suicide solution?

[D_Egloshayle Churchkey]

I have thought about suicide pretty often

 

[Mem]

Edit: Eva's and Snoozan's posts are amazing here.
Also, to the one that can't see how attempts fail. People can back out part-way through. Some people that try the OD method don't always die from ODing. My mom is the latter.

A suicide attempt is a cry for help.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

I've seen plenty of failed suicide attempts working in the Emergency Department at Fairfax Hospital. The overwhelming majority of "suicidal ideation" patients we got in were stupid teenagers trying to get mommy's attention who made some really lame half-assed and superficial attempt. but... some of them were clearly not cries for help and rather just fucked up suicide attempts. For instance the elderly man who had a huge cancerous tumor in his stomach and tried to blow his head off with a shotgun, but only managed to blow off most of his face and jaw. He came in alive, though he did die in ICU a few days later.

 

[snoozan]

A suicide attempt is a cry for help.

Sometimes.

Many times people truly want to die. Period. There are many sucides that have been intricately planned so that the they can't be discovered in time. It depends on the person.

I've read of a lot of cases where people will attempt sucide and realize as they are dying that they don't really want to die-- it's almost the rational mind's last stand against the illness.

No matter what, mental illness and suicide are tragedies for all involved. I hope that everyone, after reading this thread, has been at least a little enlightened on the subject-- and if you can't empathize, at least trust those of us who have been there that sucide is not a gesture done out of anything but the purest form of desperation.

Further, if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, not acting like themselves and seeming depressed, get to a professional. There are so many treatments out there today and there are more in the works. Things that are available today that weren't 10 years ago are making huge differences in people's lives. Depression is extraordinarily treatable, as are bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness.

There is no shame or weakness in getting help. In fact, getting help is one of the hardest, bravest steps one can take.

 

[SyddyKitty]

A suicide attempt is a cry for help.

You REALLY think that's something you need to tell me?? Having dealt with the issues myself, whereas you haven't even thought of attempting? Uh-huh...

And, again, Snoozan is right. Suicide attempts are as variable as personalities, in reason. Anyone can have their own reason.

To Snoozan: I don't believe that depression is completely treatable. I think it has a bit to do with whether or not the person wants the medication to work. Sort of a placebo effect. I remember having been on 2 or 3 medications, in my time, to deal with the issue. Nothing worked and I never reallly wanted to escape the feelings, at the time.

Edit: 500th post! D= Fireworks plx

 

[avantgarde]

You REALLY think that's something you need to tell me?? Having dealt with the issues myself, whereas you haven't even thought of attempting? Uh-huh...

And, again, Snoozan is right. Suicide attempts are as variable as personalities, in reason. Anyone can have their own reason.

To Snoozan: I don't believe that depression is completely treatable. I think it has a bit to do with whether or not the person wants the medication to work. Sort of a placebo effect. I remember having been on 2 or 3 medications, in my time, to deal with the issue. Nothing worked and I never reallly wanted to escape the feelings, at the time.

Edit: 500th post! D= Fireworks plx

True about the reasons being as diverse as personalities.

I particularly agree with the idea of wanting it to work having to be in place before a treatment can actually take hold. One has to want to get better before they actually can get better.

I never was on any medication, it just took every bit of my desire to literally pull myself up out of my depression. I couldn't saddle the responsibility on any one else or on a medication.

Nice insight.

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

Sometimes.

Many times people truly want to die. Period. There are many sucides that have been intricately planned so that the they can't be discovered in time. It depends on the person.

I've read of a lot of cases where people will attempt sucide and realize as they are dying that they don't really want to die-- it's almost the rational mind's last stand against the illness.

No matter what, mental illness and suicide are tragedies for all involved. I hope that everyone, after reading this thread, has been at least a little enlightened on the subject-- and if you can't empathize, at least trust those of us who have been there that sucide is not a gesture done out of anything but the purest form of desperation.

Further, if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, not acting like themselves and seeming depressed, get to a professional. There are so many treatments out there today and there are more in the works. Things that are available today that weren't 10 years ago are making huge differences in people's lives. Depression is extraordinarily treatable, as are bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness.

There is no shame or weakness in getting help. In fact, getting help is one of the hardest, bravest steps one can take.

