Support for people who are concerned about suicide

If you have thoughts of suicide...

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, it is important for you to know that there are many sources of support available to you. You do not have to cope on your own. Listed below is information about some of the organisations who may be able to help. You can also contact your local Social Work office and ask to speak in confidence to the Duty Social Worker.

If you are concerned about someone you know...

If you are concerned that someone you know is having thoughts about suicide, this may be because they:

threaten suicide; talk about wanting to die; show changes in behaviour, appearance or mood; abuse drugs and/or alcohol; deliberately injure themselves; appear depressed, sad, withdrawn ...

You can help by:

staying calm and listening; letting the person talk about their feelings; being accepting and not judging them; asking if the person is having suicidal thoughts; taking all threats of suicide seriously; sharing your concerns with someone - do not swear secrecy.

Get help - you cannot do it on your own

Whether you are concerned for yourself or for someone you know, it is important that you seek help. These are some of the sources of advice and support that you could turn to:

your family, friends, relatives
clergy, teachers, counsellors
your local Social Work office
the mental health services provided by Social Work and NHS Borders
your family doctor (this link will take you to the NHS Borders website)
your local hospital emergency department (this link will take you to the NHS Borders website)

Local and national helplines

Support is also available from the following local and national crisis lines:

Borderline
This is a free out-of-hours local helpline which offers emotional and listening support for anyone who feels stressed, anxious or isolated. The service is confidential and the lines are open Monday to Friday 7:00pm - 10:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 6:00pm - 10:00pm. You can contact Borderline as follows:
(0800 0274466 (Freephone helpline)
(01896 755184 (local contact number)
26 Roxburgh Street, Galashiels TD1 1PB.
Samaritans
The Samaritans provide confidential emotional support to any person who is suicidal or despairing. If you need to visit the office, please call 01750 20000 to make an appointment. The office is wheelchair accessible.
(08457 909090 (national 24 hour helpline)
21 West Port Street, Selkirk TD7 4DG
Samaritans website (this link will take you to another site).
Breathing Space
Breathing Space offers a free helpline for people in Scotland. It is there to give support which is anonymous, confidential and very easy to access. They can be contacted as follows:
(0800 838587 (Freephone helpline)
Breathing Space website (this link will take you to another site).