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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment online, when you are safe right now. A doctor can talk with you, make a safety plan and arrange support; urgent mental health and hospital care are in person.
- Right now: if you might act on your thoughts, call 112 or go to an emergency department. You can also ask someone to call for you.
- You are not alone: Samaritans estimates that 1 in 4 people have suicidal thoughts at some point in their life, from a 2023/4 survey in England.
- Help works: most people who feel suicidal do not want to die; they want the pain or the situation to stop. Support and treatment help.
- Emergency: call 112 or go to an emergency department if you might act on thoughts of suicide, or if you have harmed yourself or taken anything.
Do not book a video appointment if you feel you might act on thoughts of suicide, have made a plan, or have harmed yourself or taken anything. Call 112 or go to an emergency department now, or ask someone with you to call. Stay with other people while you wait. You can also find a free, confidential crisis helpline in your country at findahelpline.com.
Can an online doctor help with suicidal thoughts?
Yes, as a first step, when you are safe right now. A doctor by video can talk with you, ask about your thoughts and what lies behind them, make a safety plan with you, treat depression or anxiety, and arrange support from mental health services. If you might act on your thoughts, or have harmed yourself, you need help in person now: call 112 or go to an emergency department.
How an online consultation helps with suicidal thoughts
- Someone to talk to: A doctor who listens without judgement and takes what you say seriously.
- Your safety, asked about plainly: Talking openly about suicide does not make it more likely; it is how help starts.
- A plan for difficult moments: A written safety plan: warning signs, things that help, and who to contact.
- Treatment for what lies behind it: Care for depression, anxiety or other difficulties, and a referral to mental health services.
What the doctor checks in an online consultation
The doctor asks about your safety first, then about what has been happening. The doctor asks about:
- Safety now: how strong the thoughts are, whether you feel you might act on them, and whether you have harmed yourself.
- What has been happening: events and pressures behind how you feel, such as loss, debt, relationships, work or illness.
- Mood and health: low mood, anxiety, sleep, alcohol and drugs, and any mental health conditions.
- What keeps you going: people, pets, plans or reasons that matter to you.
- Support: who you can talk to, and who you could contact in a crisis.
You can have someone you trust with you during the call. Saying ‘I have been having thoughts of ending my life’ is enough to start.
What should you do if you are having suicidal thoughts?
If you feel you might act on your thoughts, call 112 or go to an emergency department now. If you are safe right now, these steps can help you get through the next hours:
- Focus on getting through the next few hours, not on the future.
- Go to a safe place, such as a friend’s house, and be around other people.
- Put distance between yourself and anything you could use to harm yourself, or ask someone to look after it.
- Stay away from alcohol and drugs.
- Do something you usually find calming or enjoy, such as spending time with a pet.
- Tell someone how you feel: a friend, a family member, a doctor or a crisis line.
Suicidal thoughts can feel permanent, but feelings change, and support helps. Asking for help is a sign of strength.
What are suicidal thoughts, and how common are they?
Suicidal thoughts mean thinking about ending your life. They range from a passing thought to making a plan. They are more common than many people realise: Samaritans estimates, from a 2023/4 survey in England, that 1 in 4 people have suicidal thoughts at some point in their life. Most people who feel suicidal do not want to die; they want the situation they are in, or the way they feel, to stop.
Why do people feel suicidal?
Often because pain feels unbearable and there seems to be no way out. Depression, alcohol problems and other mental health conditions are linked to suicidal thoughts, and so are crises such as loss, money problems, relationship breakdown or serious illness. A previous suicide attempt or self-harm makes support even more important.
Suicide is preventable
Early support matters. Identifying, assessing, supporting and following up anyone affected by suicidal thoughts is one of the key measures the World Health Organization recommends for preventing suicide.
What are the warning signs that someone may be suicidal?
Signs that someone may be struggling include:
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| Sign | What you might notice |
|---|---|
| Changes in behaviour | Someone usually outgoing becoming withdrawn, distracted or low in energy |
| Drinking more | More alcohol or drug use than usual |
| Negative talk | Saying things like ‘everything is against me’, or feeling a burden |
| Hopelessness | Describing their feelings as unbearable, or saying they have nothing to look forward to |
Does asking about suicide put the idea in someone’s head?