I get what you are saying, to a certain degree... all of the people I know who wanted to commit suicide honestly thought they wanted to die... but that was mainly because they saw it as their only way out. When it came down to it, they just didn't want to hurt anymore. And yes, a lot of people have thought mid-attempt that maybe they didn't want to die. The problem with that is, that we have no idea how many people who have committed suicide experienced these feelings before they died. It may have been too late to save themselves. I bet that a LOT of people who died from suicide had those "Shit, I don't want to do this" moments, but it was too late by then. Like people who jump off buildings, or OD on pills, etc. My mom and I had a theory about my brother Mark, who committed suicide... I guess I'll go ahead and share that. My brother was a great guy, but had a pretty hard life. He was the oldest child. He watched his parents argue and fight his whole life. When he was 5 years old, his little brother died. When he was 16 or 17, his parents divorced. He spiraled downward at that point. Started hanging out with a bad crowd, doing lots of drugs, etc. He did therapy, he did rehab... but none of it worked permanently for him. After getting out of rehab at one point when he was 19, he started hanging out with the bad crowd again, thinking he'd be okay and that he could handle it. Well, he wasn't okay, and he couldn't handle it. He ended up doing drugs with a friend of his, and breaking into a womans house to steal money, etc. He got caught and thrown in jail. He was supposed to be on Prozac, but the jail wouldn't give his meds to him until they got a note from his doctor, and for whatever reason, the doctor couldn't be gotten ahold of. (I'm not sure if this happened over the weekend, or if the doctor was out of town or what.) As most people know, when you're on an anti-depressant, you can't just STOP taking it. You kinda have to wean yourself off, because you become dependent on it. So my brother is in jail, freaking out without his meds. He ended up tying his bedsheet through a vent in his jail cell and hanging himself.

Now here's the twist.

Two weeks prior to my brother being arrested, two other attempted suicides had been made at that same county jail. Both guys were caught before they died, and taken to a hospital to prevent death, then transferred to a mental health facility - neither of them ended up doing real jail time. My mom told me, that judging from Mark's personality and how badly he wanted to live a good life and do well for himself, that she thinks that he hung himself in an attempt to get help. She thinks that he was hoping that security would see him on the camera and come to his rescue. Unfortunately for him, security wasn't at their desk at that moment. They checked on him once, and 15 minutes later he was dead.

But of course, there's on way to prove that. :smile:

(By the way... in case you are wondering why I was saying "HIS" parents, "HIS" brother, etc... It's because he's 14 years older than I am and though we have the same parents and same siblings, our lives were so completely different that sometimes it almost feels like he's a different person with a totally different life than me.)

 

[B_New End]

Nothing worked and I never reallly wanted to escape the feelings, at the time.

that's the truth of th ematter of depression. Some peopel actually enjoy the pain. Perhaps it is the enorphins afterwards, but alot of people get hooked on feeling bad.... kind of a "bleed just to know you're alive" thing.

 

[snoozan]

To Snoozan: I don't believe that depression is completely treatable. I think it has a bit to do with whether or not the person wants the medication to work. Sort of a placebo effect. I remember having been on 2 or 3 medications, in my time, to deal with the issue. Nothing worked and I never reallly wanted to escape the feelings, at the time.

By treatment I didn't mean just medication, I meant it more broadly. For some people that includes medication, but I also meant things like therapy, exercise, behavior modification, getting out of bad situations in your life, supplements, diet, getting out of bed, etc. etc. Medication is great but it's not a panacea. Some people don't even need medication, and others need to take it for the rest of their lives. It's up to the individual and hopefully a mental health professional to make rational decisions about the best course of treatment.

My experience of depression and mixed mania have been such that I would have given anything to escape the terrible feelings and psychomotor agitation. For me at my worst, it's not a psychological thing where I want to be that way or somehow not pulling out of it is some unconscious wish-- it's all about wacky brain chemistry. That kind of episode is what medication treats very well-- and then from there you can address the other, less severe hurts that complicate your mental health. I can't pull myself out of those depressions or manias with anything but medication or just waiting until they run their course. Pulling yourself out isn't an option, it's more like waiting it out.

 

[tallguypns]

I'm surprised that only 40% have considered it. Not talking about how many have actually attempted it.

It's not like we are going to know what others are going to think or feel after we commit suicide. Those who actually do kill themselves won't be around to find out.

In my case I doubt anyone would really care beyond the initial shock. I'd say in a year, or even a few months, I'd be forgotten, and nobody would know the difference at all. As far as I know nobody really cares anyway, or ever has. I also doubt anyone ever will care. For some of us this is just the way it is...

