The very idea that someone wants to die is frightening. As a result, suicide is not an easy topic to discuss for many people. But suicide is preventable and talking about suicide does save lives. If one person can be saved from suicide by talking about it with someone, it is worth it; especially if that someone is you.
How to Handle Suicidal Thinking
Talking About Suicide Save Lives
I am amazed at the many powerful and wise comments I have received from you about suicide. I asked you to tell me why you think people contemplate suicide and you had some amazing insights. It is clear that it is usually not just one thing that compels someone to feel suicidal. You said it is a combination of a lot of things, including:
- pain
- loneliness
- rejection
- abuse
- guilt
- depression
- helplessness
- hopelessness
More than anything, I believe people who live with depression and suicidal thoughts feel hopeless. They are hurting so badly and want nothing more than for the pain to end. Unfortunately, they cannot imagine the pain ever going away. They cannot see the light at the end of the very dark and lonely tunnel they have found themselves traveling down. Have you ever felt this way?
Why Is Suicide So Common Among College Students?
For most students, college is a time of “firsts.” For the first time, you’re faced with living outside your parents’ home, managing your own schedule, deciding on an academic trajectory, working or taking out loans to pay for school, making new friends, getting to know a new environment, etc. Trying a new thing is always going to be a bit stressful, even if you’re excited about it. Trying a million new things all at once? Very stressful.
Without support, self-care, and a certain level of familiarity with mental health, times of transition and stress are very likely to impact us emotionally. College is a time when loneliness, hopelessness, depression, and anxiety have a lot of opportunities to take hold of you. On top of that, the typical age range of a college student (18-24) is a time when many mental illnesses manifest in patients. Whether you’re in college or not, these years are when your brain may develop symptoms of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.
Between the stage of brain development that most college students are in, and the stress level they’re experiencing in a time of high expectations and constant change, it’s no surprise that suicide rates are especially high within this particular population.
So what can you do about it? If you or someone you know is headed to college, get on the school’s official website and explore what kinds of resources they offer for mental health. Most campuses have health centers to support their students’ needs, and many of those now offer services like counseling or support groups that are free for students. Get familiar with that resource so that if you need it, you can use it! And even though college is a busy time, make sure that caring for yourself is a top priority. Adequate sleep, nutritious food, exercise, other types of rest, and social support are all crucial elements of a healthy college experience.
Don't Believe the Lies...You Matter
It is not uncommon for a person’s circumstances or their self-image to cause someone to think negatively about themselves.
Oftentimes, people consider suicide because they are unable to find any reason to make living worthwhile. They think their problems are unsolvable and they feel completely out of control. I believe first and foremost; hopelessness is a serious spiritual problem rooted in lies and faulty thinking. Anytime you believe lies that depression and suicidal thoughts tell you about yourself, you are listening to the wrong voices.
Jennifer said suicide has been a daily struggle for the past nine years due to being sexually abused. "I feel like suicide is the only option I have left, the only chance at peace I'll ever have. I just want the pain to stop. It's as if something will always be missing and life will never be quite right." There is no denying that the pain of sexual abuse can be tremendous. But the abuse is not Jennifer’s fault. She needs to find the hope that she can overcome this pain. Many people just like Jennifer have overcome abuse by talking about it with a professional counselor. She needs to learn how to stop punishing herself for her abuser’s actions.
Reach Out to Talk About the Pain...Never Give Up
Have you ever gone through something so painful you were convinced the pain was never going to go away? Many people who contemplate suicide say something like: I don't want to die. I just want the pain to stop. They think, "Because I’m in intense pain today, I will always be in pain." It is this kind of faulty thinking that can lead people down the path that leads to suicide.
Kas wrote: I think about suicide pretty much every second of the day. It seems like it's my only choice anymore. I know it's not the answer, but at times I just feel like I can't move on with this life anymore.
Substance Abuse Magnifies Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors
If you are already living with suicidal ideation, it is important to remember that substance abuse only works to magnify these thoughts and behaviors. Alcohol makes depression worse, impairs thinking and judgment, and increases impulsivity. There is no safety without sobriety. Additionally, coping skills like alcohol, drugs, and self-harm, all fail – because they never address the actual root of the pain. They only serve to temporarily cover it up.
