The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from suicide. What drives so many individuals to take their own lives? To those who are not in the grips of depression and despair, it is difficult to understand what drives so many individuals to take their own lives. But a suicidal person is in so much pain that he or she can see no other option.
Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. Blinded by feelings of self-loathing, hopelessness, and isolation, a suicidal person can’t see any way of finding relief except through death. But despite their desire for the pain to stop, most suicidal people are deeply conflicted about ending their own lives. They wish there was an alternative to suicide, but they just can’t see one.
However, even the most severely depressed person has mixed feelings about death, wavering until the very last moment between wanting to live and wanting to die. Most suicidal people do not want death; they want the pain to stop. The impulse to end it all, however overpowering, does not last forever.
So if you ever find yourself contemplating suicide- or know someone who is, consider some reasons why suicide is not and never will be the solution to any problem.
- Because your life isn’t all about you
Suicide will affect your entire family as well as your close friends. All of the people who are close to you will be very wounded by your death, and the ones who care about you the most, or need you the most, will be the most affected. Your suicide will carve a permanent hole into the heart of the person(s) who loves you the most that will never quite successfully heal. Life will go on, of course, but living with a permanent grief is never a good state of affairs and you don’t want to be the reason why your loved one has to deal with unending grief. - Because things always change….always.
Regardless of your situation, things do not stay the same. You may feel very bad today, but it won’t last forever. Remember this fact: Regardless of your current situation, everything changes over time. This includes your current situation. Nothing remains the same forever. - Because you can’t think clearly when you feel depressed
You may be confusing thoughts that feel true for thoughts which are true. There is a difference! Just because you feel hopeless doesn’t mean that life and your situation are truly hopeless. In most cases, a variety of thinking errors (called cognitive biases) conspire to make situations seem worse than they really are. - Because there are other solutions (that are more effective)
You may feel lost and confused, but the answers to your specific problems are out there. The key is that you have to find the answers. The answers to your problem will not come to you. The first step in finding the solution to your problem is to seek help from a qualified professional. Help is available and millions of people all over the world have felt how you are feeling and still recovered. No matter how lonely you feel. You are not alone. We are here and you matter.
