A list of warnings

[TiredHorse]

I thought a thread (especially for newcomers) offering some very simple cautions might be useful.

This thread isn't about what you should DO, it's about what you should AVOID.

Again and again I see the same questions, and (sadly) the same failures. While there are undoubtedly exceptions to these "rules," they are rare, and not to be relied upon if you want a successful suicide. If you want to argue, "but I heard about this one time when..." first ask yourself if that "one time" was a reliable technique or a stroke of luck.

Therefore:


DO NOT attempt to OD on any drug containing paracetamol/acetaminophen: it will destroy your liver and leave you in agony before it comes close to killing you.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming at your temple: you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming under up your chin: again, you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt hanging with any rope/strap/belt you are not confident (e.g. have tested) will support your full weight: breakage is a common cause of failure to ctb.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with N without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the N and fail to ctb --expensively.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself with any gun smaller than .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm (semi-auto): smaller calibers are not powerful enough to reliably penetrate your skull and destroy your brainstem.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with SN without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the SN and fail to ctb.

DO NOT use a mask instead of an Exit Bag, with inert gas: masks do not allow the proper combination of air exclusion and CO2 removal, and they are too easily dislodged post-blackout.


I'm sure there are other forum members out there with equally valid advice. I'm not a moderator, so I'm not in a position to make a formal request, but I would suggest that keeping your advice, with reasoning, very brief, to make it easier for newcomers.

If others here want to quote any of my suggestions, but in red, and amend them with better knowledge, be my guest.

 

[Comatose11]

My only other advice is research the methods. Decide for yourself what's best. Once you figure out your method, make sure you get it right. Don't be afraid to ask questions. People on here tend to promote their method - but do your own research and think for yourself. Remember people have biases when talking about the best method. Finally, no method is perfect. You'll just have to decide what has the least amount of drawbacks for you personally.

 

[Shewaitsforme]

I agree with @Comatose11 do your own research in addition. So many posts of will this work but they dont want to do alittle research even just putting the method name in the search bar. Just countless posts asking the same thing, getting the same answers over and over.

 

[Retched]

This should be posted with resources.

 

[TiredHorse]

Among much other advice, I'm specifically hoping others can supply:

Do not jump from lower than ___ storeys over hard ground, or ___ storeys over water: any less risks traumatic injury without success at ctb.

As well as a bunch of "Do not use <common drug>: it isn't reliable because <reason>."

 

[TAW122]

Taken from @TiredHorse and then emphasized in red.


DO NOT attempt to OD on any drug containing paracetamol/acetaminophen: it will destroy your liver and leave you in agony before it comes close to killing you (or even end up surviving with long term physiological and psychological impairment).

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming at your temple: you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming under up your chin: again, you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt hanging with any rope/strap/belt you are not confident (e.g. have tested) will support your full weight: breakage is a common cause of failure to ctb.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with N without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the N and fail to ctb --expensively.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself with any gun smaller than .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm (semi-auto): smaller calibers are not powerful enough to reliably penetrate your skull and destroy your brainstem.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with SN without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the SN and fail to ctb.

DO NOT use a mask instead of an Exit Bag, with inert gas: masks do not allow the proper combination of air exclusion and CO2 removal, and they are too easily dislodged post-blackout.

To add to the list, here is one of mine:

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself in the chest: while the chances of survival are slim, you will likely spend the last waking moments before death in great agony.

 

[Deleted member 1768]

I thought a thread (especially for newcomers) offering some very simple cautions might be useful.

This thread isn't about what you should DO, it's about what you should AVOID.

Again and again I see the same questions, and (sadly) the same failures. While there are undoubtedly exceptions to these "rules," they are rare, and not to be relied upon if you want a successful suicide. If you want to argue, "but I heard about this one time when..." first ask yourself if that "one time" was a reliable technique or a stroke of luck.

