Suicide prevention – Bath Spa University
Source: https://bathspa.ac.uk/students/student-wellbeing-services/suicide-prevention
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:18
Suicide prevention – Bath Spa University
Skip to main content
Suicide-Safer BSU
Content warning:
This page contains explicit reference to suicide. It does include advice and how to access help.
This page outlines the support available for students and staff, facts and myths about suicide, useful guidance and resources to help raise awareness and understanding of suicide.
I need help now
If you or someone you know are experiencing thoughts about suicide, help and support is available.
One in five people will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their lifetime. This ranges from wishing you weren’t here anymore or thinking others would be better off without you to making plans to end your life.
These thoughts can feel frightening, overwhelming, and difficult to talk about – but whatever you’re going through, you're not alone.
On this page you can find support, advice and resources to help you, or someone you know, to cope, respond and start to have honest and open conversations.
Talking about suicide
- the language we use to speak about suicide help destigmatise the topic
Facts and myths
about suicide
Advice on talking to someone
about suicide
How to support someone
feeling suicidal
The
BSU Suicide-Safer Strategy
lays out
Bath Spa University's commitment to creating a suicide-safer community.
Urgent wellbeing support
Please don’t keep suicidal feelings to yourself. Tell someone you trust.
On campus:
If you (or someone you know) are on campus and don't feel able to keep yourself safe, call Security on
+44 (0)1225 875555
and they'll put you in touch with staff in
Student Wellbeing Services
.
Not on campus:
If you're not on campus, call
111
or go to your nearest A&E (Accident and Emergency) department.
Are you in serious danger of harm? Call 999
If you've seriously harmed yourself – for example, by taking a drug overdose – or you feel that you may be about to harm yourself, call
999
for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. You can also ask someone else to call
999
or take you to A&E.
Other sources of support
External sources of support are also available 24/7, including the
Samaritans
, who can be contacted for free from mobiles and landlines on
116 123
.
HOPELINEUK
is also available for confidential support and practical advice for young people contemplating suicide. This line is run by the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.
If you're thinking of taking your own life and not sure you can keep yourself safe, or are with a friend or colleague who is feeling this way,
Staying Safe
offers straightforward and practical advice, including how to make a safety plan for right now until you can get some support.
Shout
is the UK's free, confidential 24/7 mental health text service
SOBS
has resources and support for those bereaved by suicide including a monthly meeting held in Bath.
Cruse
promotes the wellbeing of bereaved people and helps to enable anyone bereaved by death to understand their grief and cope with their loss. They also provide support, information, advice, education and training services.
Facing the Future
provides support groups for those bereaved by suicide.
Help is at Hand – Support After Suicide
is another resource for people bereaved by suicide and for those helping them.
PAPYRUS
(
800 068 4141
or text:
07860 039 967
) provides information and resources about the prevention of suicide.
Student Minds
offers mental health advice and services.
What's the one thing I can do now as a friend or colleague?
We encourage everyone in our Bath Spa community to do the
Zero Alliance Training
. There's also a training specifically for
university students
.
It takes 20 minutes and will help you have a better understanding of suicide, why it happens and ways you help to prevent it.
It also breaks down the stigma surrounding suicide including the discomfort many of us feel about having direct conversations about suicide, encouraging and giving permission for open communication about it.
Launch the training
How you can help others
It’s important to be able to speak openly with other students and staff about suicide, particularly when someone you know has attempted or completed suicide. This can help everyone to grieve and process the trauma. Talking to others and listening to their concerns can also help to highlight when someone is having difficulty coping or needs extra support.
Most people don’t know exactly what to say or do. Being there for each other and listening is much more important than feeling you have to have the right words or answer. If you're struggling, please reach out to others, whether that's
Student Wellbeing Services
, friends, colleagues, family or external support organisations (some are listed above).
The impact of suicide on our community at Bath Spa
Whether or not you know the person, an attempted, suspected or completed suicide can be traumatic and distressing. How you respond can be unpredictable – often people respond or react in different ways and it’s important to be aware that there is no right or wrong way to feel. All our feelings are valid regardless of your connection to the person.
