suicide is the cowards way out no matter how you look at it!

@AcidDrop: So if a schizophrenic suicided s/he was a coward? So if a innocent person was put maliciously in jail in a Third World country s/he would be a coward? So if I jumped off a bridge to save someone, but drowned, would one be a coward or a hero? If someone had life-time in jail, is it the "coward's way out"?

I would like you to develop your thoughts on this, rather than state an over-used phrase, for this is a debate.

I don't think that suicide is always a "weak" choice to make, no matter what anyone else says.
Some people may not be made for this world. Have you ever seen someone who had no friends, someone who was always stressed out? Some people simply can't handle the pressures of this harsh world. I know that makes it sound like they're weak but really they're not- they could be peaceful to a fault or completely misunderstood by everyone.
It's not always the person's fault. This world is shit to live in and you have no idea what the person was thinking before they kill themselves, and chances are you never will. You can't judge unless you've been there yourself, and since you're not dead then you obviously haven't. And so what's wrong with being selfish? If your life sucks beyond the telling of it and you want peace, then it's your choice to make and maybe you'll be the better for it. I don't know what's in the afterlife but if what I believe is true then you'll have another life.

well...
i wanted once or twice to commit suicide
if you do this, it doesn't mean you're weak
it means you can't take it anymore,
you've had enough
it happened to me too
but right when i was about to do it,
i realised nothing ever will be wrong enough for me to do it
bad things come and go,
you'll pass through them, everyone does
you just have to be courageous
and if something bad happened,
you have to forget it
time erases everything

I'm going to jump around quite a bit here. Forgive me.

I think too often people view suicide as something that's selfish or 'the easy way out' or people going "OMG my lyf suks!1111" but that is rarely the case. Suicide is not based on thinking one has a crappy life- it's based on depression, which is incredibly hard to control without therapy or medication.

I've been suicidal, I have sat in my room and planned ways to kill myself. I ended up breaking down and telling my mom, she got me on medication for depression faster than you can imagine. She's been suicidal before too, so she was there for me and helped me understand just what the hell was wrong. I am so glad I talked to someone before I tried anything.

I'll be the first to say that my life is fantastic. I have stuff about it I'd change, and I deal with rough stuff, just like everyone else, but I know I'm very fortunate. I did not want to die because I had a sucky life. Now that I'm on meds and my brain is functioning with the proper chemicals, I don't even fully understand why I was suicidal. :/ It's very difficult for me to explain. I was just so stressed and so worn down, and so, so sad and angry all the time for no reason, I just wanted to move on and finally be happy in whatever next life there was. I was sick of never being happy.

I have several close friends who have been suicidal or actually attempted it. Once they get help, even if it's just therapy and no meds, they're different people-for the better.

A boy in my school commited suicide last year. I didn't know him, but I cried and cried, since I had at least an inkling of what he must have been going through. I had three classes with his best friend, and he was a friend of one of my closest friends. I felt no anger at the boy for 'taking himself from them' though, I only felt saddness for him and those around him.

My heart holds nothing but hope and sorrow for people who have sucessfully committed suicide. It hurts me to think of their friends and family they left behind, and the inner demons they fought to end up where they did. And my hope is that they find the peace they were looking for in this life in the next life-that's what I wanted.

People's will to survive is absolute. It's the core of the human race. For that instinct to be so far gone that one takes their own life, that's not selfishness or feeling like your life sucks. That is mental sickness.

Ah, what to say about such a tough subject? Well, it's up to the person to decide whether they want to live or die, but it'll affect close friends, family, and sometimes even communities. It's a choice, but sometimes it's not always the best one. In my eyes, it's a way of taking the easy way out of problems, but it could also be caused by not having anyone to help them, or psychological problems. I don't like the idea of it. I'm a religious person and believe that all life is precious. I know not everyone is religious or has such beliefs, but I'm just putting my opinion out there. Sure, people will forget about your death in years to come, but think about the NOW! How people feel in the present is more important than how people will feel 100 years from now. I've had suicidal thoughts before, but have never acted upon them because of fears and thoughts of how my friends and family might feel. Once, my dad told me that he almost committed suicide because of all the crap that was going on. I cried my eyes out after he told me that. I was glad that he didn't go through with it, and so was he. He told me that the thought of me and my sister stopped him. I couldn't imagine what I would do if he went through it...