Therefore:


DO NOT attempt to OD on any drug containing paracetamol/acetaminophen: it will destroy your liver and leave you in agony before it comes close to killing you.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming at your temple: you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming under up your chin: again, you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt hanging with any rope/strap/belt you are not confident (e.g. have tested) will support your full weight: breakage is a common cause of failure to ctb.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with N without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the N and fail to ctb --expensively.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself with any gun smaller than .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm (semi-auto): smaller calibers are not powerful enough to reliably penetrate your skull and destroy your brainstem.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with SN without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the SN and fail to ctb.

DO NOT use a mask instead of an Exit Bag, with inert gas: masks do not allow the proper combination of air exclusion and CO2 removal, and they are too easily dislodged post-blackout.


I'm sure there are other forum members out there with equally valid advice. I'm not a moderator, so I'm not in a position to make a formal request, but I would suggest that keeping your advice, with reasoning, very brief, to make it easier for newcomers.

If others here want to quote any of my suggestions, but in red, and amend them with better knowledge, be my guest.

Thank you for this Tired. You are absolutely right. Remove the chafe to find the kernel. Again, my thanks.

 

[Deleted member 4040]

This should be a mandatory read tbh
Would have answered alot of my initial questions.

 

[Mistress Death]

Taken from @TiredHorse and then emphasized in red.


DO NOT attempt to OD on any drug containing paracetamol/acetaminophen: it will destroy your liver and leave you in agony before it comes close to killing you (or even end up surviving with long term physiological and psychological impairment).

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming at your temple: you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming under up your chin: again, you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt hanging with any rope/strap/belt you are not confident (e.g. have tested) will support your full weight: breakage is a common cause of failure to ctb.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with N without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the N and fail to ctb --expensively.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself with any gun smaller than .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm (semi-auto): smaller calibers are not powerful enough to reliably penetrate your skull and destroy your brainstem.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with SN without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the SN and fail to ctb.

DO NOT use a mask instead of an Exit Bag, with inert gas: masks do not allow the proper combination of air exclusion and CO2 removal, and they are too easily dislodged post-blackout.

To add to the list, here is one of mine:

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself in the chest: while the chances of survival are slim, you will likely spend the last waking moments before death in great agony.

I have a question about shooting through the temple. If the bullet goes horizontally through the temple, how would it destroy the frontal lobe? Wouldn't the bullet need to travel towards the front on the brain? Also, even with a temple shot, wouldn't blood loss be a thing too? I have ensured that no one would be able to get to me for about 10 minutes after they heard the shot. Wouldn't I bleed out before they got to me? Also, if I were to place my gun (Smith and Wesson M&P shield 1st gen 9mm with jhp) right above my ear, would that be better? I know I'm trying to aim for the brain stem, but I feel more comfortable aiming somewhere else. It feels more natural to me.

 

[TiredHorse]

I have a question about shooting through the temple. If the bullet goes horizontally through the temple, how would it destroy the frontal lobe? Wouldn't the bullet need to travel towards the front on the brain? Also, even with a temple shot, wouldn't blood loss be a thing too? I have ensured that no one would be able to get to me for about 10 minutes after they heard the shot. Wouldn't I bleed out before they got to me? Also, if I were to place my gun (Smith and Wesson M&P shield 1st gen 9mm with jhp) right above my ear, would that be better? I know I'm trying to aim for the brain stem, but I feel more comfortable aiming somewhere else. It feels more natural to me.

My guess (not a doctor) is that the frontal lobe is destroyed by the hydrostatic shock compressing the frontal lobe against the skull. But I may have that wrong. What I can tell you is 1) a temple shot won't come anywhere near the all-important brainstem, in which case why the hell would you aim there, and 2) no, blood loss won't kill you: a friend of mine tried to ctb with a temple shot and he was found and hooked to a life support machine. He only died a while later because his parents took him off life support.

Go look at the diagram of the brainstem on https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/gun-placement.8990/. If you think you can hit the brainstem by aiming above your ear, go for it, but it doesn't look like a clean shot to me. What feels natural and what works don't necessarily coincide.

