Dr. Robbins: Ask direction questions to those considering suicide

Dr. Kenneth Robbins wants people to take a different approach to family members or friends contemplating suicide. Posing general questions to them doesn't help but direction questions are best.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Nearly 90 per cent of those who commit suicide have either depression or mental disorder. Women tend to commit suicide quickly more than men, while men commit suicide acts more than 2-to-1 compared to women. Men usually commit suicide with firearms, while women usually commit suicide with drug overdoses. Dr. Robbins advises us to stop asking general questions like "How are you?" or "Are you OK?" Instead, he wants us to ask direct questions, "Are you thinking of committing suicide?" or "With what means are you trying to commit suicide?" If they say they plan to use firearms, then try to remove the guns from the vicinity. And also try to seek professional help for them. Health.com provides some tips how to spot depression: Sometimes the people who live with a depressed person are better at spotting the signs of a recurrence sooner than the person himself. Increasing isolation is often a clue, as is sadness, expressions of worthlessness or guilt, and sleeping or eating too much or too little. If you’ve seen this pattern before, you know what you’re looking for. This is the time to suggest that the person might want to call the doctor. I agree with him -- simple questions are not going to stop them from committing suicide. Even if they don't answer these questions, at least they will be comforted being asked such questions. I would watch their body language also and try to focus on them instead of doing something else, which can be postponed later.