So anyway, just because people won't remember your death years and years from now, doesn't mean they won't care about you in the present. Suicide may be a choice, but sometimes it's not the right one to make. This is my opinion, there may be some who disagree, but I really don't care. I won't argue or anything if you do.

I have tried to commit suicide or have thoughts of suicide so many times. I couldn't even count. But I just don't have the guts to kill myself, somebody stops me or I still have something to live for. So I am still here. Still alive. For how long? I don't know.

I don't really believe that suicide is the solution. I am against it. But I am torn. I don't want someone to do it but as for me, I can't say that I won't.

Because when I am in a hopeless situation. It's the first thing that I ever think about.

You can't really blame the person if he or she commits suicide. Some people are just more prone to having suicidal tendencies.

Originally Posted by Dorothy Parker

Résumé

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smell awful;
You might as well live.

It does little good to nickle and dime people about the value of human life. But don't be so certain death changes what you want it to change!

Unless you dislike your brain chemistry. It will certainly change that, and in some very dramatic ways, too. But there are pills for that which will give you a somewhat more certain outcome, if you're not curious as to what it's like to try to think without electical impulses surging through a carefully constructed lump of squigly meat.

.

I have known a lot of people who have wanted to kill themselves, so I have some small idea of what you might be feeling. I know that you might not be up to reading a long book, so I am going to keep this short. While we are together here for the next five minutes, I have five simple, practical things I would like to share with you. I won’t argue with you about whether you should kill yourself. But I assume that if you are thinking about it, you feel pretty bad.

Well, you’re still reading, and that’s very good. I’d like to ask you to stay with me for the rest of this page. I hope it means that you’re at least a tiny bit unsure, somewhere deep inside, about whether or not you really will end your life. Often people feel that, even in the deepest darkness of despair. Being unsure about dying is okay and normal. The fact that you are still alive at this minute means you are still a little bit unsure. It means that even while you want to die, at the same time some part of you still wants to live. So let’s hang on to that, and keep going for a few more minutes.



Start by considering this statement:

“Suicide is not chosen; it happens
when pain exceeds
resources for coping with pain.”

Don’t accept it if someone tells you, “that’s not enough to be suicidal about.” There are many kinds of pain that may lead to suicide. Whether or not the pain is bearable may differ from person to person. What might be bearable to someone else, may not be bearable to you. The point at which the pain becomes unbearable depends on what kinds of coping resources you have. Individuals vary greatly in their capacity to withstand pain.

When pain exceeds pain-coping resources, suicidal feelings are the result. Suicide is neither wrong nor right; it is not a defect of character; it is morally neutral. It is simply an imbalance of pain versus coping resources.

You can survive suicidal feelings if you do either of two things: (1) find a way to reduce your pain, or (2) find a way to increase your coping resources. Both are possible.

Now I want to tell you five things to think about.


1 You need to hear that people do get through this -- even people who feel as badly as you are feeling now. Statistically, there is a very good chance that you are going to live. I hope that this information gives you some sense of hope.

2 Give yourself some distance. Say to yourself, “I will wait 24 hours before I do anything.” Or a week. Remember that feelings and actions are two different things - just because you feel like killing yourself, doesn’t mean that you have to actually do it right this minute. Put some distance between your suicidal feelings and suicidal action. Even if it’s just 24 hours. You have already done it for 5 minutes, just by reading this page. You can do it for another 5 minutes by continuing to read this page. Keep going, and realize that while you still feel suicidal, you are not, at this moment, acting on it. That is very encouraging to me, and I hope it is to you.

3 People often turn to suicide because they are seeking relief from pain. Remember that relief is a feeling. And you have to be alive to feel it. You will not feel the relief you so desperately seek, if you are dead.

4 Some people will react badly to your suicidal feelings, either because they are frightened, or angry; they may actually increase your pain instead of helping you, despite their intentions, by saying or doing thoughtless things. You have to understand that their bad reactions are about their fears, not about you.

But there are people out there who can be with you in this horrible time, and will not judge you, or argue with you, or send you to a hospital, or try to talk you out of how badly you feel. They will simply care for you. Find one of them. Now. Use your 24 hours, or your week, and tell someone what’s going on with you. It is okay to ask for help. Try:

Carefully choose a friend or a minister or rabbi, someone who is likely to listen
But don’t give yourself the additional burden of trying to deal with this alone. Just talking about how you got to where you are, releases an awful lot of the pressure, and it might be just the additional coping resource you need to regain your balance.

