Suicidal Thoughts (cont.)

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Prevention of Suicidal Thoughts

Suicidal thoughts can be prevented by following the recommendations of the health-care provider. Whether treatment is recommended or medications and counseling are suggested or not, following through on treatment is the best means of prevention.

Suicidal thoughts can be frightening, and they can indicate a serious illness. People with depression or other forms of mental illness are not weak-willed. They have a real disease. And "real" medications are usually part of successful treatment.

If you are wondering how to help someone with suicidal thoughts, consider the following: If you feel that someone is depressed, ask. If you are concerned that someone might be considering suicide, ask. If someone volunteers to you that they are thinking about suicide, please listen. It might be the only cry for help they utter and therefore be one of the keys to suicide prevention.