 

[TAW122]

I have a question about shooting through the temple. If the bullet goes horizontally through the temple, how would it destroy the frontal lobe? Wouldn't the bullet need to travel towards the front on the brain? Also, even with a temple shot, wouldn't blood loss be a thing too? I have ensured that no one would be able to get to me for about 10 minutes after they heard the shot. Wouldn't I bleed out before they got to me? Also, if I were to place my gun (Smith and Wesson M&P shield 1st gen 9mm with jhp) right above my ear, would that be better? I know I'm trying to aim for the brain stem, but I feel more comfortable aiming somewhere else. It feels more natural to me.

I'll let TiredHorse answer the rest of this since he would be more knowledgeable than I am. However, I could answer a few things based on what I have gathered over firearm suicides. Yes, death from blood loss is possible, but likely very painful (if somehow still conscious) and not fully guaranteed. As far as aiming above, I think you may hit more bone than brain matter, or just destroying a part of the brain that isn't directly essential for sustaining life, but just making you a vegetable or deep coma.

Edit: Looks like TiredHorse beat me to it. :P

 

[lifeisbutadream]

Guns. I read that the best spot is the hollow beneath the ear, but I think that in the mouth and pointed at the brain stem is probably best. Also, placing the gun beneath your chin is bad too. The problem is you might flinch and just shoot off the front of your face. Even that .38 and 9mm you mentioned is rather marginal. A shotgun would be much more certain.

 

[therhydler]

Just in case anyone is thinking of trains. Because I used to think this would be the most painless and quick method (though definitely not the best). There are videos on youtube of people being cleanly decapitated by a train after laying their neck on the tracks. Bam, lights out. However, nearly all of these videos are from India. The trains there are built differently. In Europe it would be hard to find a train without some sort of guard in front of the wheels, which would make clean decapitation difficult. Would you die anyway? Probably... But just something to think about. (Apart from the fact that it's probably better not to bring train drivers into this type of thing but I understand that there are people desperate enough to consider this method and I hold nothing against them)

 

[MsM3talGamer]

Just in case anyone is thinking of trains. Because I used to think this would be the most painless and quick method (though definitely not the best). There are videos on youtube of people being cleanly decapitated by a train after laying their neck on the tracks. Bam, lights out. However, nearly all of these videos are from India. The trains there are built differently. In Europe it would be hard to find a train without some sort of guard in front of the wheels, which would make clean decapitation difficult. Would you die anyway? Probably... But just something to think about. (Apart from the fact that it's probably better not to bring train drivers into this type of thing but I understand that there are people desperate enough to consider this method and I hold nothing against them)

I second this. Trains are a very iffy way to commit suicide. I've seen videos of people chopped in half by trains and they're still ALIVE. They die of course but not instantly. I was told that the train wheels cauterize the wounds so there isn't the blood loss you'd expect.

My second cousin managed to CTB with a train but only because he lay on the train tracks in the dark. There are too many stories of failed suicides by trains with people living on with horrendous injuries. There are too many variables to consider when it comes to CTB by train.

 

[Help_Me]

@TiredHorse , thank you for a great "do not" list ! May I ask you to add cutting veins/wrists as an extremely "DON'T", please ? We all know this is the most doomed to fail attempt, but somebody started a topic with such suggestion here probably a few weeks ago. And I was hella worried of him, cause he was serious. We still need to add this completely useless method for this "Do not" list with some sort of explanations (why exactly this won't work) and description of possible consequences. Thank you in advance.

 

[TiredHorse]

Good idea, @Help_Me.

DO NOT attempt exsanguination by cutting your wrists, especially not by the Hollywood method of cutting across the long axis of your arm: it is extremely painful and, given the small size of the artery in your wrist, unlikely to succeed. If you must attempt exsanguination, use a larger, more accessible artery, such as the brachial or femoral.