Jordyn wrote: Some people have suicidal thoughts because they want to escape the isolation, pain, and rejection from the environment surrounding them. Others simply feel they have reached a state of loneliness and depression in their lives to the point where their thoughts become so negative, that they can't find any other reason to live. They would rather not confront it because of the fear of hurt that comes along with it. I feel that when you go through times of depression and think about suicide, God is there by your side. He will not abandon you. It is only a matter of whether you reach out to Him through prayer that you will be free from these thoughts.
Mandy also wrote: "Part of the very reason people do what they do is because they have failed. Suicide is the result of irrational thinking in the illness of DEPRESSION. And when people reach that level, just as my father did on the 18th of January 2020, it was a reminder that even the strong fall... "
Depression is a real illness and needs real meaningful help. If you're thinking, "I just want the pain to stop", let us help you. To learn more about depression, please read this guest blog from our partner, Centerstone.
My son hung himself 9mo ago and we were so close and there was nothing he wanted more than his degree . Campus police said he committed suicide but there are so many unanswered questions. My daughter has nothing to do with me only her father. I don't know how or what to hold on too any more. And I'm sure when I leave this earth it will shock many when they read my will. But nothing states I have to leaves everything to her.. I was the only one that was ever truly there for them both. But a person can only take So much .. I am prepared to need my maker and so ready because there is nothing left anymore
I am sorry for your lost just try to hold it on
im 16 years old and I've thought about suicide alot, I know it's not what I should do but I feel like that's what I should do, I want to cause I'm tired of the pain and dealing with stuff but I don't want to do it, I've tried 3 times last year, my life's hell I've been kicked out 4 times over stupid little stuff, I go to school to hear the same people run there mouths and they even make fun of me for trying to kill myself last year, I don't even know how they found out and I can't fight them to get them to stop cause I'm on probation intill I'm 21 because of skipping so much school last year, and Yeah I went to the principal about it, I pretty much live with one of my friends in a small apartment with 11 people cause my parents pretty much don't want me around because of everything i cause and I have no where else to go, every time I go somewhere the cops stop and harass me, like yesterday I was sitting on a curb waiting for my friend to come back for I can ride with him back to the house cause I have to climb 820 steps to get to the top of the hill and the cops came along and searched me and cussed me and stuff, and Friday night at a football game me and 2 of my friends got searched and now I have to do 8 hours of community service at school during lunch because I had snuff, and yesterday I walked to dollar store to buy me something to eat and drink because there's pretty much nothing to eat at the house and I was walking down the stairs to go back towards the house and one of the cops stopped and accused me of shop lifting the mtn dew and milkyway and beef jerky so I had to walk back to the store with him to prove I paid for it because I didn't get a receipt, I mean I can't even walk threw town anymore because I'm scared that they will stop me, last year in October my best friend and my cousin killed himself, it was at his sisters house, he was leaving and I was goin with him and when I was walking to his car he shot him self in front of me, he was the only one that was there for me for years and now hes gone, then I found my uncle hanging from the ceiling in January, and then my cousin Cody was coming to get me and coming up the hill to my house he rolled his truck and I ran down there and dragged him out and called an ambulance, he died from that, pretty much all my family hates me for whatever reason, my own grandma and grandpa hates me, when I was kicked out last year I went and lived with my cousin and there in a gang or something, I seen a guy get shot and killed, I've seen them rob stores and everything, I've been around them doin pretty much every drug, but I had to come back because all of them got arrested and is now in jail, that's what I don't understand, Why is it that everyone that cares about me ends up in jail or something, and Why are they criminals, I mean I'm called a criminal because of being on probation and the cops have found pot on me before, that's Why they stop and harass me, schools rough as hell to go to and the rest of my friends are graduating this year and the rest is dropping out, there 35 people that's a freshmen when there suppose to be in a different grade or out of school and in this small town that's bad, and Yeah I'm one of them I'm suppose to be a sophomore but that didn't happen, I've been drunk alot before, I've done pills a few times and smoked pot alot before, I smoke cigarettes and rub snuff when I'm in school or somewhere I can't smoke at, this girl I'm talking to keeps hurting me, one day she says shes thinking about dating me and that I'm the only one here for her and that she loves me then the next week she's telling me that she doesn't want to date anyone and she getting tired of me asking her to give me a chance and that she hates me and to stop talking to her then later that night or the next day I apologize and everything and it goes back to how it was, I just can't live without her, I love her so much, she's been there for me threw all my bullshit and has made me so happy but Its starting to get hard to deal with her getting mad at me and doin what she's doin to me, also the cops came to my friends house a couple weeks ago, kicked in the front door and searched the house without a warrant and called all of us worthless piece of shits (I'm getting use to hearing that) and then the next day they got evicted and now there living with my cousin and I'm living with my friend, I'm just tired of dealing with this shit every day and thinking about everything when I go to bed and there's alot more then what I said, I just hope someone reads this and helps me out cause I have no one to talk to, and also I have depression and anxiety.
