Suicide - Always read the first post please

[Quokka]

Agreed, there is a very big difference between self-harm and suicide and like you said when someone dies from escalating self-harm that should not be seen as a suicide attempt or a wish to die. However there is still alot of research indicating the different methods more often chosen by males or females, again very much trends. It's a hard thing to generalise about, it's a situation thats as personal as we are.

On a side note, how i hate using the term 'unsuccessful suicide attempt' its a bigger an oxymoron than microsoft works.

"Mind you. 'Black prince'. Sounds kind of sexy. " -Grownup.

I always called them my black moods, my wife added the prince part, I'm very lucky, she's a wonderful person and the main reason I had the belief in myself to make changes.

 

[Alia]

I didn't say that either males or females felt bad more often. I said that boys felt that bad more often. Suicidally bad. Boys commit suicide more often. And much more often. QUOTE]
Interesting statement and I'm glad I waited to respond... not that I want to stir the pot or get into a debate (not that I have the mentally to do so, lol). I was wondering if your statement was based on statics or not, now I see that it was.
But my first thoughts coincide with Quokka's thoughts, not that I want to argue with statics. I figured, and this is how my simple mind works, that women, mostly young maturing girls with their hormones going into rages once a month and with the physical changes coming upon them would be more likely to have those depressing thoughts that lead to suicide. Where a boy, who doesn't have those surge of hormones like a girl does, wouldn't.
Please understand that I have a full exceptance that depression is a disease, and not one to take lightly (please see my first post on this thread for more details)! In fact I feel that depression isn't given the attention it needs as a disease to have more studies done to help cure it (if there is a cure). Seeing a young child suffer with this disease is heart breaking and eye opening. What's interesting with my son is that he has NOT be diagonsed with depression, just with extreme anxiety which is treated with an anti depressant (and please spare me on all the lectures on why he recieves an anti depressant for anxiety, I know! I think I could be a Psychologist with all the research I've done to help my son) My point is, the outside world is unexcepting of depression and try to hide it, as if avoiding the issue makes it non-existence. It's no wonder why people resort to suicide when they think there is no help for them.
Anyways... moving on...

From a writer's point of view... I like what you said orginally Grown Up

For you as a writer to take people to such a place is quite a heroic mission. If I put my two cents in from a purely writing point of view I reckon the circumstances are likely to be so different for different people it would be harder for people to relate to if a motivation for suicide was described as being related to specific events or conversations or even ongoing trauma. Once the general framework for a character is laid out I reckon the best description of suicidal thoughts should be analogous, and physical. Like falling, or light fading. The sort of things that relate to being terrified and to letting go.

- very nicely said!

Alia

By the way 'black prince' is a sexy term!

 

[Quokka]

Oops, just noticed something to late to edit it, my coment before about disliking the term was most definitely meant to be in relation to 'succesful suicide attempt' not unsuccessful.

 

[koma]

Anyone who thinks that someone who has commited suicide was in some way selfish or weak or stupid is in fact selfish, weak and stupid themselves. They really have no idea whatsoever what they are talking about and should not go around judging victims of suicide so harshly.

 

[Alia]

Koma... the statement made is from a woman who deals with suicide attempts nearly everyday. I recognize and know depression, and yet I don't have depression at all. My 8 year old son does and I see him struggle. We talk about the effects of his actions, and what it would mean to his father and I. When I made the statement that your referring to I knew I would have a back wash of negative responses. Please know that I do not judge suicide harshly, nor do I take it lightly. It is a fact I face everyday. The hurt and pain my son endures through breaks my heart, and I am flooded with immense compassion for him and any who are like him. My point is, that we are not alone in this world, and one shouldn't think it. As for my son, he isn't alone and to make sure he knows it, I hold him by his shoulders each morning and look straight into his eyes and tell him "I love you, and so does your father." the day seems to be so much better for him. hhhmmm... maybe if people tell others how much they care about one another more often then suicides attempts would drop. I can only hope!
I do not mean to offend you Koma, and I don't judge harshly, if at all.

 

[koma]

Actually my comment wasn't directed at you, Alia. It was directed at whoever voted for the "suicide is selfish, don't be a jerk" option on the poll. The words "selfish" and "jerk" aptly describe these people and not the victims of suicide. They obviously know nothing about the subject of suicide and do not understand depression or various other mental illnesses in the least.
To be quite honest people who have this attitude towards such a serious issue make me sick. How can anyone be so harshly judgemental about someone who has taken the ultimate decision to end their own life? They have not lived as this person and have not had the same experiences. If they had then they themselves might also have ended up jumping from a bridge!
Would it then be ok if I were to refer to them as "selfish jerks"? I doubt it....