If you need support after losing someone to suicide or have been affected by someone’s attempted suicide, please contact
Student Wellbeing Services
so that we can support you both practically and emotionally in ways that are right for you.
Resources
The
Samaritan’s Step by Step programme
provides practical support and guidance to help university communities prepare for and recover from a suspected or attempted suicide.
The
Office for Students
has also provided advice, guidance and resources for Universities.
Help is at Hand
is a resource for people bereaved through suicide or other unexplained death, and for those helping them.
Mental Health Support
If you (or someone you know) is struggling with your mental health there is help available. Please don’t try and cope alone. Here are some options:
Make an appointment with
Student Wellbeing Services
Go to the Student Hub and say you need help from Student Wellbeing Services
Contact the
Student Assistance Programme
(available 24/7)
After 5pm or at weekends, call Security on
+44 (0)1225 875555
; they can put you in touch with Student Wellbeing Services (24/7)
Contact
Breathing Space
, who offer face-to-face and telephone support in the evenings (Bath)
Further information about
24/7 support services
can be found on this website.
Contact Student Wellbeing Services
Current Bath Spa University students:
Access ‘
MyWellbeing
’ to ask questions, book appointments and view upcoming events.
Future students:
Access ‘
MyWellbeing
’ to ask questions and view upcoming events.
University staff:
Log a call via ‘
MyServices
’.
Third parties, including parents and supporters:
Email
studentwellbeing@bathspa.ac.uk
.
Telephone enquiries:
+44 (0)1225 875875
Telephone enquiries:
Student Wellbeing Helpline
available 24/7
If you are a student and want to let us know that
something hasn't gone well with your wellbeing support,
please complete
this form.
Looking after yourself when supporting someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide
See Mind's tips for
looking after yourself
Are you a carer? See Mind's advice on
getting support as a carer
.
Talking about suicide
The language we use to speak about suicide is important to help destigmatise this topic. It can take time to change the words we use, and it is ok to correct ourselves, as this reinforces the importance of words and the language we use.
Don’t say
Say instead
Why?
Commit suicide.
Committed suicide.
Died by suicide.
Death by suicide.
Lost their life to suicide.
Commit implies suicide is a crime and therefore something shameful.
Successful suicide.
Unsuccessful suicide.
Died by suicide.
Survived a suicide attempt.
Lived through a suicide attempt.
The reference to success is inappropriate because it frames suicide as an achievement.
is suicidal.
is feeling suicidal because...
is facing suicide.
is thinking of suicide.
has experienced suicidal thoughts.
Individuals are complex. They are more than their suicidal thoughts.
Due to the complexity of suicidal thoughts and death by suicide, avoid speculation on the reason or the cause.
Victim.
Suffering from a mental illness.
Being treated for a mental illness.
An individual with a mental illness.
These phrases suggest a lack of quality of life and loss of autonomy.
Myths and facts about suicide
Myth: You can’t ask someone if they’re suicidal.
Fact:
Evidence shows asking someone if they’re suicidal could protect them. Asking someone if they’re having suicidal thoughts can give them permission to tell you how they feel and let them know they are not a burden.
Myth: People who talk about suicide aren't serious and won't go through with it.
Fact:
People who die by suicide have often told someone that they do not feel life is worth living or that they have no future. Some may have actually said they want to die.
It's possible that someone might talk about suicide as a way of getting attention, in the sense of calling out for help.
It’s important to always take someone seriously if they talk about feeling suicidal. Helping them get the support they need could save their life.
The majority of people who feel suicidal do not actually want to die - they just want the situation they’re in or the way they’re feeling to stop.
Myth: If a person is serious about killing themselves then there's nothing you can do.
Fact:
Often, feeling actively suicidal is temporary, even if someone has been feeling low, anxious or struggling to cope for a long period of time. Getting the right kind of support at the right time is so important. In a situation where someone is having suicidal thoughts, be patient, stay with them and just let them know you're there.
Myth: People who are suicidal want to die.
Fact:
The majority of people who feel suicidal do not actually want to die; they just want the situation they’re in or the way they’re feeling to stop. The distinction may seem small, but it is very important. It's why talking through other options at the right time is so vital.