My thoughts exactly.

 

[frizzle]

I think people try and commit suicide are mentally unstable and weak, but that's a given right. I also find people who attempt selfish and unreliable, putting that much grief on their family and loved ones, suicide doesn't take away the pain, it just merely transfers it to someone else.

Thinking about it or considering it though is what alot of people go through, it IS an option so many people consider all possible options, but to go through with it is actually sick.

 

[viking1]

I think people try and commit suicide are mentally unstable and weak, but that's a given right. I also find people who attempt selfish and unreliable, putting that much grief on their family and loved ones, suicide doesn't take away the pain, it just merely transfers it to someone else.

Thinking about it or considering it though is what alot of people go through, it IS an option so many people consider all possible options, but to go through with it is actually sick.

Depression is definitely a mental illness. Most people who commit suicide suffer from depression. There are other reasons, such as sudden desperation. Like those who have committed a crime and have been caught and don't wish to face justice in this world.

Your running people down because they have a mental illness is very poor.
I'd say you are the one who is selfish by most of the post you have made here, and ignorant as well.

 

[jeunessedoree]

Whatever happened to celebrating death? ... ... ... ...

 

[D_Aston Asstonne]

Tried. Failed. Still hangfing on.

When you're 12 years old and depressed and you try to off yourself, there's a reason. Its called family.

That,i can well relate to.Then...my thoughts went from suicide to HOMICIDE!somehow,i pulled through those years.....SOMEHOW!

 

[tallguypns]

This goes to something really important that many people overlook. Mental health is poorly understood in most places and by most people. Those who have not had major depression tend to believe that people who are suicidal are weak, lack courage, attention seeking, and ultimately selfish. They are unable or unwilling to empathize.

This is where public health education has largely failed in many countries. Major depression is an actual physical illness. The brains of those with major depression do not functioning normally. Chemical compositions and secretions becomes altered and these changes can radically change a person's personality and thought processes.

The mind of a person suffering from major depression is subject to the effects of the disease. Suicidal ideation is but one of a number of symptoms brought about the chemical changes that take place because of the disease. To judge sufferers of major depression by the standards you would judge a healthy person is cruel. It's like saying someone with cerebral palsy only uses a wheel chair because he is lazy. Perhaps this is because it's difficult to understand that those with major depression have anything wrong with them; that their thought processes are the same as those without the disease. Sufferers can look as healthy as anyone else. You cannot see the changes the disease has caused in any other manner except through behavior and affect save via MRI imaging and nobody I know has an MRI or a radiologist qualified to read the results in their living room.

It's essential to understand that the thinking of people with major depression is always under the influence of the disease. When depressed people speak, it is through the veil of the disease. When depressed people act, the impetus is sparked by the disease. The person one once knew is being changed by an insidious series of chemical changes that make normal judgement difficult to impossible. It is not easy to be a friend or family member living with a person suffering from major depression. Interactions are often frought with anger and apathy. The level of frustration with the depressed person can be so intense that the people the sufferer needs are driven away just when the sufferer needs them most. Being supportive of the ill not easy no matter what the problem is and sufferers of major depression tend not to get the support they need because those around them fail to recognize that they are interacting with a disease and not the person being controlled by it.

Not all pharmaceutical therapies work for all people. Some do not work at all. The brain is still the most poorly understood organ in the human body and there is no way to know which drug or therapy will work for which person until it is tried. Sometimes all it takes is a course of drugs to correct major depression. Sometimes other therapies like cognitive or Freudian analysis work best. Other times the only thing that works is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

There is debate over whether psychotherapy is useful or not. It can be for some people. Humans, unlike nearly all other animals, can cause their minds to do things voluntarily. In doing so we subconciously use chemical neuro transmitters to access the thought we want. If I want to imagine a green cube I can do so. That is using my brain's chemistry willfully. Therapy can similarly stimulate the person with major depression to gradually rebalance the brain's chemical process by forcing it to excrete the necessary balancing chemicals via patterned thought processes. It may not work all the time, no psycho or chemical therapy does, but it is a useful tool to complement psychopharmeceuticals and can enhance their effectiveness.