 

[Alia]

But approaching committing suicide itself. Most can't have been there. For you as a writer to take people to such a place is quite a heroic mission. If I put my two cents in from a purely writing point of view I reckon the circumstances are likely to be so different for different people it would be harder for people to relate to if a motivation for suicide was described as being related to specific events or conversations or even ongoing trauma. Once the general framework for a character is laid out I reckon the best description of suicidal thoughts should be analogous, and physical. Like falling, or light fading. The sort of things that relate to being terrified and to letting go.

These are grown up word's and I love them. Not that I ever intend on writing about suicide, but it is real.
I hope you don't mind me repeating Grown Up.

 

[Amber]

I'm a Catholic, and for use suicide is a mortal sin- you go to hell for it. I myself a few years ago, did feel that way, but I did nothing, I just retreated from reality- cutting my brain off rather than my body.

 

[rune]

Very complex question to be sure. And after reading the thread there are so many different perspectives on it.

Though I've had a rough life I've not contemplated suicide. I'm too stubborn for that and don't like things beating me

Saying that I can understand why someone would consider suicide, life can be hard is so many ways.

Also I don't believe people shoudl be left to suffer. But allowing someone to die to relieve them from pain due to illness isn't to be suicide. I wouldnt let me pets suffer unneccesarily so why should people suffer.

 

[_Kitana_]

Well i feel like i am going to force you to read my work. However, I do write a lot on the subject matter of death, sucided and depression. So I went to my website and pulled out some poems and a short story to help spring some ideas in your own mind

http://www.sapphire-sky.com/lifeordeath.htm

http://www.sapphire-sky.com/colorsofdeath.htm

http://www.sapphire-sky.com/Nevertobe.htm

This one leaves a lot out for good reason. It only tells you part of the story and is really just a mother poundering over the death of her son...

http://www.sapphire-sky.com/tragedy.htm

 

[Michael]

Kitana, "Life or Death" is powerful.

 

[FelineEyes]

This is a very dark topic...

I suppose I'm taking a slight chance at posting this, as my parents might be wandering about on this sight and find it, and I really don't want them to worry. And I really don't want to be sent to the shrink again, as nice as she was.

I put other, because, yes, I have thought about committing suicide. Once. Very briefly. But I did consider it very seriously. And, sadly, it seemed like a pretty good idea at the time.
My reasoning followed the path of "I am tired of being alone" and, for some reason, that made sense.
But, Praise Be To God, there was something that kept me from doing anything I would consider exceptionally stupid.

I promised my mother I wouldn't die before she did.

I was told once that you can't keep a promise like that. I intend to try anyway, because I knew exactly what would happen if I did do something to break my promise, my mother would go stark raving mad. So would my father. It would rend my little brother's teenage soul to peices. I couldn't do that to them. I couldn't even do that to my cat.
Please, don't tell me what a warm and caring person I am, I really don't want to hear it...
The other reason that kept me from hopping off a bridge was the only bridge I had to hop off was maybe eight feet from the top of the railing to the water and some how I don't think it is possible to get gummed to death by monster trout living in the pond. I also think I'm too good of a swimmer to let myself drown and, while death for hypotherima was an option, I get fed up with being cold far to easily.
So I went inside the theater where I work and sat in a obvous spot and cried until my SM found me and talked me down.
Thank you, Sarah.
Now, I'm the oddest person you'll find in most of these cases, because logic has been ingrained into my very existance and tends to reason me out of most of these cases, but I can testify that some times you're not yourself when you thinking like that. When I get off Center like that, I become...extremely emotional. And no amount of meditating helps if I can't get rid of the stress. Ask Animaiden, she's seen me slightly off kilter and it's scary.
That's my piece. Say what you will.

 

[a|one]

Though I've had a rough life I've not contemplated suicide. I'm too stubborn for that and don't like things beating me

Saying that I can understand why someone would consider suicide, life can be hard is so many ways.

Who says it means you're being beaten? Maybe some people just feel there is no need, desire, or reason to continue. Maybe they feel they have learned all they could (not necessarily meaning they know everything, just that there was nothing else they could gain from their situation), and maybe they just dont get any joy or satisfaction of any kind from life. What if they aren't doing it out of need for release due to an intensely emotional episode, but rather a calm rational realization that there is nothing left for them in this existence.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I've contemplated it many times, but 2 things stop me: I'm never totally convinced that there really is nothing left to live for, and I do not want to place the people I care for in a situation of grief.

