Suicide Prevention

Frienship

While it is not possible to predict suicide with absolute certainty, most people contemplating suicide show direct and indirect signs of distress.  If we know how to recognize those signs, we can intervene to help. The following signs should prompt you to seek immediate help for you or a loved one:

  • Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself
  • Looking for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online or obtaining a gun
  • Talking about feeling hopeless, feeling like a burden, or having no reason to live

If You or Someone You Know Needs Help

For more information about getting outpatient treatment, please visit our Psychiatry Healthcare and Clinics page.

If you are suicidal or are a danger to yourself or to others, please call 9-8-8 or visit your nearest emergency room immediately.

These organizations also offer suicide prevention resources:

  • Suicide Prevention Lifeline
    If you are suicidal, please call 988. You’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline website also offers a number of resources for those looking for support.
  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
    The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide.
  • Suicide Prevention Resource Center
    The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is the only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
  • For a comprehensive list of local crisis lines by county in Oregon, please visit the National Alliance of Mental Illness County Mental Health Departments page.

Articles & Facts

Learn more about suicide and what you can do if you or a loved one is displaying signs of suicidal thoughts or actions.

CDC Overview & Facts https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/suicide/index.html

CDC Preventing Suicide https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicide-factsheet.pdf

Unity Center for Behavioral Health (Open 24/7)
1225 NE 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97232

Cascadia Urgent Walk-In Clinic (Daily 7 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.)
4212 SE Division St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97206

Clackamas County Urgent Walk-In Clinic (Formerly Riverstone) (Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sun. closed)
11211 SE 82nd Ave. Happy Valley, OR 97086

Hawthorn Walk-In Center (Mental Health & Addictions Care) (Daily 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.)
5240 NE Elam Young Parkway, Suite 100 Hillsboro, OR 97124

Psychiatric Crisis Center (PCC) (Open 24/7)
1118 Oak St. SE Salem, OR 97301

Columbia Community Mental Health Creekside Center Walk-In Clinic
(503)-397-5211 Please Call Ahead (All Ages)

In addition to the resources above, these organizations offer support pointed specifically toward parents and teens.

OHSU has resources to support the well-being of our students, posdocs,faculty, residents, fellows, and staff.

Wellness Resources

Student Health and Wellness

Resident Faculty Wellness Program

Employee and Staff Resources

M.D. Program Student Wellness

  • Suicide is preventable. Most suicidal individuals desperately want to live; they are just unable to see alternatives to their problems.
  • Most suicidal individuals give definite warnings of their suicidal intentions, but others are either unaware of the significance of these warnings or do not know how to respond to them.
  • Talking about suicide does not cause someone to be suicidal.
  • Suicide occurs across all age, economic, social, racial and ethnic boundaries.
  • Suicidal behavior is complex and not a response to one problem that a person is experiencing. Some risk factors vary with age, gender, or ethnic group and may occur in combination or change over time.
  • Surviving friends and family members not only suffer the trauma of losing a loved one to suicide, they may themselves be at higher risk for suicide and emotional problems.

Warning signs are similar to risk factors, in that their presence increases the likelihood that an individual will engage in suicidal behavior. However they differ in that warning signs warrant greater attention and more immediate intervention. Warning signs indicate that the individual may be considering suicide. While there is no foolproof method of determining that someone is thinking of hurting him or herself, the following signs might indicate that someone is considering suicide.

The following warning signs indicate that the individual needs intervention:

  • Hopelessness
  • Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
  • Increased alcohol or drug use
  • Withdrawing from family and friends
  • Anxiety, agitation, being unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
  • Dramatic mood changes
  • Expressing feelings that life is meaningless or that there is no reason to live
  • Insomnia
  • Feeling desperate or trapped, like there's no way out
  • Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life
  • Diagnosed with a mental illness, particularly depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia

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  • Certain behaviors can also serve as warning signs, particularly when they are not characteristic of the person's normal behavior. These include:
    • Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities
    • Engaging in violent or self-destructive behavior
    • Withdrawing from friends, family, and society

If you have lost a loved one to suicide, or your school or community are struggling to cope with a suicide loss, here are some resources that can help. These resources are designed to help survivors of suicide loss address their complex practical and emotional needs.

Explore Resources for Loss Survivors