This is a bit of a rant and I hope this topic is acceptable since my last suicide topic was deleted.

Recently someone I know( About a week and a half ago) took poison and killed themselves due to depression. I find the situation upsetting being under the impression it wasn't necessary. No, I'm not trying to judge them as a bad person. Just sad that they ended their life when help is out there.
Don't get me wrong, I'm pro suicide for the right circumstances such as terminal illness. While life is precious to me, so is the quality of life.
Depression is not a terminal disease and there's solutions for it.

Which brings me to my real topic, why are people still killing themselves over issues can be worked on or solved such as depression?.
I understand depression can be hard to deal with after all, I have it.
We have so many resources for suicide and depression these days.
We have conselling sp?, we have support groups ( which I have attended myself), we have hotlines, we have medicines for coping with severe depression and we have the internet to reach out for help if we need it.
For some of us, we can reach out to friends, which I'm sure some of them would pitch in and help knowing there are suicidal incentives involved.
I don't see any reason for people not to use these resources and go kill themselves. What more can society do to reach out towards suicidal and depressed people?.

wow, they killed themself?! do you know why they were depressed? thats so sad. i think suicide is wrong, but if somebody is suicidal i dont think that makes them a bad person. i do not in any way agree with suicide, the suicidal do need help. i know that sounds like an insult, but i dont mean it that way. i do mean that they need help. counceling? depression medication? therapy? any or all of those to help the suicidal get past their depression. i think people that actually commit suicide just then had something awful happen that just pushed them over the limit. like, made it feel like life isnt worth living? it's probably a spur of the moment thing for them. if they had waited and calmed themselves they most likely would have seen that they were making a huge mistake! by the way, poison? where the hell do you get POISON?! anyways, if the ill arent going to survive very long and woud just suffer until they passed away, THEY have a right, if they really wanted to do something like that. maybe. they have to be seriously suffering in order for me to justify it. i am against suicide, why should you just give up your life?

I sometimes think it's stupid to go suicide, but who are we to decide whether or not they should have committed suicide or not? I'm just imagining how badly these people must have felt, and all the things they thought about before they killed themselves, and geez.. I can only guess that they were beyond help.

I really think this belongs in life issues not in the general discussion, so I am moving it there.

Sorry for your loss... :[

Some people just don't take any comfort in the resources you mentioned. Counseling/group therapy/hotlines/etc all require you to get together with a bunch of strangers and talk about some very deep and personal feelings. For some of us, that is unpleasant, to say the least.
Anti depressants aren't always all that effective either. Some just never really learn to cope with their depression and (I would imagine) end up feeling very boxed in by it.

I hate to hear about suicides, though. It makes me feel so terrible for the person. You have to wonder what they were thinking to drive them to that point...

Not everyone knows they have depression, or will admit that they have suicidal thoughts. For most people it's very embarressing. It's not normal to think "Oh..I wonder what happened if I threw myself in front of a train." Or maybe they think it is normal. To be quite honest.. I thought it was normal to think suicidal things. I never actually did them but it can get worse.

Society could probably try spotting it, and being... more kind about it. Some people treat people with depression like their crazy, or like it's not that big of a deal. "so you're a little sad, get over it" but the fact is it is still an issue. In countries like Japan it's a very big deal. Some people just really don't know how to deal with it, and sometimes medicine can hurt and not help...

I'm sorry for your loss, suicide is a horrible way to lose someone..

Most people are too embarrassed to ask for help cause they think society will look down on them for having a mental issue or two.

It takes a lot from yourself to step up and ask for help.

First of all, one doesn't "go suicide" or "do suicide" you commit suicide.

And not everyone has those resources. When I lived with my mother, I said I needed help and she hit me- a couple times- for it. She wouldn't let me tell anyone about how horrible I felt, which made me feel worse. My whole family, even some of my family on my father's side (who actually cares about me) is embarrassed by mental illness. It's unacceptable. And I'm not the only one who has it in my family. My grandmother had it, and she won't admit it was depression, even though for years all she did was lie in bed feeling horrid. My aunt had it, and my grandparents wouldn't let her get help either, they said she was fine.

And whether you mean it offensively or not, saying that suicidal people need help is offensive to them. You make it seem like you're better than them just because you'd rather live than die. In most cases, it's not that suicidal people WANT to die, they just don't want to live, so there's only one alternative to living in that situation.

When I moved in with my grandparents, I agreed to finally go to counseling. I never really wanted to have a therapist or have to take medicine for it, but I tried it for awhile and then when my counselor told me to kill myself and stop making everyone around me worry (Seriously. How sad is that? (She was new in the field.)) I quit. I stopped going to see her and I stopped taking my medication. I was diagnosed as manic depressive earlier on, which I'd been saying I was for years, and they thought there may be other things wrong, but I didn't stick around to find out when they weren't telling me anyway.

