As someone who once had far too much personal experience with the sorts of feelings that lead to suicide, just wanted to point out some things that a lot of people simply don’t know. In general, all of the folks I’ve known who are or have been suicidal are in immense pain. There is nothing I can compare it to…but it can indeed be a physical sensation as excruciating as any other. In a sense, it’s a cancer of the heart…but unlike other sorts of pain, there is no physical wound or illness you can point to and say “this is the cause; this is why I am hurting.” With a broken bone, a severe laceration, or even a terminal illness, there is a specific, known physical cause that can be dealt with. When dealing with psychiatric issues, there are no such certainties.

When someone is in such extreme pain, they genuinely believe themselves to be a horrible drain on their family and friends. They don’t doubt that the loss of their life will be horrible for their loved ones, but for the one contemplating suicide, even that is no longer a significant factor. That interior, inexplicable agony overwhelms consideration of anything else. It distorts their thinking…at this point the suicidal person is doing the only thing that they can imagine will make things better for everyone.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not condoning such a decision, but I can understand why someone would chose that path. If someone is indeed suicidal, they probably believe that their actions are indeed in the best long-term interests of everyone involved. This is why it is so incredibly crucial that if you even think it’s possible that someone you know could be contemplating such an extreme solution, they need professional help immediately. There is hope, but it’s crucial to find some sort of support, some sort of anchor as soon as is possible.

In my case, it took me almost two years after I became ill before I really knew I wanted to live again, but it DID get better. But I’m one of the fortunate ones who has amazing friends, a truly incredible family, very caring doctors, and even a service dog who provided the support that got me through that.

So please…try to remember that there is another side. Those who contemplate or commit suicide have made their decision truly believing that they are doing what is best for their loved ones. Once that pain is severe enough, even a loving family may not provide enough of an anchor to convince them to work on getting past the hard times.

At any rate, I’m sorry for rambling so…just a pet subject as someone with both psych degree and too much first-hand knowledge. Never understood it myself till I ended up on the other side. Thanks for letting me put my two cents in…