Suicide

[Trellum]

I just offered a hand to someone online who is suffering from a severe case of depression. I did it because I know what is like to live with chronic depression. Sometimes everything we need is someone to talk to, specially someone who is not there just to judge you, and can actually see the things from the same point of view as you.

This is specially effective if those suicidal thoughts are the result of something superficial (that's how I like to call it), like for example breaking up, a fight, etc. If the suicidal thoughts are the product of something even deeper... like desfiguration or the loss of a limp or two... then that's when I think they really need the help of a specialist.

 

[Ephemera]

People experience pain differently than others. No one really sees that, people these days seem to see everyone needing to be the same.

This.

While I would never advocate for suicide being a valid option, I can understand why some people choose it. It's not a cowardly act, nor is it particularly brave. It is what it is... a horribly sad thing.

I was in a dark place throughout my teens and twenties. I contemplated suicide all the time. The thoughts were relentless. They were there from the moment I woke up to the moment I lay my head on my pillow at the end of the day. This was my life every day for nearly fifteen years.

Eventually, I came to the realisation that as much as I might've wanted it, I didn't REALLY want to die. I know that statement makes no sense, but perhaps there are those of you reading who have felt exactly the same. I held a steak knife to my wrist one day. I was in the kitchen. The family was out. I could see the world through the window. It would move on, with or without me. I had a choice to make.

I was there like that for nearly two hours that day, tears streaming down my cheeks. I was crying because I finally realised that I couldn't go through with it. I felt like a coward. I felt shattered that because of my cowardice I would have to face the rest of my life somehow. And what if my life would never get any better? That was frightening to consider.

Anyway, long story short... I'm still here. I'm glad I didn't have the will to deliver on my death fantasies. And life IS better in so many ways. Am I any better in myself? Not really. In a lot of ways I feel the same now as I did back then, although I no longer wish to die. I am in therapy. I take meds. I am trying. And, yes, there are days when I wish I didn't have to try at all. But I do because I want to.

We all grapple with this difficult subject in different ways. The responses in this thread are a good indicator of that. I completely get why some would call suicide a coward's option, and I get why some would say it's heroic. I see it as neither. It's a very real choice that some people feel forced to make when they should never have had to in the first place. I'm just glad that I wasn't another statistic.

 

[bingggay03]

Yeah! that's why if we know someone who is depressed. Don't just judge them. Comfort is what they need. Assurance that they are not alone. In times like it is important that they have a hand to hold on.

 

[nomad]

In my home country, suicide is treated as a crime. Just like a person who kills other people is sent to jail, a person who tries suicide will be treated as someone who commits attempted murder and will treat accordingly. However, instead of sending to a normal jail for criminals, these people will be sent to a facility for mental health patients.

 

[Jason2022]

It's a massive tragedy brought on by depression. Myself, I've been there. You get to the point where it's tough to do anything you enjoy doing and you can't stuff off your mind.

Anyway, people need to learn to be strong to avoid it. Defense mechanisms aren't always bad.