Why do some people avoid seeking help when they’re in crisis—and how can we change that?

Avoidance of help - First - if people really want to die, they simply won't seek help. Help keeps them from their goal - dying. People don't always seek help when having suicidal thoughts because generally they don't think they need it and want to manage them on their own.

This is where strong digital interventions, mobile applications, and building strong day-to-day wellness plays a critical role.

But people also don't seek help out of fear of being institutionalized - being held against their will at a hospital with no shoestrings because the staff don't trust them to not hang themselves with them. That process, to many, feels more like jail then treatment. Finally, people don't seek help out of internal stigma - they feel shame about feeling suicidal and the things that led to this point. So given what is driving the reduction in help-seeking, we need different approaches. We need to have crisis options outside of the hospital (988, Bridge Center for Hope) and make sure folks know about them. We need to make sure folks know what is and isn't good in the app store to support their own coping (Virtual Hope Box, Safety Planning App). We need to teach folks the importance of storing medications and firearm safely incase their own desire to manage suicidal thoughts are overwhelmed. Increasing suicide help-seeking is a multi-faceted, public health approach for sure.