Enrichment · Wellbeing

Notice the signs.
Know what to do next.

When someone you care about seems different, it is hard to know whether it matters or what to say. Write down what you noticed and for how long. The page shows which signs mean getting help now, which are worth raising with an adult, and the next step for each, in plain words. It never scores anyone or tells you what is wrong.

Write what you noticedWhat you get

What I noticed

The worked example is made up: a friend who has gone quiet, a cousin after a loss and a teammate after a breakup. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A note for each time you noticed something: who, whether they have talked about death or suicide, the get-help-now signs, the changes you have seen, how long, how it compares with usual, whether you asked, who you told and your next step. Counts notes with a get-help-now sign and notes already shared with an adult or 988.
Who it is for
Middle school, high school and college students worried about a friend, a classmate or someone at home; parents, coaches and teachers learning the signs.
Format
Browser notebook with a saved note per time you noticed something. Prints one note to bring to a counselor or parent, all notes in a table or a blank page; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write down when you noticed it and who it is about.
  2. Answer the direct question about talk of death or suicide, then mark any other signs.
  3. Note how long and whether it is new or getting worse.
  4. Read the steps the page shows. Any get-help-now sign means telling an adult or calling 988 today.
  5. Print the note if it helps you explain what you saw.

Write what you noticed

What the signs are, and what helps

From noticing to getting helpNoticeA change from how theyusually arePulling away, sleep, mood,schoolTalk of hopelessness orbeing a burdenWorse after a loss or acrisisAsk and listenAsk directly: are youthinking about suicideListen without arguing orfixingTake every answerseriouslyDo not promise to keep itsecretGet helpTell a trusted adult todayCall or text 988 togetherImmediate danger: call 911Stay with them if it issafeFrom noticing to getting helpNoticeA change from how they usually arePulling away, sleep, mood, schoolTalk of hopelessness or being a burdenWorse after a loss or a crisisAsk and listenAsk directly: are you thinking about suicideListen without arguing or fixingTake every answer seriouslyDo not promise to keep it secretGet helpTell a trusted adult todayCall or text 988 togetherImmediate danger: call 911Stay with them if it is safe
You are not expected to know what is wrong. Your job is to notice, ask and make sure an adult or 988 knows.

Signs that mean get help now

Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves, looking for a way to do it, saying goodbye or giving things away, and saying they feel trapped, in unbearable pain or a burden. Do not wait to see if it passes: tell a trusted adult or call or text 988 the same day. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Signs worth raising with an adult

Pulling away from people, sleeping much more or less, mood swings, rage, reckless behavior, more alcohol or drugs, and losing interest in things they loved. One sign on its own is common; several together, lasting weeks or getting worse, are worth telling someone about.

Asking does not make it worse

Asking someone directly whether they are thinking about suicide does not put the idea in their head. Studies find it can bring relief. Ask, listen, take the answer seriously and help them connect with an adult or 988.

Sources

  1. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Know the signs; how to help someone (988lifeline.org).
  2. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Risk factors, protective factors and warning signs (afsp.org).
  3. National Institute of Mental Health: Warning signs of suicide (nimh.nih.gov).
  4. Dazzi, T., Gribble, R., Wessely, S., & Fear, N. T. (2014). Does asking about suicide and related behaviours induce suicidal ideation? Psychological Medicine, 44(16), 3361 to 3363.
  5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Preventing suicide, a toolkit for high schools (samhsa.gov).

The worked example is made up. This notebook is for learning the signs and deciding what to do; it does not diagnose anyone and it is not a crisis service. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.