31°46′40.7″N 35°14′07.7″E
Top Stories
The Wire
← The Wire
The Nation · Dispatch · SocietyDeveloping

Mental health expert: Asking about suicide does not plant ideas, can save lives

The Zioneer Intelligence Desk

Primary source Internal intake · 1 reviewed intake signal · Desk window 18:35

TL;DR

In a podcast interview with Eli Gothelf on Kikar HaShabbat, clinical social worker and psychotherapist Shimon Apelalu, a consultant in the Health Ministry's suicide prevention unit, explains that asking a person in distress about suicidal thoughts does not introduce the idea but rather opens a door to hope. He calls on the public not to fear asking such questions.

01 · THE DISPATCH

Shimon Apelalu, a clinical social worker and psychotherapist serving as a professional consultant in the Health Ministry's suicide prevention unit, appeared on a podcast hosted by Eli Gothelf on Kikar HaShabbat. He discussed the importance of direct, caring questions when someone is in emotional distress, challenging the common misconception that asking about suicide can plant the idea. Apelalu emphasized that such questions, asked with genuine concern, can open a path to hope and support. The interview also included a helpline number for immediate assistance.

Related dispatches
03 · Source and signal

Source and signal

A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.

  • Internal intake
Desk accountability

This dispatch is published under The Zioneer Intelligence Desk. Raw intake channels remain internal provenance; an external outlet or channel is named only when it materially helps readers evaluate a specific claim.