Suicide Quickscan
The question of suicide:
Keep it a question.
It's not really an answer.
Peter McWilliams
Suicide intervention is a life-and-death crisis. Bobble it, and we may not get a second chance.
Before he became a pastor, a man we'll call Terry was at work one day when he received a phone call. The caller, Howard, was the 34-year-old son of a fellow worker. Terry knew of Howard's continuing problem with drug abuse, and he remembered that Howard had been hospitalized a while back for psychiatric problems. Howard got right to the point: "Look, I called so you can help my mom. You'll need to talk with her soon, because she's going to find me dead."
What's Terry to do?
Saving a Life
It's remarkable that even most of the suicidal don't want to die. That's why the calls. They're using their next-to-last trick from a bag that's nearly empty. Our task: keeping a precious life intact.
Engagement. The initial moments of the conversation are terribly important. If the caller is absolutely serious about suicide, he controls the interaction. He can hang up abruptly, parcel out or withhold information, get angry and accusing, tantalize, manipulate, or string you along. He can even carry out his intent while you listen.
That's why engaging the caller in conversation is so crucial. Gary Gulbranson, pastor of Glen Ellyn (Illinois) Bible Church, offers advice for this tricky task: "Let the situation play you; don't dominate it. The person calling for help has likely been pushed around by life, pushed to the point of feeling out of control. A suicide attempt is one way to be in charge. When they make that last call, they need to play out their frustrations." So at the beginning of the conversation, Gary doesn't attempt to interrupt them or ask too many questions ...
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