DO NOT confuse an LD50 dose with an effective dose: not only is LD50 calculated using lab animals with different metabolisms than humans, but it is only the dose necessary for 50% of the test population to succumb, not any guarantee of death.

 

[gingerplum]

I have a question about shooting through the temple. If the bullet goes horizontally through the temple, how would it destroy the frontal lobe? Wouldn't the bullet need to travel towards the front on the brain? Also, even with a temple shot, wouldn't blood loss be a thing too? I have ensured that no one would be able to get to me for about 10 minutes after they heard the shot. Wouldn't I bleed out before they got to me? Also, if I were to place my gun (Smith and Wesson M&P shield 1st gen 9mm with jhp) right above my ear, would that be better? I know I'm trying to aim for the brain stem, but I feel more comfortable aiming somewhere else. It feels more natural to me.

Link: Basically shot her face off; did not die from blood loss. I know this isn't the trajectory you were referring to, I just want to emphasize Tired Horse's point that the brain stem is no fail, and gun shot wounds to the head aren't something you want to fuck up. I saw a guy in a neuro ICU once who shot thru his optic nerve and survived, completely and permanently blind.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cn...ant-suicide-attempt-natgeo-profile/index.html

 

[gingerplum]

I thought a thread (especially for newcomers) offering some very simple cautions might be useful.

This thread isn't about what you should DO, it's about what you should AVOID.

Again and again I see the same questions, and (sadly) the same failures. While there are undoubtedly exceptions to these "rules," they are rare, and not to be relied upon if you want a successful suicide. If you want to argue, "but I heard about this one time when..." first ask yourself if that "one time" was a reliable technique or a stroke of luck.

Therefore:


DO NOT attempt to OD on any drug containing paracetamol/acetaminophen: it will destroy your liver and leave you in agony before it comes close to killing you.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming at your temple: you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself by aiming under up your chin: again, you will only destroy your frontal lobe and become a vegetable.

DO NOT attempt hanging with any rope/strap/belt you are not confident (e.g. have tested) will support your full weight: breakage is a common cause of failure to ctb.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with N without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the N and fail to ctb --expensively.

DO NOT attempt to shoot yourself with any gun smaller than .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm (semi-auto): smaller calibers are not powerful enough to reliably penetrate your skull and destroy your brainstem.

DO NOT attempt to ctb with SN without first knowing/understanding/using an anti-emetic protocol: you will quite likely puke out the SN and fail to ctb.

DO NOT use a mask instead of an Exit Bag, with inert gas: masks do not allow the proper combination of air exclusion and CO2 removal, and they are too easily dislodged post-blackout.


I'm sure there are other forum members out there with equally valid advice. I'm not a moderator, so I'm not in a position to make a formal request, but I would suggest that keeping your advice, with reasoning, very brief, to make it easier for newcomers.

If others here want to quote any of my suggestions, but in red, and amend them with better knowledge, be my guest.

This is excellent! As others have said, it should be in resources, or there should be a header that reads, Newcomers: Welcome. Please READ this prior to participating, or something to that effect.

 

[TiredHorse]

This is excellent! As others have said, it should be in resources, or there should be a header that reads, Newcomers: Welcome. Please READ this prior to participating, or something to that effect.

I've been sort of hoping you'd chime in with some awareness of drug and drug interaction DO NOTs. You know a lot more than I do about that subject. Any words of wisdom, RN GingerPlum?

 

[Smilla]

I have no comment on any other method except nitrogen with an exit bag.

Seems a lot of people think it should be airtight and I can't reiterate enough that it needs to be loose (best explained so you can get two fingers inserted at the base of your neck).

 

[Eren]

Thanks for the list, although I already know how to use SN.

 

[Smilla]

This is excellent! As others have said, it should be in resources, or there should be a header that reads, Newcomers: Welcome. Please READ this prior to participating, or something to that effect.

Can you give us some indication of what might happen during death in terms of convulsions?