5 Suicidal feelings are, in and of themselves, traumatic. After they subside, you need to continue caring for yourself. Therapy is a really good idea. So are the various self-help groups available both in your community and on the Internet.


Well, it’s been a few minutes and you’re still with me. I’m really glad.

Since you have made it this far, you deserve a reward. I think you should reward yourself by giving yourself a gift. The gift you will give yourself is a coping resource. Remember, back up near the top of the page, I said that the idea is to make sure you have more coping resources than you have pain. So let’s give you another coping resource, or two, or ten...! until they outnumber your sources of pain.


Now, while this page may have given you some small relief, the best coping resource we can give you is another human being to talk with. If you find someone who wants to listen, and tell them how you are feeling and how you got to this point, you will have increased your coping resources by one. Hopefully the first person you choose won’t be the last. There are a lot of people out there who really want to hear from you. It’s time to start looking around for one of them.

who among you have thought about it / tried it?

I have been considering it since I was 11 years old and I still do.

how did you go about it?

I tried swallowing pills, but then I remembered what could happen if I failed to kil myself the first time. Swallowing 20 pills would only give me a damaged liver and I'd be vomiting for the rest of the week. Much later in life--like recently-- I taught myself how to tie nooses from a "How-to" video on the internet so that I could hang myself when I found the appropriate material to do so with... I'm just wondering if it's fast, effective and clean.

why are / were you thinking about suicide? is your life really that bad?

I feel no satisfaction from life and I have no incentive to live. Nothing good ever happens to me and I continuously feel isolated as well as other negative feelings I will not divulge here. I don't know why it is I continue to live... maybe I stick around to watch my sisters kids grow up or maybe I haven't found the best way to go yet.

I think about suicide quite a bit...
But I haven't.
The fact that I am alive now proves that I want to be.
It all comes down to this;
Suicide is selfish.

When a loved one passes away, it's a very hard time on a family.
When someone commits suicide, it's harder.
'Cause ya can't help feeling angry that they did it, that they were selfish enough to put all their family through so much pain instead of getting help.

There's plenty of charities and such dedicated to helping people. Anonymous phonecalls to support lines. It isn't hard.
But the grief is. The anger is. Wondering what was so bad that they couldn't go to anyone for help?
It's hard.

Why put many people through pain, just so that yours can end?
That's why I don't. I care about too many people.
I'd rather one person in pain than a family broken apart and grieving.

Sorta think sometimes, if there's no explanation of the meaning of life, then surely, life is meaningless?
Emo? No. Logical.

But does life need a meaning?
I'm happy with what I have. It's as good as it's gonna get, and life is about making the best of what you have IMO.

I knew someone who committed suicide.
Didn't even leave a note for his mother...
What is she supposed to think? How is she supposed to live?
Thinking every day that maybe she did something wrong.

Thing was, when the post Morten came back, there were marks on his hands.
They concluded he had changed his mind and tried to take the belt off.
(He hanged himself...)

That always frightens me. What if you were to slit your wrists, or take an overdose, then change your mind?


I also know someone who tried once, and survived.
And is happy that they did. Appreciates life.

I could be contradicting myself, I believe that Euthanasia should be legalized worldwide, but I'm against suicide. I guess they're both different.

I can't see any justifiable reason that someone should commit suicide.

MMhhh, this is an interesting topic to me. I have read both sides, it seems that some can't really empathize with the distressed suicidal population.
But...why so harsh?
When a person is suicidal, that means they are screaming for help.
It's help that they are asking for. Not more blames, not more proofs about their own insecurities.
See, it's easy to sit and point and blame, but
Would you try to help them?

They need help. They will die. There is no time for blaming.
Blaming them so harshly in such situation...you could be killing them unintentionally.

They can only help themselves?
Well, obviously that didn't work out so well now, did it? They have been on their own. And that didn't work. They need help, a pole to lean on while they try to recover. Someway out other than suicide. but then again, there are different cases for suicidal thoughts.

There are mental depression suicidal thoughts.

And there are tragic events suicidal thoughts.

Mental depression, it can be cure but, it is an illness. And official illness. Like how an illness kills a person, if untreated, mental depression makes the person kill his/her self.