You might also be interested in
Services and Support for Students
Student Assistance Programme
24/7 and Digital Services
Mental health
Skip to main content
Suicide-Safer BSU
Content warning:
This page contains explicit reference to suicide. It does include advice and how to access help.
This page outlines the support available for students and staff, facts and myths about suicide, useful guidance and resources to help raise awareness and understanding of suicide.
I need help now
If you or someone you know are experiencing thoughts about suicide, help and support is available.
One in five people will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their lifetime. This ranges from wishing you weren’t here anymore or thinking others would be better off without you to making plans to end your life.
These thoughts can feel frightening, overwhelming, and difficult to talk about – but whatever you’re going through, you're not alone.
On this page you can find support, advice and resources to help you, or someone you know, to cope, respond and start to have honest and open conversations.
Talking about suicide
- the language we use to speak about suicide help destigmatise the topic
Facts and myths
about suicide
Advice on talking to someone
about suicide
How to support someone
feeling suicidal
The
BSU Suicide-Safer Strategy
lays out
Bath Spa University's commitment to creating a suicide-safer community.
Urgent wellbeing support
Please don’t keep suicidal feelings to yourself. Tell someone you trust.
On campus:
If you (or someone you know) are on campus and don't feel able to keep yourself safe, call Security on
+44 (0)1225 875555
and they'll put you in touch with staff in
Student Wellbeing Services
.
Not on campus:
If you're not on campus, call
111
or go to your nearest A&E (Accident and Emergency) department.
Are you in serious danger of harm? Call 999
If you've seriously harmed yourself – for example, by taking a drug overdose – or you feel that you may be about to harm yourself, call
999
for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. You can also ask someone else to call
999
or take you to A&E.
Other sources of support
External sources of support are also available 24/7, including the
Samaritans
, who can be contacted for free from mobiles and landlines on
116 123
.
HOPELINEUK
is also available for confidential support and practical advice for young people contemplating suicide. This line is run by the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.
If you're thinking of taking your own life and not sure you can keep yourself safe, or are with a friend or colleague who is feeling this way,
Staying Safe
offers straightforward and practical advice, including how to make a safety plan for right now until you can get some support.
Shout
is the UK's free, confidential 24/7 mental health text service
SOBS
has resources and support for those bereaved by suicide including a monthly meeting held in Bath.
Cruse
promotes the wellbeing of bereaved people and helps to enable anyone bereaved by death to understand their grief and cope with their loss. They also provide support, information, advice, education and training services.
Facing the Future
provides support groups for those bereaved by suicide.
Help is at Hand – Support After Suicide
is another resource for people bereaved by suicide and for those helping them.
PAPYRUS
(
800 068 4141
or text:
07860 039 967
) provides information and resources about the prevention of suicide.
Student Minds
offers mental health advice and services.
What's the one thing I can do now as a friend or colleague?
We encourage everyone in our Bath Spa community to do the
Zero Alliance Training
. There's also a training specifically for
university students
.
It takes 20 minutes and will help you have a better understanding of suicide, why it happens and ways you help to prevent it.
It also breaks down the stigma surrounding suicide including the discomfort many of us feel about having direct conversations about suicide, encouraging and giving permission for open communication about it.
Launch the training
How you can help others
It’s important to be able to speak openly with other students and staff about suicide, particularly when someone you know has attempted or completed suicide. This can help everyone to grieve and process the trauma. Talking to others and listening to their concerns can also help to highlight when someone is having difficulty coping or needs extra support.
Most people don’t know exactly what to say or do. Being there for each other and listening is much more important than feeling you have to have the right words or answer. If you're struggling, please reach out to others, whether that's
Student Wellbeing Services
, friends, colleagues, family or external support organisations (some are listed above).
The impact of suicide on our community at Bath Spa
Whether or not you know the person, an attempted, suspected or completed suicide can be traumatic and distressing. How you respond can be unpredictable – often people respond or react in different ways and it’s important to be aware that there is no right or wrong way to feel. All our feelings are valid regardless of your connection to the person.
