It is not wrong to feel depressed, unhappy, out of control, lost, or scared. It is not wrong to feel paralyzed in a bad situation or hopeless about the future. It is not wrong to have fleeting thoughts that things would be so much easier, if only you were not here.
Feeling this way does not make you a person of weak character. Everyone deals with pain differently, and one person may come away with more intense emotions about a situation than another.
The Impact of Suicide
Please take a moment and think about the following before you hurt yourself.
- Suicide is FOREVER. You do not get to wake up. You do not get a second chance. You will not be able to say, "Wait, I want to stay." There is no turning back.
- Think about the situation in grisly fact. Someone will have to find your body, and most likely it will be someone who loves and cares for you. They will bear this in their memory for the rest of their lives.
- If you kill yourself at someone else’s hand, such as laying in front of a car or train or forcing a police officer to kill you, know that these people will bear the brunt of the emotional turmoil and will always wish that it could have been different.
- There may be people standing on the sidelines, knowing that you are in pain and wishing that they could help you. These people will suffer forever in guilt, wondering if there was more they could have done or said to change your mind. They will blame themselves.
- The repercussions go far beyond this. Friends or family members may grow so despondent that they, in turn, take their own lives.
- Most newspapers will not even mention your name after death by suicide.
If You are Feeling Suicidal
If you are thinking about killing yourself, you must first and foremost tell someone. Tell a trusted friend, teacher, clergyman, parent or counselor. Do not be afraid of getting help. It means that some part of you is reaching out for life. Do not ignore it. Your life depends on it. Call 1-800-SUICIDE in the United States for 24 hour counseling help. There may also be a crisis hotline listed in the front of the phone book. Talk to someone every day, as long as it takes. Some other tips:
- Make a promise to yourself that you will not harm yourself for at least 24 hours. Use distraction – listen to music, take a bath, or force yourself to do something for someone else.
- Try to spend time with people who are not depressed or who are not part of your circumstances.
- Remove any dangerous objects or weapons from your home.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs.
- Try to create a routine to get you through the day.
- Set one goal to give you motivation. It does not have to be something difficult or even important, just a goal to achieve.
- Do at least one thing you enjoy every day. Even if you don’t think you will enjoy it, give it just ten minutes. You may surprise yourself.
- Try to get outside in the fresh air. It may seem cliché, but the outdoors can do wonders.
- Remember that every person has potential for greatness. Some people believe that we are all here on earth for a reason. No matter what you believe, know that you do have talent that should not be wasted.
Feeling depressed and suicidal often feels like being locked in a closet. You are only aware of your own thoughts, feelings and actions. It may be difficult to think about this at the time, but your life is not just this moment. It will move on, and situations can change. One year, five years, or ten years later you may find it hard to believe that you ever felt this way. Although you may feel that no one loves or cares about you now, you never know who will come into your life down the road to fulfill these things for you.
Suicide: An Ethical Debate
Here are some ethical questions regarding the nature of suicide:
- Is it suicide for a parent to sacrifice their life to save their child’s life?
- Is it acceptable to kill yourself if you are terminally ill or in tremendous physical pain that has no promise of ending?
- Is it immoral for a doctor to assist a patient in killing himself?
- What is worth dying for?
- Is suicide ever the right thing to do?
- Many religious observers believe that suicide is fundamentally wrong.
These are all questions that have to be answered personally and individually.
Suicide is not something that should ever be treated lightly. Parents, friends, coworkers and teachers all need to be aware that these feelings are real and should be taken seriously. It is never too late to reach out to someone who is suffering.
