Suicide prevention
It can be distressing if you, or someone you care about, has thoughts of suicide.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger call 111 and ask for the police.
Choose the option below that best describes your current situation.
If you are thinking about suicide right now, it's a sign you need support from people you can trust to help you get you through.
Who to contact
If it's an emergency:
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Phone 111 and ask for the police OR go to the Nelson Hospital or Wairau Hospital Emergency Department
Contact a free helpline:
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Free text /call 1737 for free counselling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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Call the Depression Helpline on 0800 111 757
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Call the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 TAUTOKO or on 0508 828 865 for free counselling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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Healthline: Freephone Healthline to talk to a nurse on 0800 611116
Contact our Mental Health Services team:
Nelson Community Assessment Team - Adults
The Community Assessment Team for adults provides 24-hour acute mental health service, assessment and short term follow up.
Phone: 0800 776 364
Marlborough Community Assessment Team - Adults
The Marlborough Community Assessment Team for adults provides a 24-hour crisis and mental health service.
Phone: 0800 948 497
Golden Bay Acute Mental Health Services - All Ages
Te Whare Mahana in Takaka offers a 24 -hour, 7 day service for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Phone: 03 525 7647
Visit your GP or after-hours GP:
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Talk to your General Practitioner, GP
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If it is after hours, call an after-hours GP or Medical & Injury Centre closest to you:
Find a counsellor:
Click here to search the Healthpoint website to find the closest counselling service to you
For more information and options about where to get help in Nelson Marlborough, view or download the 'Where to go for help' printout below:
Use a safety plan
Developing a safety plan for yourself, with the help of someone you trust, can help reduce your risks. Use your safety plan alongside professional support from your GP and/or mental health services.
Find out how to use a safety plan and download the safety plan that works for you – one for you and one for your trusted companion to help you fill out. Here we give you a choice between a plan developed by us and one developed by the Mental Health Foundation.
Safety plan templates
Other resources
How to help
Asking someone 'are you thinking of killing yourself?' will not increase their risk of suicide.
Many people who are thinking about suicide want help, but don't know how to ask. They sometimes even believe they can't be helped.
Talk to them about how they are. You can ask them if they are thinking about suicide and if they are, help connect them to a service.
Stay with them until they are supported.
The simple AEIOU guidelines show how you can support someone.
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Ask are you thinking of suicide?
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Ensure their immediate safety
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Identify their problems
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Offer hope, help and support
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Use professionals and community
Who to contact
If it's an emergency:
-
Phone 111 and ask for the police OR go to the Nelson Hospital or Wairau Hospital Emergency Department
Contact a free helpline:
-
Free text /call 1737 for free counselling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
-
Call the Depression Helpline on 0800 111 757
-
Call the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 TAUTOKO or on 0508 828 865 for free counselling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
-
Healthline: Freephone Healthline to talk to a nurse on 0800 611116
Contact our Mental Health Services team:
Nelson Community Assessment Team - Adults
The Community Assessment Team for adults provides 24-hour acute mental health service, assessment and short term follow up.
Phone: 0800 776 364
Marlborough Community Assessment Team - Adults
The Marlborough Community Assessment Team for adults provides a 24-hour crisis and mental health service.
Phone: 0800 948 497
Golden Bay Acute Mental Health Services - All Ages
Te Whare Mahana in Takaka offers a 24 -hour, 7 day service for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Phone: 03 525 7647
Visit your GP or after-hours GP:
-
Talk to your General Practitioner, GP
-
If it is after hours, call an after-hours GP or Medical & Injury Centre closest to you:
Find a counsellor:
Click here to search the Healthpoint website to find the closest counselling service to you
For more information and options about where to get help in Nelson Marlborough, view or download the 'Where to go for help' printout below:
Use a safety plan
Developing a safety plan with someone thinking of suicide can help reduce their risks. Use the safety plan alongside professional support from a GP and/or mental health services.
Find out how to use a safety plan and download the safety plan that works for you. Here we give you a choice between a plan developed by Nelson Marlborough Health and one developed by the Mental Health Foundation.
Safety plan templates
Other resources
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Tihei Mauri Ora – Supporting whānau through suicidal distress (a guide for Māori from the Mental Health Foundation)
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See You Tomorrow Eh! A guide for Māori from Te Rau Ora
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Health Ed – There is a way through - a guide for people experiencing stress, depression and anxiety
Courses and training
Learn about what helps to keep people safe from suicide and build your confidence. Take a gatekeeper suicide prevention course – available from the following providers:
Sign up for the The Top of the South Suicide Prevention Facebook page for information about training opportunities.
For further non-clinical advice about suicide prevention services and support in Nelson/Marlborough, email [email protected]
Guidelines for holding suicide-related well-being support events
Voluntary guidelines have been developed for organisations and groups wanting to hold suicide-related well-being support events.
Your Guide to Planning a Safe Suicide Prevention Event | Mental Health Foundation
Other resources
Filmmakers and others in the stage and screen industry are encouraged to refer to suicide prevention guidelines from the World Health Organization.
Preventing Suicide: A resource for filmmakers and others working on stage and screen
Losing someone to suicide is a very traumatic experience. The way you respond and cope with the death may depend on your relationship to the person who has died and your own personal life experiences; every person’s experience of grief is different.
Support options
Counselling services
You may also be able to access some counselling via:
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Your GP
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Victim Support: call 0800 842 846
Suicide bereavement support groups
Some people find significant value in joining support groups to share experiences and emotions with others who have gone through something similar. These can include:
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A local WAVES suicide bereavement group (see details below).
WAVES suicide bereavement support group
If you have been affected by the suicide of someone you know and are 17 years or older, you might be interested in joining an 8-week WAVES suicide bereavement group programme. The programme is provided by trained health professionals and educators from Yellow Brick Road in Nelson and Supporting Families Marlborough in Blenheim.
There is one group session each week, over eight weeks, where members are able to:
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share their thoughts and feelings about what’s happened
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discuss the nature of suicide and grief from losing someone to suicide.
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gain information and ideas about how to care for themselves and others, including children and young people, after a suicide.
Funded by the Care Foundation, the WAVES programme is free, but participants will be asked to contribute a koha or donation towards future programmes.
How to register for WAVES: Contact Paul Martin, Nelson Marlborough Health Suicide Prevention Coordinator. Email: [email protected] or phone 03 548 2798 ext 5.
For more information: Talk to Paul (contact details above) or read about the programme here.
Aoake te Rā bereavement support service
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Aoake te Rā is a new service funded by the Ministry of Health that has been launched to support those bereaved by suicide.
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Aoake te Rā has been developed through co-design and reflects the many voices of individuals, whānau and communities who have shared their knowledge and experience in creating a service that helps people navigate life after suicide loss.
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Aoake te Rā is free and available to all ages at any stage after bereavement – you can access support as an individual, a couple or in your whānau group.
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Aoake te Rā offer face-to-face, online and phone support for up to four hours per person.
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Aoake te Rā means ‘a new sun rises' - the emerging light being a symbol of hope as whānau adapt to their loss.
Online resources
You might prefer to use online information and resources such as:
Guidelines for suicide funerals
Prepared by Rev Greg Hughson, Ecumenical Chaplain, Otago University [Click to download]
Page last updated: 08/12/2022