Any behaviour that attempts to end one’s life with a ‘definitive intention’ in doing so defines suicide; whether the attempt culminates into death or near-death experience. The people who indulge in such acts can only express themselves once they survive the said episode. Phenomenological research method has proven to be useful in exploring the reasons and experiences of suicidal persons. Research has shown that the reason for such behaviour widely varies. For example, in a study carried out in Iran (Shamsaei et al. in Int J Qual Stud Health Well-Being 15:1745478, 2020), the themes of lived experiences that emerged indicated that the attempt to end ones’ life was: mental pain, social challenges and need for love and belonging. In another similar study carried out in Australia (Hawgood et al. in Int J Environ Res Public Health 20:3092, 2023), the themes obtained were: support, passion, personal impact, training and work diversity. In a literature review, Lakeman and FitzGerald (J Adv Nurs 64:114–126, 2008) examined qualitative research addressing how people lived with suicidality or regained the desire to live after a suicide attempt. It was concluded that the struggle of living with suicidality is often existential in nature, and that suicide can be considered both as a means of coping and also failure to cope with struggles. The methods used to end ones’ life were multifarious—from drug ingestion, cutting/stabbing, hanging, ingestion of toxic substances, traffic accident and jumping (Shamsaei et al., in Int J Qual Stud Health Well-Being 15:1745478, 2020). Findings have also shown that providing empathy through sharing, giving hope for people at risk through peer support, care pathways, etc., help in developing interventions in providing support and working on reduction of mental health symptoms which culminate into suicide prevention.