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Dr Joachim Müllner (Psychiatrist)
A video that became popular this weekend shows rock star Jon Bon Jovi approaching a woman who is determined to jump off a bridge and persuading her to abandon her actions. A heroic act that has been praised from all sides. But how should we react when faced with this type of situation? Joachim Müllner, a psychiatrist, sheds some light.
Known (among other things) for his title ““It’s my life”Jon Bon Jovi proved this weekend that he also cares about others. While he was filming a music video, he saved a woman from a tragic act, simply by talking to her. The video went around the world.
Jon Bon Jovi, singer but also hero
Jon Bon Jovi was in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, and more precisely on the John Seigenthale Pedestrian Bridge, when he and his group saw a woman putting herself in danger: for reasons unknown, she wanted to throw herself into the Cumberland River. But while other people were simply passing by, Bon Jovi and a member of the film crew approached the woman and began to talk to her.
The video then shows the singer gradually getting closer, and the other member holding the woman’s arm, until convincing her to move away from the ledge. Touching epilogue, the young woman then hugs the singer.
A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge Tue night. Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety. “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe,”–Chief John Drake https://t.co/1YejKJ2WgM
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) September 11, 2024
A happy ending congratulated by the Nashville police (who originally released the images) who praised the great effort of the 62-year-old singer. “Each of us must contribute to the safety of others.”
Witnessing a suicide attempt: the right actions to take
The rock star is now setting a fine example of solidarity. However, you don’t have to be famous to act well in the event of a suicide attempt. If you happen to discover someone wanting to throw themselves off a bridge, a building or simply in the grip of anxiety that makes you fear the worst, it is possible to act, as Joachim Müllner, psychiatrist and member of our committee of experts, reminds us. And this can sometimes involve very simple things.
“Faced with an imminent risk of committing suicide, we must first act as in any other situation with an imminent risk to the safety of people, that is to say: implement all means to bring the person to safety, then call for help.”
Among these means that we can implement, there are obviously first of all:
- Talking to the person to try to reason with them and establish a bond of trust that allows you to get physically closer to the person without scaring them;
- Then, as soon as possible, intervene physically to keep her safe.
“This physical intervention can range from simply placing a hand on the shoulder to physical restraint while waiting for emergency services (firefighters, emergency medical services, police) to take over.” emphasizes the psychiatrist.
Finally, once the person is physically safe, and while waiting for help, you must be able to talk to the person while being as calm and empathetic as possible while remaining very vigilant with regard to the behavior of the person who could put themselves in danger again.
Finally, it is in the emergency department where the emergency services will take the person that the caregivers will be able to assess the situation more precisely and in particular the relevance of hospitalization, possibly under duress, as well as anxiolytic and sedative treatment.
What if I don’t feel like physically intervening?
Are you afraid that you are not physically capable of dealing with the desperate person? Or are you afraid of a dangerous gesture? According to Joachim Mullner, this should not prevent you from intervening through words.
“First of all, you have to call for help and call for help, of course. But talking, staying in vocal contact, and calling out to the person allows you to disrupt the process underway in their head to bring them back to the present, and to get them out of the suicidal ruminations that are invading them.”
This may be enough to delay his action until help arrives.