Also, a lot of people don't trust others with their feelings of depression. Usually out of fear of ridicule or people not believing them and saying they just want attention, but there's also the fact that if professionals found out, they don't want to be 'locked up' or committed. To some people, losing their freedom is worse than death.

Still suicide is an extreme, I know, but when you're seriously can't-get-any-lower-Depressed, you can't see any other way out of it. It's like you have blinders on that that's the only way out. You don't think rationally. You may think you are thinking rationally, but really, you have no idea what you're saying. Sometimes it can be like it's not your life, it's like you're looking in on someone else. It's not always conscious, to be honest.

So, saying people shouldn't commit suicide when you have no idea what it's like, to me, is idiotic. When you feel like you have no where to go, no one to turn to and you feel like you're not worth anything and that life isn't worth the pain, when you get to that ultimate low where you think suicide is the only way out, THEN you can tell me whether you understand it or not.

This was general, not directed to anyone specifically. I'm sure there are people here who have felt that way, but maybe you have a different chemical balance than those who turn to suicide. Actually, reading all the posts people have made, Everyone after TheNavyBlueMoon has the right idea. It's not an easy thing to get help. It's not easy in general to try and find a way to cope with depression, so suicide seems like their only option.

I'm also living with depression, and I'm doing fine. Usually. I don't struggle on a day-to-day basis or anything, but sometimes it just hits me all of a sudden. Everything will build up and something will trigger it's release. And it's not pretty. I'll cry for hours and be completely miserable. It exhausts me and I'll sleep for forever and wake up feeling a little shaky but okay. On a few occasions, these episodes have led to deep gashes on my body and staying out on my roof for hours.

My mother says that I can't die before her, so I guess I'll stay here for a while, but the truth is...I really don't want to be here sometimes. I don't want to just get away, I want to really go away. And every time I think about how I could've ended it...I'm glad I didn't. There is no way that any one else can "help" you or "counsel" you through it. Depression is a journey into the darkest part of yourself, into the very depths of your soul. We are each our own labyrinth, and no one else can guide you through it. They can hold your hand and encourage you to keep going, but ultimately, it is your own journey.

I think I have dysthymic though. That seems to make more sense. :sarcasm:

But nevermind the rant...I'm feeling like a bundle of sunshine today, so it's harder to grasp the idea.

I feel qualified to answer your question because I've overcome my depression, and I experienced an avenue that you're questioning currently.

There are different forms of depression. Mine was a form where I felt isolated from everyone. I always purposefully placed myself behind other people and I never felt as if I was worth their time. I didn't want to burden them with questions, I didn't have the courage to include myself on their outings. Also, I didn't realize that I had depression. By the time that I did, I didn't know what to do. I wasn't well informed with ways that I could help myself, and even if I did know of a teen hotline that I could call? I was always thinking "That's for those other people who really need it. I don't want to clog up their phone lines. What am I supposed to say?" Same thing with the support groups. I felt selfish for taking time for me and realizing that something was wrong. Ultimately, I just told my parents about it on a very unforgettable and quite negative morning.

My father helped me find the resources that I needed. I wasn't equipped to help myself.

Well I am no expert, but it seems like your friends had a very, very deep depression.

Of course they knew there were ways out of it, but when it comes to emotions, especially sadness and anger, all logic disappears, and even though they might have been in treatment, they might not have been able to see a way out of it.

You can't explain emotions with reason, so I won't try, but if you have a terminal decease it doesn't mean you want to die, if you have a depression, which is based on negative emotions, you might want to die

I could never and still can't understand why anybody would commit suicide. I just don't get it.
When I hear people committing suicide because they lost their job or because an online boyfriend dumped them I often think of the poor people living in countries in Africa who catch rats and eat grass their entire lives. I wonder, why do they still live, yet somebody who loses a friend or loses a job is unable to pick themselves up and live.

Is it because they believe in some sort of religion? I've always assumed this to be the case because they probably weigh their current situations and the prospect of going to Heaven, and decide to choose Heaven instead.

I am personally not religious (although I do wish there is an afterlife, I don't believe it to be logical for there to be one). I would never commit suicide, because if you do then you are dead. You can never have your life turn round for the better. You have given up. You basically wasted the countless opportunities you still have to improve your life.

I then turn to the idea that perhaps a lot of people, especially in developed countries have become too used to a certain way of life and have somehow become 'weaker' (aka, unable to cope with some negative change in their lives). I dunno.

