"IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW MAY BE AT RISK FOR SUICIDE, CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE AT 1-800-273-8255 OR GO TO YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOM IMMEDIATELY. Suicidal ideation is a common medical term for thoughts about suicide. Thoughts may be fleeting in nature, or they may persist and resolve into a formulated plan. Many people who experience suicidal thoughts do not die by suicide, although they may exhibit suicidal behavior or make suicide attempts. People who find themselves experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors may find that they do so as a result of conditions such as depression, hopelessness, severe anxiety, insomnia, or panic attacks. Not all people who are diagnosed with these or other medical or mental health conditions will experience suicidal ideation, but some may. All suicidal ideation and behavior should be taken seriously, and those who have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing suicidal ideation should contact a crisis line as soon as possible.A person might have persistent thoughts of suicide and never attempt suicide, but a person might also attempt suicide after only briefly experiencing suicidal ideation. Thus, it is important that all threats of suicide and suicidal behavior be taken seriously. Get help immediately if you or someone you know does any of the following: Threatens to hurt or kill oneself. Attempts to access the means to kill oneself (weapons, medications, etc.) Talks or writes about one’s own death. Exhibits revenge-seeking behavior. Talks about feeling trapped in an unhappy situation and not seeing any way out. Feels no reason to live or has no purpose in life. Withdraws from friends, school, work, family, and all other important relationships. Engages in risky behavior without caution.Psychotherapy can often be beneficial for people who are experiencing chronic suicidal ideation and behavior. However, when individuals are at risk of suicide it is essential that they receive a higher level of care, such as hospitalization or intense in-patient or out-patient treatment. Weekly psychotherapy is simply insufficient to protect those who are in crisis and adequately address their risk. Once an individual is no longer in crisis, therapy to treat the underlying causes of suicidal ideation or behavior is typically recommended. The psychotherapy model considers hopelessness to be the strongest contributing factor to suicidal ideation, and a large part of crisis intervention and post crisis counseling aims to restore hope. An individual who continues in therapy once the point of crisis has passed will likely explore ways to resist urges to self-harm (if the person engaged in self-harming behavior), address the factors that led to suicidal thoughts, and create a plan that includes coping strategies and methods to address suicidal thoughts in the event that they recur."