I pray that God sends someone to help you. But I promise you, suicide is not the answer. God has a plan for your life so hold on and let Him work!
Maybe I am late but today I checked this website you know life it's too easy but you need to know how to live it either you live easily or you die easily . Don't think that I would never understand cz I do and the prove that I think about it every day you think that you are useless in life and everything goes wrong but I have learned from god that you need to suffer and never give up because there is always hope and a light that will make you feel better just whatever happens cry and then laugh and say good lesson l have learned today next ?. And please don't you ever think that nobody care cz we all care
there are time where i was thinking about dying myself, but due to the religion that i practice, it is really not an option, but when i think about why? it is because that, when i feel like it, i have a thought saying that, when i died, people will appreciate me more, start to realize what they have been missing, they will miss me, and realize that they have take me for granted, but that was a long time ago, after seeing people that actually commit suicide, i understand that this people are actually running away from problem, they took the easy way out, irresponsible, and the truth is that, people will not appreciate, people will not be missing anything, they will find someone else for granted and move on, and worse, people who commit suicide die for nothing.
Let me tell you something when you die maybe they will cry maybe they will appreciate you but you will be dead what you will gain and if they really don't care they won't even cry in your funeral so stop thinking about that you are so special and maybe I don't know you but I know that there is a person loves you alot it is god and there is person who cares it is me
Committing suicide is not an "easy way out". I can't stand to hear people say this. How easy is it to get a rope throw it over a beam, tie it specifically, jump up on that block and kick it away? There's a lot of time that passes in all of that and I am sure a lot of thoughts that are not "easy"...
You are right, committing suicide is not an easy way out. We understand and we want to listen. Remember our HopeCoaches are available 24/7 on phone or chat 1-800-394-4673 (HOPE). And check out our latest guest blog from Centerstone. It has some great ways to be proactive when you are feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. http://www.thehopeline.com/6-steps-to-change-your-life/
At least the pain is gone.
What if you feel like no one cares because that's how they act. Actions speak so much louder than words. Many people go to funerals for the ones left behind and not the one who has passed. Often, I feel invisible. I think about suicide every single day. I know no one wants to hear about it. I tried talking about it before and received terrible reviews.
The pain that you are feeling won't last, everything is temporary. Don't give up on yourself, imagine what potential you might have, the effects of your actions, however small can be magnified, so YOU do matter, perhaps you just haven't realised it yet. Don't compare yourself to ANYONE, you are unique and wonderful in your own way, that's a fact even though I don't know you... It's an amazing thought that individuality... The smallest thing can have immeasurable power, and each individual has that. Please anyone considering taking your own life... Think about that, your unknown potential... And it's unknown because it needs to be discovered, which is what we live for. Someone I knew, not particularly well, but still, their suicide shocked and alarmed me, because I saw a beautiful wonderful person, who seemed to have so much to offer to the world, to themselves. Obviously she couldn't see it herself, and I probably cannot imagine how that is to have lost that faith, belief in oneself... The very thought that individuals lives are cut short from discovering that potential, scares me so much, especially since the world seems to be fuelled by money and power. False ideologies, in my opinion. My advice, you feel alone, find someone to talk to, even if it's a stranger in the street, ask for help, write a long list with all your positive attributes... Argh i don't know what else to say, it saddens me so much that people take their own lives... And I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that... The world will miss you, even if you think no one else will.
I wanna start a new life
Well I was in car accident got a compression fracture. My back hurts so bad I do want to end my life.. my brother beat the shit out of me first before I was trying to leave.... I usually go to walmart parking lot to sleepor get away from the abuse but it keeps going on my family hates me but my sister never belives whst I tell her was true so I thought of a dying declaration will be suitable for all even my so called friends that care about me
My Brother-in-law hung himself a few days ago and felt nobody cared... There are so many people that are coming to his funeral today, many have sent food and helped financially. People do care Lishia. I wouldnt reply if I didnt. Im going to do his eulogy and bury him today but im on this computer replying to you. People care so much its just that you dont know it becuase the situation blurrs all that out.