I know exactly how it feels to be at that point, to want to die. I don't need to write an autobiography to tell you that I know how badly the pain hurts. For some, it might seem the only option. Others may have tried many things and they didn't help. I tried to get better by sheer willpower. That actually worked, until the biggest emotional hurricane hit me. Ever since then I have felt...there is no word for how bad I feel. If someone were to feel the same way, they might want to end it all. I don't think they should just hop up and commit. If they have had suicidal thoughts for awhile then they might have really thought about suicide. I know this is going to sound horrible but maybe there was no help for them. I am not going to say that I think suicide is the wrong thing to do. I'm also not going to say that they did the right thing either. What I am saying is it is ultimately up to them. If they deem life not worth living then they have the choice. My life doesn't seem all that great right now and I have thought about it every day for 2 years. I want the pain to stop but I don't want my friends and family to get hurt. If it wasn't for one person I would be long buried under the Earth. I hate my life and I wish I had done things differently. Why do people commit suicide for mental or emotional reasons? It depends on the person. Pain is not only tied to the body. There is a such thing as a pain of the mind or spirit(emotions go under here in my opinion) and enough in one area will make life suck. I don't really know how to explain why they commit suicide any better than that.

no! dont commit suicide, to all of you with suicidal thoughts. i personaly think suicide is wrong, but not that the people are stupid or anything. they just made some mistakes. life is a gift that you only get once. especialy if you have only lived for less than 20 years, but in other cases too, you should not end your life early. i am against suicide, and i think its mainly because of my phobia against death and dying and other death related things. i can get wanting to end your pain, but couldnt you find a healthier way? like, heres an example. living! O.O oooohhhh! :D gee, now where did i come up with that one? lol sorry. but im serious, couldnt you guys live and take medication or therapy or both or something other than going and just ending it!

Originally Posted by Claudia

This is a bit of a rant and I hope this topic is acceptable since my last suicide topic was deleted.

Recently someone I know( About a week and a half ago) took poison and killed themselves due to depression. I find the situation upsetting being under the impression it wasn't necessary. No, I'm not trying to judge them as a bad person. Just sad that they ended their life when help is out there.
Don't get me wrong, I'm pro suicide for the right circumstances such as terminal illness. While life is precious to me, so is the quality of life.
Depression is not a terminal disease and there's solutions for it.

Which brings me to my real topic, why are people still killing themselves over issues can be worked on or solved such as depression?.
I understand depression can be hard to deal with after all, I have it.
We have so many resources for suicide and depression these days.
We have conselling sp?, we have support groups ( which I have attended myself), we have hotlines, we have medicines for coping with severe depression and we have the internet to reach out for help if we need it.
For some of us, we can reach out to friends, which I'm sure some of them would pitch in and help knowing there are suicidal incentives involved.
I don't see any reason for people not to use these resources and go kill themselves. What more can society do to reach out towards suicidal and depressed people?.

I'm starting to question your ability to have feelings for people or to walk in their shoes for once, and your threads are driving me nuts....You are pro suicide for people with terminal illness? You think it was "unnessesary" for the person you know to commit suicide? What gives you the right to decide what a good reason is for committing suicide? I honestly wish you would answer my questions with a logical answer, but I doubt that will happen.

When I was depressed a long time ago, the thought of having to go to a counselor was rediculous and in fact it was. The stupid man asked me insignificant questions and said things that did not help me at all. I tried to talk to "friends" but all they wanted to do was party. Feeling helpless or not having control is a big part of suicide. People give up sometimes. And you know what? Some people do try to find help, and it still doesn't work. What do you say to them after that?

Originally Posted by JapaneseCherryBlossom

I'm starting to question your ability to have feelings for people or to walk in their shoes for once, and your threads are driving me nuts....You are pro suicide for people with terminal illness? You think it was "unnessesary" for the person you know to commit suicide? What gives you the right to decide what a good reason is for committing suicide? I honestly wish you would answer my questions with a logical answer, but I doubt that will happen.

When I was depressed a long time ago, the thought of having to go to a counselor was rediculous and in fact it was. The stupid man asked me insignificant questions and said things that did not help me at all. I tried to talk to "friends" but all they wanted to do was party. Feeling helpless or not having control is a big part of suicide. People give up sometimes. And you know what? Some people do try to find help, and it still doesn't work. What do you say to them after that?

i dont understand how this makes her "lack the ability to have feelings for people". but then again, i have not seen her other threads so...
anywho, i guess you have a point there. we have no right to decide whether or not they kill themselves. you were depressed? well, your still living, so obviously you did something right in order to not give up hope on life. to think that life was still worth living. i personally think therapy is silly. my last post suggested therapy or counselling, but thats cuz it works for some people. but i think its ridiculous to pay a bunch of money to tell some dude your problems when you could just talk to a friend. if all your friends wanted was to party, thats ridiculous! i personaly dont think suicide is alright for sick people either, unless they will die for sure in like a few hours and will just suffer until death. not the doctors "oh we think you will die soon" or something. if they dont know that they will die for sure, i dont think they should go and off themselves.
if you dont feel better after therapy....i dont know. i just dont know.

