visit our page to find help now.

You might be feeling so upset, angry and in pain that you believe these feelings will never end.

But it’s important to remember that they cannot and will not last. Like all feelings, these ones will pass.

There are steps you can take right now to stop yourself from acting on your suicidal thoughts.

Everyone is different, so it’s about finding what works best for you.

These are some practical tips that other people have found helpful when they’ve felt suicidal.

Get safe right now

Get through the next five minutes

Taking things minute by minute can help make things more bearable. Reward yourself each time five minutes have passed.

Remove anything you could use to harm yourself

Remove any items or things you could use to harm yourself, or ask someone else to remove these for you. If you’re in an unsafe location, move away to somewhere safer.

Follow your safety plan or crisis plan

If you have a safety plan or crisis plan in place, follow it.

These plans are a good way to save ideas for helping yourself when you feel unwell.

Tell someone how you’re feeling

Whether it’s a friend, family member or even a pet, telling someone else how you’re feeling can help you feel less alone and more in control.

“When it got really bad and the temptation to harm myself was really bad I would get my family to hide dangerous things away and go to bed.”

Distract yourself

Try self-harm coping techniques

If you’re thinking of harming yourself, you could try using self-harm coping techniques.

For example, you could:

  • hold an ice cube in your hand until it melts and focus on how cold it feels
  • tear something up into hundreds of pieces
  • take a very cold shower or bath.

See our page of tips for coping with self-harm for more ideas.

Focus on your senses

Taking time to think about what you can smell, taste, touch, hear and see can help to ground your thoughts.

Steady your breathing

Take long, deep breaths. Breathing out for longer than you breathe in can help you feel calmer.

Look after your needs

If you can, try doing the following:

  • get a glass of water
  • eat something if you’re hungry
  • sit somewhere comfortable
  • write down how you’re feeling.

Try to avoid drinking alcohol or taking recreational drugs, as this can make you feel worse.

Go outside

If you’re feeling numb, go outside and feel the rain, sun or wind against your skin. This can help you to feel more connected to your body.

Contact a helpline or listening service

If you can’t talk to someone you know, call The Samaritans Hong Kong (multilingual hotline: 2896 0000), The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (Chinese hotline: 2389 2222), Suicide Prevention Service (hotline: 2382 0000), or Chat Point – The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong Online Counselling Chat room website: https://chatpoint.org.hk/#/home for helplines and listening service.

For example, you could call The Samaritans Hong Kong (multilingual hotline: 2896 0000), The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (Chinese hotline: 2389 2222) if you want to talk to somebody about how you’re feeling at any time.

Or if you’d prefer not to talk over the phone, you could try a text service such as SMS/Whatsapp only available for youth through: Hong Hong Federation of Youth Groups (utouch) 6277 8899 or Jockey Club Online Youth Emotional Support 91 012 012.

“Sometimes it’s just about survival and focusing on something that’s real until the feelings can become easier to deal with.”

Challenge your thoughts

Make a deal with yourself that you won’t act today

Plan to get support if you’re not getting support already. See our page on treatment and support for information about different ways to find help.

Find your reasons to live

You may feel like the world will be better off without you or there’s no point in living, but this is never the case. You could try the following:

  • Write down what you’re looking forward to. This could be eating your favourite meal, seeing a loved one or catching up on the next episode of a TV show.
  • Make plans to do something you enjoy tomorrow or in the near future. Plans don’t have to be big or expensive.
  • Think about the people you love. No matter how bad you’re feeling, it’s important to remember that these people would miss you.

Be kind to yourself

Talk to yourself as if you were talking to a good friend. And try doing something nice for yourself.

This could be something small like having a bath, wrapping yourself in a blanket and watching your favourite film.

These ideas may seem silly but it can be easy to forget to do something nice for yourself.

Tell yourself you can get through this

At times, we can concentrate on the negative things we tell ourselves and lose hope.

Repeating to yourself that you can get past these feelings can help you regain hope and focus on getting through it.

“Rather than focus on all the desperate negative thoughts about being a burden and of no use, bring your focus into trying to believe it will not last forever and working out how you can safely get through.”

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What is iACT Service?

Improving Access to Community Therapies (iACT®) is one of the services from Mind HK. Trained Wellbeing Practitioners will offer initial assessment and early intervention for people dealing with mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other emotional difficulties.

