Suicide is often framed as an individual mental health challenge, yet the reality is far more complex. Social, cultural, and systemic factors shape who is most at risk, who has access to care, and who feels supported in times of crisis. Suicide prevention through the lens of anti-oppressive practice invites us to consider how structural inequities, discrimination, and marginalization contribute...
Suicide prevention cannot be understood through a single lens. People experience despair differently depending on their identities, histories, and ways of processing the world. Among the most important yet often overlooked perspectives is neurodiversity. Understanding how neurodiversity intersects with suicide risk allows clinicians, families, and communities to better recognize vulnerabilities while also appreciating the unique strengths and needs of neurodivergent...
Find a Therapist For individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts, traditional therapy can feel overwhelming. Finding words for pain is not always possible, and verbal processing alone may not fully capture the depth of despair. This is where creative therapies become essential. Art and music therapy as pathways away from suicidal thinking offer alternative ways of expressing emotion, building resilience, and reconnecting...
Living with suicidal ideation is often overwhelming. Thoughts of ending one’s life can feel relentless, leaving little space for hope or relief. For many, these thoughts are not a sign of weakness but a reflection of intense emotional pain and the absence of effective coping strategies. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, better known as DBT, was developed specifically with people in mind...
Suicidal thoughts often feel like an internal battle. One part of us longs to live, while another insists that giving up is the only way forward. For many, this struggle can feel shameful and isolating, as though the very existence of suicidal thoughts means something is deeply wrong. Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a compassionate alternative. It reframes suicidal ideation...
When despair becomes overwhelming, it can feel as though the body itself is carrying a weight too heavy to bear. For many people living with suicidal thoughts, the pain is not only psychological but also deeply physical, manifesting as tightness in the chest, heaviness in the limbs, or a sense of collapse that words cannot capture. Traditional talk therapy can...
Suicidal thoughts do not emerge in isolation. They often take root in patterns of thinking and behaving that place unbearable pressure on individuals. Among the most significant of these patterns are perfectionism and people-pleasing. The role of perfectionism and people-pleasing in suicidal ideation is profound because both tendencies create impossible standards, leave little room for authentic self-expression, and contribute to...
When suicidal urges surface, they can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. Thoughts arrive suddenly and with great intensity, leaving little space between the impulse and the despair that fuels it. In these moments, the ability to pause can make a profound difference. While professional support is essential, mindfulness practices can offer simple, grounding tools that help create that pause, anchor you...
When someone is living with suicidal thoughts, the pain often runs deeper than daily stressors or surface-level struggles. At the heart of suicidality there is often a profound crisis of meaning. People may feel cut off from purpose, from belonging, or from a sense of connection to something larger than themselves. Transpersonal psychology offers a way to reframe despair not...
Attachment is one of the most powerful forces in human development. From birth onward, the way we bond with caregivers shapes how we see ourselves, how we connect with others, and how we respond to distress. For many, attachment provides security and resilience. For others, it creates vulnerabilities that can echo across a lifetime. In recent decades, therapists and researchers...