As World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 calls on communities to "start the conversation", the language we use around mental health matters deeply.
In its recent World Suicide Prevention Day campaign, SADAG highlights that stigmatising language actively feeds shame and fear of judgment.
The language we use around mental health matters deeply, as safer language directly creates an environment where individuals feel secure enough to reach out. To help guide these conversations, SADAG shared several guidelines on how to navigate language around suicide.
Having the right words isn't about sounding perfect; it's about making it safe enough for someone to tell the truth.
"Sometimes a person does not need a speech. They need someone who does not look frightened when they say, 'I’m struggling'.
"They need a friend who does not immediately tell them to think positively. A parent who does not dismiss it as a phase. A colleague who does not turn an uncomfortable conversation into a joke," it said.
And sometimes, they need us to stop treating words such as “crazy”, “psycho”, “loonie” or “schizo” as harmless everyday slang.
Unlike physical health diagnoses, psychiatric conditions are frequently turned into everyday insults or jokes.
While language alone doesn't cause suicide, stigmatising words feed the shame and fear of judgment that force people to suffer in silence rather than ask for help. Choosing safer words directly creates an environment where someone feels safe enough to reach out.
There is no magic sentence
One of the easiest mistakes to make during an awareness campaign is to suggest that saying the “right” thing will instantly fix the crisis. It won't. Suicide is complex. There is no single cause and no single conversation that can guarantee an outcome.
What a conversation can do is create a bridge. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) stresses that asking about suicidal thoughts directly does not plant the idea or increase its likelihood; instead, it provides immense relief.
Even seemingly small vocabulary choices carry different weight. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using "died by suicide" rather than "committed suicide", as the latter carries historical connotations of criminality and sin.
Similarly, phrases like "successful" or "failed" attempt inadvertently frame death as an achievement and survival as a failure.
For journalists, editors, and anyone posting online, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group and the WHO warn against describing specific methods or locations. This is not about sanitising reality.
It is a clinical necessity to prevent suicide contagion, the documented phenomenon where detailed reporting triggers copycat behaviour in vulnerable individuals. It is about recognising that there is a vulnerable community reading the headline, and a family grieving behind it.
The conversation after the conversation
There is another blind spot worth talking about: what happens after someone opens up.
If a friend tells you they are struggling, you cannot simply become responsible for keeping them alive. You cannot promise secrecy if they are in immediate danger, and you should not carry the situation alone.
A safe conversation is a bridge to professional help: a GP, psychologist, counsellor, or crisis service.
Changing the narrative means changing our ordinary, everyday interactions. The most powerful shift happens when a father learns to ask his son about his emotional well-being without turning it into a lecture.
It happens when someone who is struggling hears something simple: “I’m glad you told me. You don't have to pretend to be okay around me.”
In its recent World Suicide Prevention Day campaign, SADAG highlights that stigmatizing language actively feeds shame and fear of judgment. The language we use around mental health matters deeply, as safer language directly creates an environment where individuals feel secure enough to reach out.
To help guide these conversations, SADAG shares the following guidelines on how to navigate language around suicide:
How to talk about suicide: a ready toolkit
If you are worried about someone:
Ask directly: Don't wait for them to reach out. Be clear and direct: "You haven't seemed like yourself lately. Are you having thoughts of suicide?"
Skip the toxic positivity: Avoid dismissive phrases like "Look on the bright side" or "You have so much to live for." They invalidate genuine pain.
If someone opens up to you:
Listen calmly and without judgment. Stay composed and present.
Acknowledge their bravery: Say, "Thank you for trusting me with this."
Prioritise safety over secrecy: Never promise total confidentiality if their life is in danger.
Guide, don't fix: You don't need to play therapist or solve their problems. Your goal is to connect them to professional care.
The language shift
Say: "Died by suicide" | Avoid: "Committed suicide"
Say: "Suicide attempt" | Avoid: "Successful/ failed attempt"
Say: "Person with depression" | Avoid: "She is a depressive"
WHERE TO FIND HELP: In an immediate physical emergency, contact local emergency services. If you or a loved one are in distress, support is available 24/7:
- SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0800 456 789
- SADAG Mental Health Line: 0800 567 567
- Ambulance: 10177
- Cell Phone Emergency: 112
vuyile.madwantsi@nationalmg.co.za