Lesson 6 of 6 · When to get help, and what help looks like
On saying it out loud
People worry that naming this will make it worse, and that worry is what keeps families quiet. Here is what the research found, with its limit attached.
What the research says
Asking someone directly about suicide does not plant the idea or make it worse, and in several studies distress went down afterwards. If you have been afraid to say it out loud to somebody, that fear is not supported by the evidence.
A review of the available studies found no evidence that asking someone about suicide brings on or increases suicidal thoughts. Several of the studies found that distress went down after being asked. The honest limit is that nearly all of this evidence comes from research and clinical settings with a person present, so it says more about a conversation than about a screen.
Dazzi T, Gribble R, Wessely S, Fear NT (2014). Does asking about suicide and related behaviours induce suicidal ideation? What is the evidence?. Psychological Medicine, 44(16), 3361 to 3363 doi