Sadly, autistic people are at an increased risk of suicide compared to non-autistic people. Feeling socially isolated and finding it difficult to communicate their feelings can lead some people to have suicidal thoughts.  

If your child or other member of your family is feeling suicidal and needs immediate help to keep safe, take them to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of any hospital.
 

What is suicide? 

“Suicide is the act of intentionally taking your own life. Suicidal feelings can range from being preoccupied by abstract thoughts about ending your life, or feeling that people would be better off without you, to thinking about methods of suicide, or making clear plans to take your own life”.  

People might have: 

• suicidal thoughts with suicidal behaviours  
• suicidal thoughts without suicidal behaviours. 

Mind
 

Triggers for having suicidal thoughts  

All the current research suggests that autistic people are at an increased risk of suicide compared to non-autistic people. 

Both autistic and non-autistic people experience similar triggers for suicidal thoughts. These are some of the risk factors to look out for:   

• depression   
• feelings of hopelessness  
• difficult life events 
• trauma and childhood trauma 
• substance abuse 
• grief and loss (death and end of relationships) 
• employment or money concerns  
• social isolation  
• having an underlying (mental and/or physical) health condition.  

Researchers and autistic people’s accounts suggest a number of potential risks specifically for autistic people. These include:   

• experiencing bullying, social isolation/rejection and loneliness  
• self-harm  
• finding it difficult to understand your own feelings and learning to manage them (also known as emotional regulation) 
• camouflaging (hiding or masking autistic traits or behaviours)  
• sleep problems 
• receiving a late diagnosis of autism, which meant a lack of support in earlier life 
• difficulty accessing post-diagnosis and mental health support   
• difficulty communicating emotions and thoughts with others  
• experiencing alexithymia (difficulties identifying and describing their own and others emotions)  
• co-occurring mental health conditions, such as OCD and depression.

Autistic people report that social isolation and loneliness are the most common reasons for suicidal thoughts.
 

What should you do if your loved one is feeling suicidal?  

Immediate options for anyone feeling suicidal or unable to keep themself safe 

• Take them to any hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) department (sometimes known as the emergency department). 
• Call 999 and ask for an ambulance, if you can't get to A&E.  
• Ask someone else to call 999 for you or take you both to A&E. 

If you need support right now but don't want to go to A&E, here are some other options you can try: 

• Encourage the person you care for to call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org – they're always open and are there to listen. 
• Encourage children and young people under 19 to call Childline on 0800 1111 – the number will not show up on your phone bill or visit their website 
• Contact your GP for an emergency appointment or the out of hours team. 
• Contact NHS 111 (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) or NHS Direct 0845 46 47 (Wales). 
• Contact your local crisis resolution and home treatment (CRHT) team, if the person you care for is under their care. 

Suggestions on how to approach a family member who may be suicidal:   

• Seek professional support. You can visit our mental health support page for more information about seeking help.
• Listen to what they say.   
• Be non-judgemental and remain calm.   
   

Useful links and resources 

Helplines 

For anyone feeling suicidal, the NHS suggests the following helplines for support: 

Samaritans – for everyone 

Call 116 123 
Email jo@samaritans.org 

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men 

Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day 
Visit the webchat page 

Papyrus – for people under 35 

Call 0800 068 41 41 – 9am to midnight, seven days a week 
Text 07860 039967 
Email pat@papyrus-uk.org 

Childline – for children and young people under 19 

Call 0800 1111 – the number will not show up on your phone bill