I know nothing about the mentality of a suicidal person, but from what I understand it's feeling like there aren't any options, even though there are several. Maybe they tried something and it didn't work. Some people don't WANT to try and they just want to escape. It's a really complex, touchy subject. I've known people that have committed suicide. I know people that survived suicide attempts. Personally.. I never think suicide is okay, no matter what their reason is.

Originally Posted by TheNavyBlueMoon

i dont understand how this makes her "lack the ability to have feelings for people". but then again, i have not seen her other threads so...
anywho, i guess you have a point there. we have no right to decide whether or not they kill themselves. you were depressed? well, your still living, so obviously you did something right in order to not give up hope on life. to think that life was still worth living. i personally think therapy is silly. my last post suggested therapy or counselling, but thats cuz it works for some people. but i think its ridiculous to pay a bunch of money to tell some dude your problems when you could just talk to a friend. if all your friends wanted was to party, thats ridiculous! i personaly dont think suicide is alright for sick people either, unless they will die for sure in like a few hours and will just suffer until death. not the doctors "oh we think you will die soon" or something. if they dont know that they will die for sure, i dont think they should go and off themselves.
if you dont feel better after therapy....i dont know. i just dont know.

Careful, the attitude of thinking therapy and counseling is silly may bring down the wrath of the forum on you :lol:! That comment was meant in a funny way. But seriously, I've gotten into many an argument elsewhere for thinking that same way. Like you, however, I realize that it DOES help many people, therefore it's a good thing for them, and we never know what may help someone else. My feelings that it's silly and BS are for MYSELF.

As for my opinion on suicide, I'm still withholding expressing my opinion at the moment as I'm not quite ready to engage in this subject. Briefly, I don't see it as a weakness or bad. I've been badly depressed earlier in my life for years and know exactly what it feels like to simply not want to live, to wonder every day why I had to wake up instead of dying during the night.

Originally Posted by Infinitys Echo

Careful, the attitude of thinking therapy and counseling is silly may bring down the wrath of the forum on you :lol:! That comment was meant in a funny way. But seriously, I've gotten into many an argument elsewhere for thinking that same way. Like you, however, I realize that it DOES help many people, therefore it's a good thing for them, and we never know what may help someone else. My feelings that it's silly and BS are for MYSELF.

As for my opinion on suicide, I'm still withholding expressing my opinion at the moment as I'm not quite ready to engage in this subject. Briefly, I don't see it as a weakness or bad. I've been badly depressed earlier in my life for years and know exactly what it feels like to simply not want to live, to wonder every day why I had to wake up instead of dying during the night.

yeah, i know. in fact, i sort of expected it. i figure, well, i might as well post my opinion anyway. while it was ment in a funny way, its true that i think therapy is silly. but i know it works quite well for some people, its just not right for everyone.

Originally Posted by TheNavyBlueMoon

yeah, i know. in fact, i sort of expected it. i figure, well, i might as well post my opinion anyway. while it was ment in a funny way, its true that i think therapy is silly. but i know it works quite well for some people, its just not right for everyone.

Haha! We're on the same page on that one. I'm holding back on this was as my views are pretty different on this topic and I'm just not up for it at the moment :). Maybe later or another day, though.

Just off the top of my head:

For young kids (up to around 18 years old) who are still controlled by parents:
Parents will not seek help due to the shame associated with having a depression and thinking "This can't be happening, I'm a good parent, my kid can't be depressed, he's just a kid, what does he know about depression."
Parents might be of the opinion that depression is just a phase of teenage angst, that it is normal, or something to be laughed at.
Kids do not tell because they are ashamed. How would you like to be known as depressed, then automatically being ostracized because "Oh my gawd, you're emooo, gosh, you cut and are stupid and want to kill yourself, WHY stupid junkie head?" Kids... Not the most understanding age group.
They don't know HOW to get help.
They don't TRUST the people who try to help.
They don't believe they have a problem.
They don't think they need help.
They don't care.

There is no just plain old cure for depression. It isn't "eat more vitamin C" and "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" type of thing. It is complex, and most victims might not know where to start to get help. They might not even know that they are a danger to themselves.

I'll post my reasons for adults later.

Originally Posted by Infinitys Echo

Haha! We're on the same page on that one. I'm holding back on this was as my views are pretty different on this topic and I'm just not up for it at the moment :). Maybe later or another day, though.

not up for the argument? i know how that feels. sometimes on other sites and such i post my opinion which is different than other peoples opinions and then they turn it into this whole thing cuz i worded it wrong or something and they got all offended, or maybe they took my sarcasm seriously (i just hate that!) and, again, got offended. after a while im just like "you know what? forget it." cuz i just get tired of my words getting twisted around. that hasnt happened on this site yet, but its bound to at some point.