I'm having suicidal thoughts, what should I do?
Many people will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives and might find it hard to talk to someone they love. It’s important to be aware of the type of help and support that is available to you if you are going through a difficult period.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, the most important thing to do is to talk to someone. It’s also important to remember that there are people who care and want to help.
If you think you are in immediate danger of harming yourself, or have made a plan to take your life:
- Visit your Accident & Emergency (A&E) department at your local hospital
- Call 999 to request an ambulance if you can’t go to the hospital yourself
- If you live on or near campus, you can visit either the St Thomas Hospital or the King’s College Hospital A&E department for help and support
It might feel awkward to start a conversation with staff at the hospital or your loved ones, but it’s important to know there isn’t a right or wrong way to talk about suicidal feelings.
Where can I go for emergency & crisis support if I’m on campus?
If you’re experiencing a crisis please always refer to our guidance at Crisis support: need help now.
If there is an emergency on campus, the best action is to report it to the university’s security team:
- Denmark Hill West – 020 7848 5555
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience – 020 7848 0001
- Guy’s, Strand & Waterloo Campuses – 020 7848 2222
- NHS Trust Buildings – 020 7188 3333
Resources & support outside King's
- The Listening Place offers individuals help and support in a relaxed and welcoming space and helpful resources.
- Maytree House (in North London) offer a safe space for individual to talk about their feelings and are open 365 days a year.
- For men: Calm, Campaign against living miserably (5pm-midnight); call 0800 58 58 58 (nationwide) or 0808 802 58 58 (London) or webchat (5pm-midnight)
- The Samaritans - you can find a local branch or call them.
- Shout for support in a crisis
- HOPELINE UK Papyrus
- Togetherall is an online resource that supports individuals with a wide range of mental health and wellbeing issues.
International helplines & resources
- IASP International Association for Suicide Prevention has a list of crisis helplines for most countries including China.
- US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
- Australia: 13 11 14 (Lifeline)
- The “Stay alive” app includes more information about international resources including more helplines and ‘stay safe’ plans.
- Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
My friend/another student has shared suicidal thoughts, what should I do?
It can be very difficult to hear that your friend or someone you know might be feeling suicidal. It's also important to understand that suicidal thoughts can be triggered by a number of different experiences, such as moving to a new place, new friends, and worries about study and/or employment.
You can help your friend to take the first step to getting help by listening to their experiences and encouraging them to access professional support as soon as possible.
If your friend is in immediate danger of harming themselves or is attempting to take their own life:
- Visit the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department at your local hospital
- Call 999 to request an ambulance if your friend is unable to reach the hospital themselves
- If you live on or near campus, you can visit either the St Thomas Hospital or King’s College Hospital A&E departments for help and support.
What help & support is there?
It takes a lot of courage for someone to talk about any suicidal feelings they’ve been experiencing.
At King's we have a number of support services that can help.
Welfare & wellbeing
Your friend can get in touch with their personal tutor, who will refer them to specialist services through the Student of Concern process. Once their personal tutor or residence welfare lead submits a Student of Concern form, a member from Student Support and Wellbeing Services will get in touch to discuss their support needs further.
This form will not be used in an emergency and should not replace emergency services, but will ensure that King’s provides your friend with the right amount of support.
Counselling
If your friend might benefit from speaking to a professional in a confidential and relaxed space to talk about their feelings, they can arrange an appointment with the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service.
Disability support
This is for students who have (or think they have) a diagnosed learning disability or long-term medical condition. Find out more about this in our article Support for students with long-term mental health conditions.
Residence support
If your friend lives in halls of residence then they can speak to their Residence Welfare Lead, a specially trained member of staff who can provide welfare support to students. To find who the Residence Welfare Lead is in your friend's accommodation, speak to a member of staff at the Reception Desk who can provide more details.
Sport
The Active Wellness scheme run by King's Sport, uses exercise as a form of therapy that can support mental health and a variety of other initiatives such as BeActive and King’s Move encourage students to use physical activity to support positive wellbeing.
Support outside King’s
- For help starting difficult conversations about mental health issues, Samaritans have plenty of tips and resources to support you.
- Rethink provide advice and guidance on supporting a friend or loved one with suicidal thoughts.
Helping a friend through a tough period in their lives can be upsetting for you. It's important to remember that you should encourage your friend to access all the help and support available to them, rather than to try and help them on your own.
I’m a relative/friend of a King’s student who has shared suicidal thoughts, what should I do?
It can be very difficult to hear that your child or someone you care about might be feeling suicidal. It is important to understand that suicidal thoughts can be triggered by a number of different experiences, such as moving to a new place, new friends, and worries about study and/or employment.
You can help your loved one to take the first step to getting help by listening to their experiences and encouraging them to access professional support as soon as possible.
If your loved one is in immediate danger of harming themselves or is attempting to take their own life:
- Visit the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department at your local hospital.
- Call 999 to request an ambulance if your loved one is unable to reach the hospital themselves.
- If you live on or near campus, you can visit either the St Thomas Hospital or King’s College Hospital A&E departments for help and support.
Where can I go for emergency & crisis support if I’m on campus?
If a friend or someone you know is experiencing a crisis please always refer to our guidance at Crisis support: need help now.
If there is an emergency on campus, the best action is to report it to the university’s security team:
- Denmark Hill West – 020 7848 5555
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience – 020 7848 0001
- Guy’s, Strand & Waterloo Campuses – 020 7848 2222
- NHS Trust Buildings – 020 7188 3333
What help & support is there?
It takes a lot of courage for someone to talk about any suicidal feelings they’ve been experiencing.
At King's we have a number of support services that can help.
Welfare & wellbeing
Your friend/loved one can get in touch with their personal tutor, who will refer them to specialist services through the Student of Concern process. Once their personal tutor or residence welfare lead submits a Student of Concern form, a member from Student Support and Wellbeing Services will get in touch to discuss their support needs further.
This form will not be used in an emergency and should not replace emergency services, but will ensure that King’s provides your friend with the right amount of support.
Counselling
If your friend/loved one might benefit from speaking to a professional in a confidential and relaxed space to talk about their feelings, they can arrange an appointment with the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service.
Disability support
This is for students who have (or think they have) a diagnosed learning disability or long-term medical condition. Find out more about this in our article Support for students with long-term mental health conditions.
Residence support
If your friend/loved one lives in halls of residence then they can speak to their Residence Welfare Lead, a specially trained member of staff who can provide welfare support to students. To find who the Residence Welfare Lead is in your friend's accommodation, speak to a member of staff at the Reception Desk who can provide more details.
Sport
The Active Wellness scheme run by King's Sport, uses exercise as a form of therapy that can support mental health and a variety of other initiatives such as BeActive and King’s Move encourage students to use physical activity to support positive wellbeing.
Support outside King’s
- Minding your head has a range of tips with supporting a loved one with suicidal thoughts and a guide to spot the warning signs of someone at risk of committing suicide.
- For help starting difficult conversations about mental health issues, Samaritans have plenty of tips and resources to support you.
- Rethink provide advice and guidance on supporting a friend or loved one with suicidal thoughts.
Helping your child or loved on through a tough period in their lives can be upsetting for you. It's important to remember that you should encourage your child or loved one to access all the help and support available to them, rather than to try and help them on your own.
Confidentiality Policy
It is our policy to empower students to communicate for themselves. We will not discuss the support students receive at King’s with a parent, relative or guardian unless the student requests that we do so.
If a student wishes to have another person to communicate on their behalf, we will need signed express permission from the student to do so. If a parent, guardian or relative contacts us to discuss a student's support needs, we will inform them that we cannot discuss the case or take any action without the student's permission.