No. Evidence shows that asking someone directly whether they are suicidal can protect them: it gives them permission to talk and shows they are not a burden.
How to help someone who may be suicidal
- Ask directly how they are, and whether they are thinking about suicide.
- Listen, ask open questions, and take what they say seriously. You do not need to have the answers.
- Offer practical help, and when they are ready, help them make a safety plan or see a doctor.
- If they might act on their thoughts, call 112 and stay with them.
How are suicidal thoughts treated?
Treatment aims at what lies behind the thoughts and at keeping you safe while things improve:
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| Support | What it involves | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| A safety plan | Your warning signs, things that help, people to contact, and steps to keep safe | You, with a doctor or someone you trust |
| Treatment of depression or anxiety | Talking therapy, and medicine when it helps, with close follow-up | A doctor, including by video |
| Mental health services | Assessment and support from a mental health team | In person |
| Crisis care | Urgent help when you cannot keep yourself safe | An emergency department or crisis team |
| Listening services | Someone to talk to, any time | Crisis lines, at findahelpline.com |
Will I be admitted to hospital if I tell a doctor?
Telling a doctor is how help starts, and the aim is to keep you safe with as little disruption to your life as possible. Hospital care is for when someone cannot be kept safe another way. Being admitted against your will is a last resort, for serious danger when other help has been refused, and you stay only as long as needed.
What might the doctor recommend?
What happens next depends on how safe you are right now. This is the framework the doctors use:
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| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| You might act on your thoughts, or have made a plan | Emergency help | No | Call 112 now |
| You have harmed yourself or taken anything | Emergency care | No | Call 112 now |
| Thoughts of suicide, but you feel you can keep yourself safe | A safety plan, and urgent support from mental health services | Yes, to assess | Urgently, for mental health assessment |
| Passing thoughts of death with low mood | Treatment for depression, and a safety plan | Yes, to assess | If the thoughts get stronger |
| Thoughts that come with drinking or drug use | A plan for both, and support to cut down | Yes, to assess | Supervised care for heavy use |
| Worried about someone else | Advice on how to help, and how to get them seen | Yes | If they might act on their thoughts: call 112 |
Struggling, but safe right now? A doctor can talk with you in one consultation and help you plan the next steps.
See available times →Looking after yourself, and getting support
What you can do yourself
- Write a safety plan, and keep it on your phone: your warning signs, things that help, and who to call.
- Stay connected: spend time with people, even briefly, and tell one person how you really feel.
- Keep a routine for sleep and meals.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs, which make difficult feelings harder to manage.
- Save a crisis line number and 112 in your phone.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. There is no medicine for suicidal thoughts themselves. When depression or anxiety lies behind them, the doctor may prescribe treatment after a full assessment, chosen with your safety in mind and with close follow-up. Benzodiazepines and other controlled medicines are never prescribed online. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Keeping the thoughts secret. Being alone when the thoughts are strong. Alcohol and drugs. Waiting until you feel worse before asking for help.
Special situations
After a crisis or a hospital stay
The weeks after a crisis matter. A doctor by video can follow up, continue treatment and help you keep to your safety plan.
Low mood and depression
Suicidal thoughts often come with depression, which can be treated. The depression page explains the options, and the self-harm page covers self-harm.
While travelling in Europe
In an emergency, call 112 anywhere in the EU. Crisis lines for each country are listed at findahelpline.com.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When suicidal thoughts are assessed online, and when you need in-person care
Assessed online: a first conversation when you are safe right now, a safety plan, treatment for depression or anxiety, follow-up after a crisis, and advice for family and friends.
In-person care: any risk that you might act on your thoughts, any self-harm or anything taken, urgent mental health assessment, and hospital care.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- thoughts of suicide that you might act on, or a plan
- having harmed yourself, or taken too much of any medicine or another substance
- someone else who is in immediate danger of harming themselves
Get medical advice the same day for:
- thoughts of suicide that are getting stronger or more frequent
- thoughts of death with low mood, even without a plan
- drinking or drug use alongside suicidal thoughts
You can also find a free, confidential crisis helpline in your country at findahelpline.com.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about how you feel: share what you can, say who is around to support you, and mention any medicines you take.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
If you are in danger now, call 112. Tick what you are going through to see each page that mentions it. A doctor can talk it through with you on a video call.