 

The service includes 6-8 sessions of low-intensity psychological support, the flexibility of the service allows individuals to receive free and timely support when needed.

If you’re aged between 18 – 65 and are facing some emotional challenges, we would like to invite you to take an online assessment for us to gain a better understanding of your current emotional struggle.

 

If you’re eligible, we’ll get you connected with a Wellbeing Practitioner within two weeks to sort out the next steps.

The service runs for about 3 months and includes 6-8 support sessions, tailored to your needs.

 

We encourage you to attend all sessions and actively practice the tips and exercises provided by your Wellbeing Practitioner.

We take your privacy seriously. Your chats with the Wellbeing Practitioner are confidential.

 

We won’t share any of your info unless you’ve provided consent or if there are risks detected.

This programme isn’t suitable for people facing emergencies, major setbacks, or those diagnosed with serious or complex mental health conditions.

 

If you’re having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, this programme might not meet your needs, so please seek help right away. You can check out Mind HK’s “Find Help Now” page for immediate information and services.

Most of our Wellbeing Practitioners have backgrounds in psychology or counselling and are passionate about mental health. They’ve gone through about 140 hours of intensive training and completed at least 120 hours of supervised clinical practice over 9 months to ensure the quality of service.

 

They’re trained by accredited local experts in the mental health field, including clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, counsellors, and psychiatrists. Plus, we regularly check how effective our services are. All service outputs and performances are subject to consistent monitoring.

Who is suitable for participating in this programme?

This programme welcomes anyone between the ages of 18 and 65 who may be feeling lost or facing emotional difficulties. Please note that this programme is not suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe or complex mental health conditions.

This programme is not suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe or complex mental health conditions, but suitable for those who experience mild to severe moderate anxiety, mild to moderate depression, or other emotional challenges. If you are currently experiencing a major setback or even having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please visit the “Find Help Now” page on our Mind HK’s website for immediate information and services.

After signing up, our Wellbeing Practitioner will contact you within two weeks to schedule a convenient time for a 45-minute conversation, either via video or phone call, according to your preference. During the conversation, the Wellbeing Practitioner will understand your current situation and help you gain a better understanding of your emotional state based on the questionnaire you filled out during application. Additionally, they will provide recommendations for appropriate community resources based on your needs, helping you take an important first step in taking care of your mental health.

Although the intervention procedure is mostly standardised, Wellbeing Practitioners will work flexibly with clients to address individual presenting problems and unique characteristics.

Our Wellbeing Practitioners are trained to support people who experience mild to moderate mental health difficulties primarily. This programme is not suitable for the situations mentioned above. If you are currently experiencing a major setback or even having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please visit the “Find Help Now” page on our Mind HK’s website for immediate information and services.

Your conversations with the Wellbeing Practitioner are absolutely confidential. Any information about you will not be shared with anyone without your consent unless you or others are at immediate risk or the Wellbeing Practitioner has reason to believe that you may be in imminent danger.
Supervisors will monitor trainees’ development throughout the placement to ensure that they are meeting the required level of competency to pass the training course at the end of the placement.

Yes, it is necessary to book an appointment in advance by filling out the form. Additionally, you can select one of the five stores yourself. We will allocate clients to different Wellbeing Practitioners based on their chosen location.

Before having the conversation, we will ask you to fill out a basic questionnaire for preliminary screening assessment. This screening process aims to ensure that the training received by the Wellbeing Practitioners is sufficient to meet the needs of the individuals receiving the service. If it is determined after the screening assessment that the service is not suitable for you, Mind HK will provide alternative recommendations to ensure your safety and support.

For adults who are suitable for this service, all Wellbeing Practitioners have received training on how to identify and respond to safety and risk issues. If you have any concerns about the support process, the Wellbeing Practitioners have appropriate measures in place and will develop response plans based on the urgency of the situation. They can also access support from clinical practitioners from Mind HK or participating organisations.

What private training does Mind HK provide?

Mind HK provides 4 themes of mental health training, including: Supporting Self, Supporting Others, Family Wellbeing and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).

 

Check out the brochure here for more information.

Mind HK provides a wide range of standardised mental health training, which can be tailored to different circumstances. Chat with our team to explore more! 

Our trainers come from a diverse, accredited pool of clinically experienced professionals. Check out our trainers’ biographies here.

