Suicide

[Ale.SOLT]

So when I was in WYD of group of my friends and I were attacked by violent rioters. Ever since one of my friends has been in a huge depression. She recently has been having suicidal thoughts.

Is there a saint that I can pray to help her? and What should I do to help her as well?

[CatherineM]

St. Dymphna is the patron saint for the mentally ill, but when dealing with someone who is potentially suicidal, prayer is not enough.

It sounds as if your friend may be in the early stages of PTSD from the attack. It can seriously affect the brain chemistry and lead to depression and suicide. This is one of those situations where you need to violate the privacy of your friend. You need to tell their parents, or guardians, or a teacher or pastor immediately.

Be prepared for them to be very angry with you in the short term. For those of us who have had to make the same difficult decision, we are comforted with the idea that we would rather have them angry at us forever than dead.