Suicidal therapy focuses on providing the individual experiencing suicidal thoughts with suicide-specific coping techniques and skills. Suicide therapy can then help individuals recognize when, where, how, and why they start thinking about suicide.The goal is to prevent suicidal behaviors and to motivate the individual so that they’re better equipped to deal with their suicidal impulses and reduce the risk of suicide.

Research into suicide-specific treatments to help reduce suicidal thoughts reveals some effective therapies that have been both studied in controlled clinical trials and used in psychiatric and mental healthcare settings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Suicide Prevention

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for suicide prevention has shown impressive results in reducing suicidal thoughts and repeat suicide attempts, reducing depressive symptoms, and increasing hope. A primary treatment focus is reducing suicide risk factors and increasing coping skills. Central to the therapy is the tenet that the individual will continue to have stressors and problems, but armed with effective coping skills, they’ll no longer be triggered to suicidal behavior.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for Suicide Prevention

For someone experiencing chronic suicidal thoughts, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an effective therapy to reduce suicidal attempts and ideation. Individuals suffering from a borderline personality disorder, for example, not only need therapy for suicidal ideation that can help ensure their safety, but they also need to learn new skills and access resources that can lessen the fixation with suicide. While someone can’t control what they think, they can learn how to better respond to the thoughts that come to them. That’s where DBT can help. Rather than fixate on suicidal thoughts, with CBT therapy the person can master detachment to help them look at the thoughts from afar with a kind of curiosity.

Look for a trained mental health professional who specializes in treatment for suicide. Your mental healthcare provider will evaluate your circumstances and specific behaviors to determine the overall approach to treatment.