Yes, the Mental Health First Aid class of Mind HK is internationally accredited by the MHFA International. The content and certification is delivered by trainers certified from the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. You can find out our trainers accreditation here.

We are here to support your mental health education journey! Reach out to us and chat with our team.

How can I cope right now?

How can I cope right now?

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it's a mental health emergency.

Visit our page to find help now.

You might be feeling so upset, angry and in pain that you believe these feelings will never end.

But it's important to remember that they cannot and will not last. Like all feelings, these ones will pass.

There are steps you can take right now to stop yourself from acting on your suicidal thoughts.

Everyone is different, so it's about finding what works best for you.

These are some practical tips that other people have found helpful when they've felt suicidal.

Get safe right now

Get through the next five minutes

Taking things minute by minute can help make things more bearable. Reward yourself each time five minutes have passed.

Remove anything you could use to harm yourself

Remove any items or things you could use to harm yourself, or ask someone else to remove these for you. If you're in an unsafe location, move away to somewhere safer.

Follow your safety plan or crisis plan

If you have a safety plan or crisis plan in place, follow it.

These plans are a good way to save ideas for helping yourself when you feel unwell.

Tell someone how you're feeling

Whether it's a friend, family member or even a pet, telling someone else how you're feeling can help you feel less alone and more in control.

"When it got really bad and the temptation to harm myself was really bad I would get my family to hide dangerous things away and go to bed."

Distract yourself

Try self-harm coping techniques

If you're thinking of harming yourself, you could try using self-harm coping techniques.

For example, you could:

  • hold an ice cube in your hand until it melts and focus on how cold it feels
  • tear something up into hundreds of pieces
  • take a very cold shower or bath.

See our page of tips for coping with self-harm for more ideas.

Focus on your senses

Taking time to think about what you can smell, taste, touch, hear and see can help to ground your thoughts.

Steady your breathing

Take long, deep breaths. Breathing out for longer than you breathe in can help you feel calmer.

Look after your needs

If you can, try doing the following:

  • get a glass of water
  • eat something if you're hungry
  • sit somewhere comfortable
  • write down how you're feeling.

Try to avoid drinking alcohol or taking recreational drugs, as this can make you feel worse.

Go outside

If you're feeling numb, go outside and feel the rain, sun or wind against your skin. This can help you to feel more connected to your body.

Contact a helpline or listening service

If you can't talk to someone you know, call The Samaritans Hong Kong (multilingual hotline: 2896 0000), The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (Chinese hotline: 2389 2222), Suicide Prevention Service (hotline: 2382 0000), or Chat Point – The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong Online Counselling Chat room website: https://chatpoint.org.hk/#/home for helplines and listening service.

For example, you could call The Samaritans Hong Kong (multilingual hotline: 2896 0000), The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (Chinese hotline: 2389 2222) if you want to talk to somebody about how you're feeling at any time.

Or if you'd prefer not to talk over the phone, you could try a text service such as SMS/Whatsapp only available for youth through: Hong Hong Federation of Youth Groups (utouch) 6277 8899 or Jockey Club Online Youth Emotional Support 91 012 012.

"Sometimes it's just about survival and focusing on something that's real until the feelings can become easier to deal with."

Challenge your thoughts

Make a deal with yourself that you won't act today

Plan to get support if you're not getting support already. See our page on treatment and support for information about different ways to find help.

Find your reasons to live

You may feel like the world will be better off without you or there's no point in living, but this is never the case. You could try the following:

  • Write down what you're looking forward to. This could be eating your favourite meal, seeing a loved one or catching up on the next episode of a TV show.
  • Make plans to do something you enjoy tomorrow or in the near future. Plans don't have to be big or expensive.
  • Think about the people you love. No matter how bad you're feeling, it's important to remember that these people would miss you.

Be kind to yourself

Talk to yourself as if you were talking to a good friend. And try doing something nice for yourself.

This could be something small like having a bath, wrapping yourself in a blanket and watching your favourite film.

These ideas may seem silly but it can be easy to forget to do something nice for yourself.

Tell yourself you can get through this

At times, we can concentrate on the negative things we tell ourselves and lose hope.

Repeating to yourself that you can get past these feelings can help you regain hope and focus on getting through it.

"Rather than focus on all the desperate negative thoughts about being a burden and of no use, bring your focus into trying to believe it will not last forever and working out how you can safely get through."