Humane Ways To Handle A Suicidal Partner

The first time you face a suicidal behaviour, you tend to freak out completely. We all have suicidal thoughts at some point of time or the other. However, you need to be clinically depressed to be able to go through with these thoughts and actually take your life. As most psychiatrists say, it takes one moment of madness to commit suicide.

So if you observe that your partner is suicidal, then it is important to handle him/her with utmost delicacy. Your partner must be suicidal for a reason and you have to find out that reason to be able to cure him/her. Most often, suicidal behaviour is a result of depression. You need to analyse if your partner has been depressed over a period of time. Your instincts might tell you to pack your bags and run away, but that is not the right decision. Your partner is sick and needs help.

Now it is also important that you understand the risk of staying with a suicidal partner. Your partner may try to kill himself/herself at any point of time. So you need to be extra vigilant about your partner. Also, there are legal implications of staying with a suicidal partner. However, the most important issue is to treat depressed partner in a humane way.

Here are some points you need to keep in mind while handling a suicidal partner.

Look For Signs Of Suicidal Behaviour

No body commits suicide out of the blue. You must look for the signs of suicidal behaviour in your partner. For example, brooding, not talking for days and being depressed are precursors to suicide.

Your Partner Is Sick

You need to understand that depression that leads to suicidal behaviour is a clinical condition just like diabetes or malaria. So there is no point getting angry with your partner. Treat him/her like a sick person who needs help.

Was He/She Always Like This?

You need to know the complete mental history of a person to be able to judge him/her. You need to do some research and find out if your partner displayed suicidal behaviour before this or the problem occurred now.

Remove Dangerous Objects From Home

Sleeping pills, knives, blades, ropes, rat poison etc are all potentially dangerous things to keep around a suicidal person. Remove all these things from your home.

Get Medical Help

Your partner needs medical care and you are probably the only person who can explain that to him/her. Most suicidal patients refuse to see a psychiatrist. You need to convince your partner to get medical help.

Never Abandon A Suicidal Person

Abandonment worsens the conditions of a person who is already suicidal. So never dump your partner when he/she is feeling suicidal. This might actually tip your partner over the brink of depression to take the final step.

There Are Legal Implications

You can face legal harassment if your partner suddenly commits suicide. So you need to take precautionary steps like informing your lawyer and the local police department about your partner's condition in advance.

The Root Of The Problem

Nothing happens without a reason. If your partner is showing suicidal behaviour, then there must be a cause for it. It could be an immediate cause like getting laid off from work or an old emotional baggage that has suddenly resurfaced.

Alcohol, Drugs And Addictions

Any kind of addiction worsens a suicidal person's condition. So if your partner is an addict, convince him/her to go to a rehabilitation centre first.

Inform Family

Your partner's family must be informed about his/her condition. Do this secretly without your partner's knowledge. Take your partner's family into confidence so that they can help your partner heal faster.