For families of people who are in psychological pain, or who are suffering from what is called “psychache”—the hurt, anguish or overwhelming pain that can take hold in the mind— knowing when to contact a professional on a loved one’s behalf can be daunting. You may be unsure if it’s suicidal behavior, but you are constantly worried. A person, however, will usually show suicide warning signs long before seeing a psychologist, being admitted into a mental health facility or becoming an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital.

Experienced, compassionate Texas suicide lawyer Skip Simpson urges anyone who thinks they may have noticed even the slightest sign that a loved one may be suicidal to take action. Often, it doesn’t take much action to save a life—and to begin the process of ensuring that the person in danger gets help before deciding to take his or her own life. People who have jumped off a bridge in desperation but survived the fall have said they would not have leapt if they had received one smile from one person as they approached the railing. If a smile from a stranger can be that powerful in helping to keep a man who is in anguish over losing his job from choosing to end his life, or to prevent a woman overwhelmed by grief at the loss of her husband from deciding to kill herself, think what a loved one could do to help prevent a suicide.

Sometimes even close relatives will think their loved is not the type of person who could be suicidal. According to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline there are certain suicidal thoughts and actions that men, women or adolescents with psychache may display, especially if they suffer from depression or other disorders linked to a risk of suicide:

• He reasons that he is a burden to others, feels trapped, has nothing to live for or wants to die.
• She says she has no reason to live, feels hopeless, is in unbearable pain or should just end it all.
• He is looking for ways to end his life, such as searching for poisons online or buying a gun.
• She is drinking more, using drugs excessively or engaging in risky activities.
• He is full of rage, acting recklessly or focused on seeking revenge.
• She seems agitated, anxious, and feeling there is no way out.
• He isolates himself from others and is withdrawn.
• She is not sleeping much or sleeping all the time.

• He has increasingly extreme mood swings.
• She has stopped going to work.
• He has stopped eating.

If you have a loved one who is showing signs of psychache and suicidal thoughts, act now. Here are several approaches the NSPL recommends that could help save someone’s life:

• Be direct. Talk openly and matter-of-factly about suicide.
• Be willing to listen. Allow them to express their feelings and accept those feelings.
• Don’t be judgmental or debate whether suicide is right or wrong. Don’t lecture on the value of life.
• Get involved. Become available. Show interest and support.
• Don’t dare him or her to do it.
• Don’t act shocked. This will put distance between you.
• Don’t be sworn to secrecy. Seek support.
• Offer hope that alternatives are available but do not offer glib reassurance.
• Take action. Remove means, such as guns or stockpiled pills.
• Get help from persons or agencies specializing in crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

Families of loved ones who attempted to commit suicide, who killed himself or took her own life in a mental health care facility or psychiatric hospital should also know that clinicians and hospital staff are often underpaid and stretched thin with their workload. Consequently patients are often watched only every 15 minutes, instead of at a higher level of observation, such as one-to-one or in line of sight of a hospital employee.

You have most likely come to this blog because someone you care about, or who is in your professional care, is in danger of committing suicide. Take action before anything happens.  If your loved one committed suicide or attempted suicide—whether as an inpatient, before being admitted to a hospital or emergency room, or after being released—you need a reliable, diligent suicide attorney. Call  Skip Simpson Attorneys and Counselors at 214-618-8222 or complete our online contact form. We understand what you are going through and can fight hard to pursue the compensation you and your family deserve.

A final note: Mr. Simpson rejects many more cases than he accepts. Not all attempted suicides are the result of incompetent care.  Mr. Simpson and the experts he retains distinguish the cases in which law suits are needed from those in which no law suit should be filed.

The Law Offices of Skip Simpson, 2591 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300 Frisco, Texas 75034

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2012 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Psychiatric Malpractice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.