These intrusive thoughts are common and fleeting, and aren’t often a cause for concern, unless you have other mental health symptoms

If you’ve ever had the abrupt thought of jumping off a very tall building or another high place, you’ve experienced “the call of the void.” This phenomenon, though scary, is quite common and usually doesn’t reflect true intentions or suicidal thinking.

Psychologist Lauren Alexander, PhD, explains the nature of this phenomenon and how to protect yourself from any real dangers.

What is the call of the void?

The call of the void describes the sudden, unexplained desire to participate in dangerous or self-destructive behaviors. Also called “the high place phenomenon (HPP),” these intrusive thoughts usually involve the idea of jumping or falling from high places. Other examples of this involve thoughts of:

  • Swerving into oncoming traffic.
  • Driving off an elevated ramp or cliff.
  • Cutting yourself while chopping vegetables.
  • Jumping in front of a train or climbing down to the tracks from a subway platform.

Causes for the call of the void

These moments are always fleeting and they happen with no real reason or cause. Researchers have found that the call of the void occurs more often among people who have more sensitivity to anxiety and low levels of suicidal ideation. In fact, many people experience this phenomenon without ever considering suicide. Some research suggests people living with obsessive-compulsive disorder or specific phobias might experience this sensation more often because of a tendency to hyperfocus on the thought itself.

“We don’t really know what causes this phenomenon, but there may be some confusion between recognizing danger and your brain’s impulse to act on it — even if you don’t actually want to,” says Dr. Alexander.

How to stop it from happening

If the call of the void happens, here’s what you can do:

  • Don’t try to suppress or push the thought away.
  • Accept the thought as just a thought.
  • Don’t attach negative meaning to it.
  • Let it come and go without dwelling on it.

“Imagine your thoughts are a bouncy ball: If you keep trying to throw them away, they’re going to ricochet and come back to you. This is why you can’t just shove thoughts out of your mind,” illustrates Dr. Alexander.

“The sooner we can work on accepting that our thoughts are just thoughts, the easier it will be to live a life successfully where we’re not preoccupied with random thoughts about things that really don’t speak to who we are or what’s important to us.”

When to seek help

You should make an appointment with your primary care provider or a therapist if:

  • The call of the void makes you feel concerned about your safety or the safety of others.
  • These thoughts are persistent and continue to come back often.
  • You feel anxious or consistently depressed.
  • You’re sleeping a lot or sleeping very little.

“If these thoughts are recurring over and over and you’re experiencing other mental health symptoms, you might want to get an evaluation to see what’s going on with your overall health,” suggests Dr Alexander.

If you’re ever in a crisis or need immediate help, you can text, call or chat with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Or you can look to other crisis lines from around the world if you live outside of the United States.