Ritu Chatterjee

Yeah, Emily, I totally understand that.

And it's what I've heard from so many people who've cared for a loved one who's suicidal.

Most people in your situation feel like that.

And it's how Jo Lambert felt when she first found out that one of her loved ones was suicidal.

And she says she felt terrified about losing her loved one.

But, you know, eventually, by trial and error, Jo did figure out how best to care for her loved one during suicidal crises.

And a big lesson for her was that she had to put her own feelings aside during these moments and focus on the person in front of her.

Oh, for sure.

And you hear it in the poem, right?

And the song, which was sung by a group of volunteers, mostly students, mental health care providers at UK's National Health Service, Mental Health Trust, and some who are suicide survivors.

So line after line, the song stresses the importance of emotional safety for the person in crisis.

And this message is conveyed by various voices in the spoken word section of the song.

Wow, that's a beautiful image, Emily.

And yeah, you're right.

Now, I will note that the song acknowledges that the most important part for the person in crisis is knowing that their loved one tried their best.

Yes.

And, you know, Jo told me, for example, that sometimes the thoughts that her loved ones were having about dying weren't taken seriously even by well-meaning health care providers.

Now, that's an example of an under-response, right?

Now, what can also happen is an exaggerated response when someone discloses that they're suicidal, which is also harmful.

So here's psychologist Ursula Whiteside, who runs a suicide prevention nonprofit called Now Matters Now in Washington state.