I'll extend on this later. Gtg XD haha

eveytime i feel like doing it i sat to myslef "its not an option" and to me now its not...i have made too meny firends to kill myslef

I haven't every attempted suicide, although I gave it some thought when I was younger. Everyone goes through rough patches; some are harder than others. Some are incomprehensible to those who haven't lived through them themselves. Brain chemistry can impact the response to adversity; so can a lack of support system. Individual circumstances vary so widely that I don't think it's possible or fair to make a cover-all judgment on suicide cases.

Compassion can't hurt, be it for the suicidal or those who've already committed it.

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Claudia on page one. I went through the whole teen/early adulthood emo thing when I wanted to kill myself as well. I actually went as far as to take a whole bottle of valium as little as two and a half years ago. Since then, I've almost died a few times for other reasons (I have a chronic, incurable illness) and my thoughts and opinions on the matter have changed quite a bit. Of course suicide is selfish. That is why most people commit suicide, to get the attention of the people they feel have wronged them. Honestly, at this point I think it is ridiculous and I am ashamed that I was ever immature enough to even consider it as an option. This of course does not include people that are terminally ill that choose to die on their terms instead of wasting away to nothing, they are two completely different animals altogether.

@Holey-
Someone who is seeking attention probably wouldn't actually try to kill themselves. It's far more logical to just make a suicide attempt (and intentionally fail) or harm yourself. Which is usually what ends up happening anyway. Suicide is usually a reaction to not being able to handle longstanding pain anymore... it has little to do with metaphorically shoving it in everyone's face that your life sucked.
And people who do attempt suicide for the attention should be taken seriously anyway. It's far better to give an attention whore their fix than to ignore a genuine (albeit misguided) cry for help.

Originally Posted by Holey

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Claudia on page one. I went through the whole teen/early adulthood emo thing when I wanted to kill myself as well. I actually went as far as to take a whole bottle of valium as little as two and a half years ago. Since then, I've almost died a few times for other reasons (I have a chronic, incurable illness) and my thoughts and opinions on the matter have changed quite a bit. Of course suicide is selfish. That is why most people commit suicide, to get the attention of the people they feel have wronged them. Honestly, at this point I think it is ridiculous and I am ashamed that I was ever immature enough to even consider it as an option. This of course does not include people that are terminally ill that choose to die on their terms instead of wasting away to nothing, they are two completely different animals altogether.

Not all suicidal cases are the same.
Did i say there are 2 cases for suicidal thoughts, well, haahah, maybe 3, the third one is revenge(?) And...well, i guess it is silly in some cases, especially if they want to make someone else feel bad about their death...mmmhhh

But either way, my conclusion is, suicidal people needs help.
BUt it's not the easiest thing to understand. Society look down upon it, saying it's selfish and weak and cowardly,etc.
But...clearly, society is not helping.
In fact, i think it's all the judgments and blames and fingerpointing and the sense of false righteousness over others that make this world the mess it is.
Anyways, compassion is rare nowaday. Granted suicide is a selfish act, but, i guess what i am trying to say is...
They don't deserve much of the crap put on them, especially when they already feel like there's no way out.

That's not even considering the illness cases and the tragic events cases.

Not sure i'm making sense, it's midnight right now. Hahahaa

Honestly I think its your life if you want to end it then end other wise grow a pair of balls and move on. "If life was easy, it wouldn't be worth living" So if you think its to hard to deal with off yourself or get over it cause sometimes people milk the whole suicide thing as a way to get attention or to play the sympathy card. I could careless what people do with their life aslong it don't interfere with my life.

I have never seriously thought about suicide.
My life, my family, my friends, this earth, is all too special to me to leave it behind too early.

I think it's wrong, because most problems are temporary, while death is a permanet solution. You think you only hurt(or help, depending on your mindset) yourself, but you also manage to damage the people that loved you, or were close to you in some way.

I do think life is special, and even if no one living remembers you, as more than a name, or a number, you've still made your mark on this Earth. If you touch one person's life, you most likely have touched another.

And well...I find that special.
Plus, nature doesn't waste energy.
You wouldn't be here if there was no purpose for it.

I think suicide is for cowards.

Unless you are dieing slowly of horrible pain, suicide should not be an option.

I'm for suicide.

