That's a tough question. Personally I know I leave it too late. I find it really hard to tell if I need to let someone know or if I can handle it alone because I have struggled with suicidal thoughts/feelings/plans etc for years. It's always lurking in the background. As a result I tend to let them just increase in intensity until I can't cope anymore, and either do something stupid or reach out at the last minute.

It would probably be good to talk about it with your therapist amd see if you can get a hamdle on it before it gets too bad..