If you need support after losing someone to suicide or have been affected by someone’s attempted suicide, please contact
Student Wellbeing Services
so that we can support you both practically and emotionally in ways that are right for you.
Resources
The
Samaritan’s Step by Step programme
provides practical support and guidance to help university communities prepare for and recover from a suspected or attempted suicide.
The
Office for Students
has also provided advice, guidance and resources for Universities.
Help is at Hand
is a resource for people bereaved through suicide or other unexplained death, and for those helping them.
Mental Health Support
If you (or someone you know) is struggling with your mental health there is help available. Please don’t try and cope alone. Here are some options:
Make an appointment with
Student Wellbeing Services
Go to the Student Hub and say you need help from Student Wellbeing Services
Contact the
Student Assistance Programme
(available 24/7)
After 5pm or at weekends, call Security on
+44 (0)1225 875555
; they can put you in touch with Student Wellbeing Services (24/7)
Contact
Breathing Space
, who offer face-to-face and telephone support in the evenings (Bath)
Further information about
24/7 support services
can be found on this website.
Contact Student Wellbeing Services
Current Bath Spa University students:
Access ‘
MyWellbeing
’ to ask questions, book appointments and view upcoming events.
Future students:
Access ‘
MyWellbeing
’ to ask questions and view upcoming events.
University staff:
Log a call via ‘
MyServices
’.
Third parties, including parents and supporters:
studentwellbeing@bathspa.ac.uk
.
Telephone enquiries:
+44 (0)1225 875875
Telephone enquiries:
Student Wellbeing Helpline
available 24/7
If you are a student and want to let us know that
something hasn't gone well with your wellbeing support,
please complete
this form.
Looking after yourself when supporting someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide
See Mind's tips for
looking after yourself
Are you a carer? See Mind's advice on
getting support as a carer
.
Talking about suicide
The language we use to speak about suicide is important to help destigmatise this topic. It can take time to change the words we use, and it is ok to correct ourselves, as this reinforces the importance of words and the language we use.
Don’t say
Say instead
Why?
Commit suicide.
Committed suicide.
Died by suicide.
Death by suicide.
Lost their life to suicide.
Commit implies suicide is a crime and therefore something shameful.
Successful suicide.
Unsuccessful suicide.
Died by suicide.
Survived a suicide attempt.
Lived through a suicide attempt.
The reference to success is inappropriate because it frames suicide as an achievement.
Individuals are complex. They are more than their suicidal thoughts.
Due to the complexity of suicidal thoughts and death by suicide, avoid speculation on the reason or the cause.
Victim.
Suffering from a mental illness.
Being treated for a mental illness.
An individual with a mental illness.
These phrases suggest a lack of quality of life and loss of autonomy.
Myths and facts about suicide
Myth: You can’t ask someone if they’re suicidal.
Fact:
Evidence shows asking someone if they’re suicidal could protect them. Asking someone if they’re having suicidal thoughts can give them permission to tell you how they feel and let them know they are not a burden.
Myth: People who talk about suicide aren't serious and won't go through with it.
Fact:
People who die by suicide have often told someone that they do not feel life is worth living or that they have no future. Some may have actually said they want to die.
It's possible that someone might talk about suicide as a way of getting attention, in the sense of calling out for help.
It’s important to always take someone seriously if they talk about feeling suicidal. Helping them get the support they need could save their life.
The majority of people who feel suicidal do not actually want to die - they just want the situation they’re in or the way they’re feeling to stop.
Myth: If a person is serious about killing themselves then there's nothing you can do.
Fact:
Often, feeling actively suicidal is temporary, even if someone has been feeling low, anxious or struggling to cope for a long period of time. Getting the right kind of support at the right time is so important. In a situation where someone is having suicidal thoughts, be patient, stay with them and just let them know you're there.
Myth: People who are suicidal want to die.
Fact:
The majority of people who feel suicidal do not actually want to die; they just want the situation they’re in or the way they’re feeling to stop. The distinction may seem small, but it is very important. It's why talking through other options at the right time is so vital.
You might also be interested in
Services and Support for Students
Student Assistance Programme
24/7 and Digital Services
Mental health