Sure, it'll affect everyone around you and yadda yadda yadda easy way out blah blah blah

But. In the long run, will one life lost really matter? Will it REALLY? It does't matter, really. There are billions of people on earth, and losing one won't matter in the slightest. The world will keep revolving around the sun, birds will still sing and cats will play outside, books will be written and all of that. One life gone? No biggie.

Suicide should be a personal choice.

life doesn't have to be bad. If you feel you're doing nothing worth it in the long run, or if you feel you're helping destroy something you love, then go right ahead.

I do think one should talk to others first, be it a counselor or a friend.

But when it comes down to it, if one has the right to live, why shouldn't they have the right to die, if they wish?

But. In the long run, will one life lost really matter? Will it REALLY? It does't matter, really. There are billions of people on earth, and losing one won't matter in the slightest. The world will keep revolving around the sun, birds will still sing and cats will play outside, books will be written and all of that. One life gone? No biggie.

Imagine how the person's family of friends would feel. To them, I reckon it would be a biggie?
I can only imagine how a mother would feel if her child committed suicide... Wondering for the rest of her life if she had been a bad mother, if she should have done more, living in regret.

Suicide is a selfish thing to do in that sense. To leave other people living in regret, just because you're having a bad time?
Life is complicated. It isn't easy for anyone, nor is it meant to be easy.
Who would bother if it was easy?

I've attempted suicide 3 times and failed all 3! I had been depressed since i was a child, nothing obvious seemed to be the cause. When i was 13 my father took me to a therapist who claimed i had anger problems. My father stopped therapy after one session because he thought it was a waste of money. My first attempt happened a few years after, tried to OD on sleeping pills. Fell asleep, woke up in a pool of vomit. Second time i tried to jump off a building but chickened out. Third time happened to me at age 17, tried slicing my own wrists. Didnt, chickened out again but left some pretty nasty scars which not a single person in my family or friends commented on until long after they'd healed up. It was at this point that i thought things over, why was i depressed? I felt something was wrong with me, something that shouldnt be the way it is. I took my own, uninsured butt to a therapist and have over 4 years of sessions before we came to the problem. Now i am going through the steps to solve it, and since i know the problem i am able to treat my depression WITHOUT medication. I still get depressed but only for a day or two and its never been anywhere near as serious as in the past. I am happier, stranger, and very confused on how to go forward.
People claim life isnt fair. Well, there right, its not. Life sucks, it treats some people with a lot more respect and lets them be happier easier.
How do you solve the problem of life being unfair? Suicide isnt going to work. You have to force the world to accept you, you have to put your foot down and make life work for you. Nothing is free, nothing just happens because your a good person. Dying is easy, living takes work.
Suicide is the cowards reward. Those who want help but dont want to get up and get it. Make life work for you, dont let life make you work for it.

When life gives you lemons, find someone where life is giving them vodka and have a party! - My Grandfather

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Originally Posted by Kultura

Imagine how the person's family of friends would feel. To them, I reckon it would be a biggie?
I can only imagine how a mother would feel if her child committed suicide... Wondering for the rest of her life if she had been a bad mother, if she should have done more, living in regret.

Suicide is a selfish thing to do in that sense. To leave other people living in regret, just because you're having a bad time?
Life is complicated. It isn't easy for anyone, nor is it meant to be easy.
Who would bother if it was easy?

First off, as a disclaimer, I will tell you I haven't read this thread in its entirety, so I do apologize if I'm reiterating points. I want to tell you though, Kultura, you are so right in saying this. It couldn't be closer to the truth.

I will tell you my father-in-law committed suicide several years back on New Year's Eve night. Now I wasn't with my husband at the time, but the death of his father was a very pivotal point in his life. His father was a long time drug and alcohol addict and was physically abusive to both his wife and son...Something I would of thought would of made it hard to morn his death, but still my husband said it left so much unsaid and so much emotional baggage for him. My husband has told me that it launched him into a very deep depression that ended in the loss of his marriage (his wife at the time didn't know what to do to help him), and he nearly took his own life as during the divorce his ex-wife took the kids and he was left on his own with nothing.

Anyone who tries to convince me that taking their life would not impact anyone else obviously is so self centered and delusional that they can't see beyond their own pain. I know they would be missed, and I have physical proof of it. Think about it before you do something like that to someone you love.