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Frequently asked questions about suicidal thoughts
What should I do if I am having suicidal thoughts?
If you might act on suicidal thoughts, call 112 or go to an emergency department now. If you are safe right now, go somewhere with other people, stay away from alcohol and drugs, and tell someone how you feel: a friend, a doctor or a crisis line.
What are suicidal thoughts?
Thoughts about ending your life. They range from a passing thought to making a plan. Most people who feel suicidal do not want to die; they want the pain or the situation to stop.
What is the difference between passive and active suicidal thoughts?
Passive suicidal thoughts are wishing you were dead or would not wake up, without any intention or plan to act; active suicidal thoughts involve thinking about ending your life, and may include a plan or a time. Both deserve help, and passive thoughts can become active, so neither should be brushed aside. If you have a plan, or you feel you might act on your thoughts, call 112 now; if you are safe right now, tell a doctor or someone you trust.
How common are suicidal thoughts?
More common than many people realise. Samaritans estimates, from a 2023/4 survey in England, that 1 in 4 people have suicidal thoughts at some point in their life. You are not alone, and help is available.
How can I stop suicidal thoughts?
Get through the next few hours first: be with other people, avoid alcohol and drugs, and talk to someone. Over time, a safety plan, treatment for depression or anxiety, and support from a doctor or mental health service help the thoughts ease.
How can I keep myself safe while I get help?
Make a simple safety plan: write down your warning signs, the people you can call, including a crisis line and 112, and the places where you feel safer. Stay around other people when suicidal thoughts are strong, avoid alcohol and drugs, which make them worse, and ask someone you trust to stay with you and help keep your surroundings safe. Tell a doctor so that treatment for what lies behind the thoughts can start.
Why do I feel suicidal?
People often feel suicidal because pain feels unbearable and there seems to be no way out. Depression, alcohol problems, loss, money problems, relationship breakdown and illness are common reasons, and they can all be helped.
Do suicidal thoughts go away?
Yes, for most people. Suicidal thoughts usually come in waves tied to how much pain you are in, and they ease as the depression, loss, drinking or crisis behind them is treated or passes; many people who once felt suicidal look back and are glad they got through that time. They can return at hard moments, which is why keeping a safety plan and staying in touch with a doctor or therapist matters.
Will I be admitted to hospital if I tell a doctor?
Telling a doctor about suicidal thoughts is how help starts, and the aim is to keep you safe with as little disruption to your life as possible. Hospital care is for when someone cannot be kept safe another way, and you stay only as long as needed.
What are the warning signs that someone is suicidal?
Warning signs that someone may be suicidal are withdrawing, drinking more, seeming distracted or low in energy, talking negatively about themselves or saying everything is against them, and hopelessness, such as having nothing to look forward to.
Does asking someone about suicide make it worse?
No. Evidence shows that asking someone directly whether they are having suicidal thoughts does not plant the idea and can protect them, because it gives them permission to talk about what they are carrying. Ask plainly, listen without judging, and if they might act on their thoughts, stay with them and call 112.
How can I help someone who is suicidal?
Ask directly, listen without judging, take them seriously, and help them get support, such as a doctor or a crisis line. If they might act on their thoughts, call 112 and stay with them.
Can an online doctor help with suicidal thoughts?
Yes, when you are safe right now. A doctor can talk with you, make a safety plan, treat depression or anxiety and arrange mental health support. If you might act on your thoughts, call 112 instead.
- Help for suicidal thoughts, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 26 April 2024.
- What are suicidal thoughts?, Samaritans (UK and Ireland), accessed 15 October 2026.
- Suicide: fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 28 August 2026.
- Psychosis: treatment (hospital admission and detention), NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 5 September 2023.
- Why people self-harm, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 8 August 2023.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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