Even now, after my own two very serious battles with major depression, I have a difficult time dealing with those who are going through the disease themselves. It's a challenge to always stay in the mindset that the disease is in control of the person I'm interacting with. I imagine it is moreso with those who have never gone through it themselves. The most I can do is urge those with friends or family who are suffering from major depression to be supportive and patient as possible.

Depression is not, "the blues." It is not a feeling of sadness though it may manifest itself as such early in the process. By the time major depression sets in, emotion becomes stripped entirely. There is no joy, no sorrow, just numbness. A room full of the people you love most could spend hours telling you how wonderful you are but you won't believe them. You can spend time doing what you love, reading your favorite books, listening to your favorite music, watching your favorite movies, eating your favorite food, and none of it will do anything to give you any pleasure. In a sense you become a Vulcan, a walking machine of self-constructed logic. When you lose the ability to love or become angry then the end is close because then you are left with no emotions at all. Life becomes a series of meaningless tasks with no pleasure, no displeasure, no purpose. The future is simply a series of the same things repeated over and over again. In that state, suicide becomes attractive because the point of living is entirely lost. You're a functioning vegetable and if that is the case, then why continue with it? Just before you decide to take your own life there is a rush of emotions but they're like trying to listen to a conversation just out of earshot. What's important is simply completing the task of ending your own life, doing so in such a manner that seems reasonable. By then any empathy with those you used to love is long gone and the disease has convinced you that while the cleanup may present people with a minor inconvenience, you won't be missed.

Then it's done.




All of that has nothing to do with the person and everything to do with the disease of major depression and what it does to the person afflicted with the disease. Please remember that no matter how hard it may be to rationalize. It may save the life of someone you love. Try to be supportive, not to listen to the disease talking to you through the mouth of your loved one. Try to help them get help, reinforce how much you care about them, and never nag. There's not much you can do other than to demonstrate your support and love by literally being there. The truth is there is little you can do. Help take care of pets, maybe do some chores, or just sit quietly with the person. My single greatest consolation was my dog and he never said anything. He just loved me completely and without question. He did more than any of my family or friends because he didn't question me, didn't badger me, didn't get angry with me, didn't try to cheer me up. He was just there, quietly demonstrating his fidelity all the time. Christ I loved that dog.

Well, there it is.

Very well put. You've summed up what I go through quite well. Thank you dr. els

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

Whatever happened to celebrating death? ... ... ... ...

Uh... celebrating death is a very different thing than celebrating someone who hates themselves and their lives so much that they feel that they need to be dead in order to be happy.

 

[ActionBuddy]

As a person who has gone through a lot of strife in the past, and is going through a lot of it right now, I'm very glad that I took the time to read this thread. And I feel empowered by it.

Light at the end of the tunnel... Tomorrow is another day... Carry on!

And love your own soul enough to share it with others, right now! You know you are wanted, deep down inside.

Onan

 

[frizzle]

Depression is definitely a mental illness. Most people who commit suicide suffer from depression. There are other reasons, such as sudden desperation. Like those who have committed a crime and have been caught and don't wish to face justice in this world.

Your running people down because they have a mental illness is very poor.
I'd say you are the one who is selfish by most of the post you have made here, and ignorant as well.

Sorry having a mental illness (one which is common as depression), is not an excuse to kill yourself.

 

[snoozan]

Sorry having a mental illness (one which is common as depression), is not an excuse to kill yourself.

Did you read the rest of the thread or are you just throwing out your ignorant opinion because you like to be controversial? Your lack of empathy is insulting to those on this thread who have bared their souls in spite of uneducation people spouting your kind of trash.

Clinical depression affects about 10% of the population at one time or another during their lives. Much of it, even though it is clinically significant, is mild or moderate and more easily treated with the range of medicinal and non-medicinal treatments available.

Severe clinical depression is rarer, and rarer still are recurrent severe clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and other very painful, life altering mental illness.

 

[frizzle]

Did you read the rest of the thread or are you just throwing out your ignorant opinion because you like to be controversial? Your lack of empathy is insulting to those on this thread who have bared their souls in spite of uneducation people spouting your kind of trash.

Clinical depression affects about 10% of the population at one time or another during their lives. Much of it, even though it is clinically significant, is mild or moderate and more easily treated with the range of medicinal and non-medicinal treatments available.

Severe clinical depression is rarer, and rarer still are recurrent severe clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and other very painful, life altering mental illness.

And just because of that, you have the right to inflict the pain on your loved ones and friends?