Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 223 The first step

As mentioned before, Nan Zhuren has become part of Li Minglu's social support system.

The social support system refers to the various forms of help, resources, and support that an individual can obtain within their social network, which has a significant impact on an individual's mental health, life satisfaction, and ability to cope with stress.

Generally speaking, an individual's social support system includes formal support provided by the government or society, such as "social welfare" and "community services," as well as informal support composed of personal social networks, such as "family," "friends," and "colleagues."

The more complete and complex a social support system is, the more diverse and in-depth the help it can provide to an individual.

This is also the origin of that classic psychology joke—my friends suggested I see a psychologist, while the doctor suggested I talk more with my friends.

The underlying principle is to establish a social support system and enable it to function.

Nan Zhuren has now become part of Li Minglu's social support system; and because Li Minglu's own social support system is weak, Nan Zhuren occupies a very important part of it.

It is a kind of entity that is not "family", "friends" or "colleagues", but plays an equally important role.

Therefore, they carry emotions that, though different in kind, are equally important.

"Ouch!" Nan Zhuren, who was sprinting, crashed into the door frame.

When Nan Zhuren came looking for Lin Lilin before, Li Minglu in the consultation room was able to recognize his voice; now, Li Minglu can naturally also recognize that the person crying out in pain is Nan Zhuren.

He immediately tightened his grip on the windowsill and instinctively turned around.

"...Teacher Nan?"

Nan Zhuren grimaced, clearly in pain.

However, Li Minglu's attention was indeed drawn to this, and he stopped his continuous efforts to squeeze out.

……

[Step 1 complete.]

Nan Zhuren breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, they faced a suicide crisis.

He has three choices.

First, by talking to Li Minglu, we can stabilize his behavior and wait for reinforcements from others to arrive.

Second, during the conversation with Li Minglu, look for opportunities to gradually approach him and then lead him away from the danger zone.

Third, through intervention and dialogue with Li Minglu, we activated his survival instinct and got him away from the danger zone.

These appear to be three levels of intervention that can be achieved in a suicide crisis. However, in reality, choosing just one of them can lead to significant differences in the subsequent practical approach.

At the same time, these three options have different requirements for the environment, the interventionist, and the type of the person being intervened in.

Nan Zhuren first ruled out the third option—activating Li Minglu's will to survive.

This choice may seem like the only "happy ending," but it is also the most radical and least secure option. If things go wrong, the consequences could be disastrous.

As a patient suffering from depression, Li Minglu has a very difficult time being inspired to have a will to live.

After all, suicides caused by depression are often planned and deliberate, rather than impulsive acts.

Unless it's a suicide crisis caused by a devastating life event like "mid-life unemployment," "bankruptcy due to fraud," or "family breakdown," and it's accompanied by a highly skilled and daring interventionist offering advice like "life is long" or "think about your family," then it might be worth a try—but only a try. Most people wouldn't be willing to gamble their career like that.

Therefore, it is advised that if an ordinary person suddenly encounters a companion or relative who has a suicidal tendency, and you happen to have the opportunity to say a few words to them, you should never try to stimulate their will to live or persuade them to stop.

After all, no one knows what impulse led the other person to commit suicide. What you say might be comforting advice to someone else, but to the person who is committing suicide, it could be a heavy and bloody blow.

The correct approach is to choose the first option immediately and call for help from other professionals such as police, firefighters, or teachers. Then, if you have the capacity, cautiously chat with the other party to buy time. That should be enough.

At the same time, in most cases, the third option, which relies on stimulating the suicidal person's will to live, is a choice that must be made when there is only one interventionist present and no one else to help.

The situation is far from that bad.

……

After thinking for a moment, Nan Zhuren chose to prioritize the first option while simultaneously pursuing the second.

This is a well-considered choice.

First, we are currently in the psychology department's office building, which has a certain flow of people, so we can get help from outside as soon as possible; second, although Lin Lilin and others are questionable in character, they definitely have a contingency plan for the current situation.

As long as Li Minglu is kept calm for the time being, other helpers will soon step in to help resolve the current situation.

If the situation is favorable and there is still room for maneuver, Nan Zhuren can try to pull the other party down in advance by leveraging his current consulting relationship with Li Minglu.

If things are beyond our control, then caution is paramount. Even with Nan Zhuren's abilities, all we can do is try to buy time and wait for other, more professional rescue methods to intervene.

Think so.

While rubbing his injured shoulder, Nan Zhuren took advantage of Li Minglu's momentary daze and staggered to the nearest sofa.

He looked at Li Minglu's condition with a somewhat surprised expression. Then he stopped rubbing his shoulders and tapped his forehead.

"It looks like your forehead is bleeding. Doesn't it hurt?"

"I didn't feel anything." Li Minglu's body showed no change. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly asked, "Are you alright?"

Nan Zhuren shrugged, neither saying "something happened" nor "nothing happened."

Suicide due to depression is a form of indifferent suicide, a deliberate suicide.

Before making a decision, they must have thought through all the problems, ties, and concerns they could think of, and then sealed them off, making them unshakable.

This is how one stops thinking and focuses all their attention on the idea of ​​"suicide."

What Nan Zhuren is doing now is temporarily sacrificing his own life to try and create an event that Li Minglu needs to think about.

Whether he answers "I have something to do" or "I have nothing to do," it's as if the matter is over, which is obviously not acceptable.

Nan Zhuren changed the subject, tapping his forehead again: "Can't you feel it?"

Then he sighed and said, "That's pretty much what I thought. I've had a few clients before, and they've all become less afraid of pain now that they're in your situation."

　Readers are advised not to imitate any of the actions taken by the protagonist in this chapter; leave professional matters to professionals.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)