The vast majority of people who survive a suicide attempt go on to live a happy and contented life. Nevertheless, most encounter some rough patches on their road to recovery.
On your own journey you may become depressed or fall back into a dark hole. Suicide ideations may also reappear. During these difficult times it is important that you stay safe. While friends and family will be there to love and support you, there may well be times when you will feel alone. One tool that has been developed to help you through these down days is a Safety Plan.
Create a Safety Plan
A safety plan can help to keep you safe when you are low or feeling suicidal. A good plan will connect you with the people and services who can help you overcome your dark days, as well as remind you of your many reasons to live.
While you can create a safety plan on your own, you may find it more beneficial to work with someone you trust, such as a close friend, family member, or counsellor. You should also create your plan at a time when you are feeling well, rather than when you are down or feeling suicidal.
When preparing a safety plan you should include your:
personal warning signs
coping strategies that have worked for you in the past, or you think may work in the future
reasons for living and that have helped you stay alive
list of family and close friends you can rely on for support
list of professionals you can contact if you need experienced help
plan to remove suicide means from your environment
emergency service if you feel unsafe – call 000
Centre For Suicide Prevention Safety Plan
Safety plans generally comprise several steps. The safety plan recommended by the Centre For Suicide Prevention in the USA is based on 7 steps in which you list:
your warning signs that indicate a suicidal crisis may be developing and that you should activate your safety plan
the coping strategies you can use to calm yourself and divert negative thoughts
your reasons for living and that have helped you stay alive
the people you can rely on if you need support plus their contact details
your mental health providers and the hours they can be reached
the steps to be taken to remove access to means of suicide from your environment
the crisis support or emergency services you should contact if you feel unsafe or you feel you cannot cope
Paper Versus an App
There are two common methods for preparing a safety plan. If you are not too keen on technology, you can write up a safety plan in a note-book or in your diary. If you are technology savvy, there are smart-phone safety plan Apps that you can use.
Paper Based Safety Plans
If you prefer to write a paper-based safety plan, fill in your relevant details in a notebook or diary. Alternatively, you may wish to print out a PDF version of a Safety Plan to write down your answers.
Safety Plan Apps
If you use a smart-phone App, the steps and information you should include in your safety plan are typically listed for you. This makes it easy for you to fill in your details.
A big advantage of using a smart-phone App is that your safety plan will typically be readily available in case you need to access it.
Two Australian safety plan Apps you may wish to consider are:
ReMinder developed by On The Line
BeyondNow developed by Beyond Blue