 

[gingerplum]

I've been sort of hoping you'd chime in with some awareness of drug and drug interaction DO NOTs. You know a lot more than I do about that subject. Any words of wisdom, RN GingerPlum?

Ok. Anything specific I can address? I've been in a real funk the last couple of days and I'm a little unfocused.

 

[TiredHorse]

I have no comment on any other method except nitrogen with an exit bag.

Seems a lot of people think it should be airtight and I can't reiterate enough that it needs to be loose (best explained so you can get two fingers inserted at the base of your neck).

Agreed! I've seen several questions about using gaffer tape or non-elastic cord instead of elastic, and those people need to understand how important it is that the drawcord be a flexible seal so that the flow of inert gas can flush away the CO2. So on that note:

DO NOT attempt to create an airtight seal around your neck with the exit bag: without a way for the incoming gas to escape, not only will the exit bag burst, but the CO2 build-up will trigger your hypercapnic alarm and your attempt will fail.

 

[gingerplum]

Can you give us some indication of what might happen during death in terms of convulsions?

Can you give us some indication of what might happen during death in terms of convulsions?

Ok. Well, convulsions are what happens during a seizure. Seizures are caused by disorders like epilepsy, or oxygen deprivation of the brain.

I can tell you for sure that seizure activity/convulsing does not look like it does in the movies. People don't flail around like fish out of water; it's much more contained than you think. You won't be thrashing around, knocking stuff down. In fact, your extremities will stay close to your body pulled in tightly.

I don't know how long a seizure would last in a situation of O2 deprivation; I've never seen one. I do know that you won't have any awareness of it, because you'll be unconscious. You might lose control of your bowels & bladder.

Here's a video that's pretty typical of the ones I've seen. It's a tonic/clonic seizure; you'll see the ridgidity of her body as her muscles tense. Note that she only really moves when she starts to come to.

 

[Johnnythefox]

Ok. Well, convulsions are what happens during a seizure. Seizures are caused by disorders like epilepsy, or oxygen deprivation of the brain.

I can tell you for sure that seizure activity/convulsing does not look like it does in the movies. People don't flail around like fish out of water; it's much more contained than you think. You won't be thrashing around, knocking stuff down. In fact, your extremities will stay close to your body pulled in tightly.

I don't know how long a seizure would last in a situation of O2 deprivation; I've never seen one. I do know that you won't have any awareness of it, because you'll be unconscious. You might lose control of your bowels & bladder.

Here's a video that's pretty typical of the ones I've seen. It's a tonic/clonic seizure; you'll see the ridgidity of her body as her muscles tense. Note that she only really moves when she starts to come to.

I had childhood epilepsy, was on phenobarbitone. Any time I took a fit they always stuck a spoon in my mouth to prevent me choking on my tongue.

 

[TiredHorse]

Here's one I should have remembered much earlier:

DO NOT attempt CO poisoning by using the exhaust of your car unless your car is more than 40 years old: modern fuel delivery and combustion systems, combined with catalytic converters, make this method ineffective.

 

[gingerplum]

I had childhood epilepsy, was on phenobarbitone. Any time I took a fit they always stuck a spoon in my mouth to prevent me choking on my tongue.

Yep. That's old school. They don't do that anymore; the rationale is, 1) your tongue is not going to occlude your airway, and 2) you don't want to cause chipped teeth.

They still use phenobarbital, tho.

 

[TiredHorse]

Ok. Anything specific I can address? I've been in a real funk the last couple of days and I'm a little unfocused.

I wish I knew enough about drugs and drug interactions to make suggestions, but I don't have any intelligent requests. I displayed the entirety of my knowledge with my "stay clear of paracetamol" warnings. Maybe you have seen people expressing Bad Ideas about benzo OD? Or maybe benzos + ____?

 

[MsM3talGamer]

Ok. Anything specific I can address? I've been in a real funk the last couple of days and I'm a little unfocused.

I do have a question. Is morphine OD an effective CTB?