I have suicidal ideation from time to time. It unfortunately goes along with depression...particularly chronic untreated depression. It's not new to me so at this point I've trained myself to just let the thoughts be...if I don't build them up too much or fear them too much they start to settle down in time. I DO tell my partner. Sometimes my mother. It's a relief to tell someone because when I try to only keep the thoughts to myself they get more frequent or more intense. My partner doesn't need to do anything, just listens or gives me a hug or asks if I need a ride to the doctor.

if I get to a point when nothing is letting up and I feel very scared of what i might do, I just go to a doctor and say that my depression is really bad. I don't even necessarily mention the suicidal ideation....usually they can tell when they see me that I feel awful. I often find that just the conversation and connection with an experienced doctor makes me feel better. And of course they'll talk about new therapy options because meds have never worked for me and they make me sick with side-effects. Often by the time I get home after the appointment, I feel quite a bit better. The last time I did therapy, my psychologist was not helpful with suicidal ideation because she'd shut the talk down or shame me when I really wanted to share the bizarre ideas in my mind. However, a better therapist would probably talk it all through with you and perhaps offer coping strategies.

Does it help to tell us? I have called helplines a few times in my life when I was living alone and there was nobody to tell.

One time, I was having really intense suicidal ideation out of nowhere (with no desire to act on it) and my partner knows that meditation helps me. it was late at night. he helped me get to bed (I was crying a lot) and then put on a guided meditation on YouTube which was designed for people feeling suicidal. It calmed me and then I was able to fall asleep. By the time I woke up, I felt better. Good sleep is very important for daily regulation of emotions. How's your sleep?