 

[derae]

at the low point in my life i used to cut myself with a razor and just watch myself bleed, at times i would look at myself in the mirror and imagine what it would be like to cut the veins at my throat. no one knew of course cause i covered my wounds pretty well, i still have scars though, they remind my of what state of mind i was in then and i keep telling myself that i got through that so i could get through anything

 

[Novocaine]

Suicide and self-mutilation, eg. cutting, are just pathetic attempts to get attention in this F*CKED up world today. I have expressed this opinion a long time, and my position has not changed. I've seen people rave over the problems they have in life, teens now are just doing it so they are pitied, but they are just, quote on quote, "attention whores". Seriously, if anybody was going to commit suicide their only attempt should be successful 95% of the time. Jump... splat 100% chance. Gun to head 98% chance. EXTREME overdose 90% chance. Mainly they "say" they attempted it, but it is extremely easy to do if they actually wanted to die. Suicide = Cry For Attention. Final.

 

[WarlikeMenelaos]

I never told anyone this but since none of you know who I am, I guess I can say it. Last year my girlfriend of five years said she wasn't happy with me, she lied to me several times saying how much she wasn't seeing anyone else cause she could never do that to me. I even ended up saying (only two days after breaking up) that she should start seeing someone else if she felt that way, don't wait for me. She cried and said what a great guy I was and how she wouldn't start seeing anyone else yet cause I didn't deserve to be treated like that.

That very same day I found out she'd been cheating on me for a while and even had the guy round the house the day after we split up and slept with him.

However, I loved my ex and couldn't get angry with her or blame her at all. I put all the blame on myself, I convinced myself that I was the one who pushed her to this and I was the one who had ruined the relationship. I stopped eating for two weeks, rarely drunk anything and I got really ill. I just shut down and in my own mind I'd given up on everything, I thought that I was worthless and that nobody would care if I died.

I almost collapsed several times in work and on the bus home I was falling asleep, my friends were getting really concerned and tried helping me by making me eat something but I wasn't hungry. I acted as normal as I could around friends and family, tried to make them think everything was fine but it wasn't.

I met a girl online and talked to her, she had a load of problems in her life and I tried helping her. Through reading about her problems and managing to give her good advice I realised my own worth. I found out what a great guy I actually am and slowly I began to eat again and even though I'm still not fully liking myself, I don't hate myself as I once did.

 

[PERCON]

I'm pleased for you, really I am!

I don't like seeing people blame themselves for things that they shouldn't blame themselves for. I regreted a relationship which I still believe I could of made more of, but ah well it's in the past and the past doesn't actually exist anyway . All you have is the present and the future, don't dwell on past events think to the future, what do YOU want to do, who do YOU want to be and how do YOU want to be thought of later on in your life, by all means think of others, but don't unjustifiably blame yourself for something which can't be proven to be your fault (lol, I sound like a criminal now. ).

I'm glad you've turned your life around. Everyone's life is special, no god on this Earth in my opinion allows people to take life away or take their own lives away, in my mind too although not believing in a God I still feel that suicide is not even an option.

"Death is not the answer to anything, it is a consequence, a consequence for which should not be from our own actions" - PERCON

I will try anything to prevent people from commiting suicide, getting enraged at themselves or harming themselves in any other way. I am not a hero I just believe that each person on this planet deserves to live their life to the fullest. I am not afraid of death although I do not believe in a life after it, I just want to make sure I make the most of it. Help others and through that help myself to become a better person.

PERCON - 'Your mental innovater'

 

[orionsixwings]

It is not in our nature to inflict self-harm. We are not built that way the very reason why we come with an immune system at birth and why scientists try hard to discover the reason behind death - we don't want to die. So for one to end ones life -accept it or not- is the result of malfunction in our reasoning. Most of those who commit suicide say that they have a clear view of the world etc., etc., but in reality they just don't want to be called crazy.

Enjoying suicide is clearly a sign of mental illness - no one enjoys pain. So those who do, have a distorted idea of what is enjoyable and what shouldn't be. Again mentally ill - brain malfunction.

In conclusion, I'd say suicide is temporary madness.

 

[Alia]

Suicide is a temporary state of madness, you can't be serious?




And Novocaine, for you to say it's a pathic attempt for attention is shallow...