A word on suicide prevention

[HyperEclipse]

Society tries their best to keep us from offing ourselves. Among other ways, they make potentially lethal substances near impossible to get, many of which would be relatively quick and effective. But who are they really saving? Maybe it discourages some, but many of us try anyway. But the options at our disposal can be very unsafe and unreliable compared to the ones harder to obtain. The unreliability might provide room for emergency treatment, but is that really a good thing? In some cases the patient ends up with insignificant damage, but some end up with extensive damage to themselves which only adds to their suffering. So how is that saving the individual? And many of us who are chronically suicidal will continue to try until either we succeed or give up.

And the part that really gets me is the whole idea of suicide prevention is to "hold on because there's help available." I used to believe it would get better. For half my life I held on to this notion that if I just kept resisting suicide and just kept fighting, it would get better. But it never does. And then when you hold on long enough you realize that this "help" suicide prevention promises doesn't actually exist. Therapists and doctors don't always know what to do with us. Treatments and medications are unreliable and often become guessing games. Hospitals are simply holding centers for those who are deemed a danger to themselves. There's no real treatment offered. And often times treatment is paywalled by insurance and affiliations or is just plain too expensive. So who are they saving? They throw us threads of hope only to have them be false.

 

[girlsboysthems]

Society tries their best to keep us from offing ourselves. Among other ways, they make potentially lethal substances near impossible to get, many of which would be relatively quick and effective. But who are they really saving? Maybe it discourages some, but many of us try anyway. But the options at our disposal can be very unsafe and unreliable compared to the ones harder to obtain. The unreliability might provide room for emergency treatment, but is that really a good thing? In some cases the patient ends up with insignificant damage, but some end up with extensive damage to themselves which only adds to their suffering. So how is that saving the individual? And many of us who are chronically suicidal will continue to try until either we succeed or give up.

And the part that really gets me is the whole idea of suicide prevention is to "hold on because there's help available." I used to believe it would get better. For half my life I held on to this notion that if I just kept resisting suicide and just kept fighting, it would get better. But it never does. And then when you hold on long enough you realize that this "help" suicide prevention promises doesn't actually exist. Therapists and doctors don't always know what to do with us. Treatments and medications are unreliable and often become guessing games. Hospitals are simply holding centers for those who are deemed a danger to themselves. There's no real treatment offered. And often times treatment is paywalled by insurance and affiliations or is just plain too expensive. So who are they saving? They throw us threads of hope only to have them be false.

facts brotah

 

[Unbelonging]

I completely agree with you. I think that traditional suicide prevention is only useful up to a certain point, only helping very impulsive suicidal people. I think that for many people, the best type of suicide prevention is when it takes a similar approach as this site. This site has prevented many people from ctb'ing because it allows you to share your ctb-related thoughts without worrying about being put into a psych ward, and people actually understand you and help you instead of just calling you selfish or crazy when you talk about your feelings. Best of all, it supports you no matter what decision you choose, and if you choose to ctb, it tells you the best way to do so without traumatizing people, the most effective, least painful way, etc. It goes against many of the typical parts of traditional suicide prevention, but it is still very effective because it is centered around the suicidal person and not around how the pro-lifers will feel for a few days if the suicidal person ctbs.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Suicide prevention is harmful and causes so much more agony and suffering. By making reliable methods unavailable people are forced into other methods that can cause even more harm. Suicide is a human right and this must be respected when it is someones true desire to leave this world for their personal reasons to end their suffering.

 

[NoWayOut015]

I used to believe in suicide prevention until I realized that there isn't help for everyone and it doesn't always get better. Not everyone can be saved and not everyone wants to be and we should respect people's pain and not guilt trip them and make them feel even worse.

 

[FuneralCry]

Suicide prevention is only prolonging suffering, it disgusts me how so many people are against the permanent relief and escape from all harm. Not everyone wants to exist here anyway, to me it's certainly always preferable to not exist and I just think the whole idea of suicide prevention is absurd as we are all just destined to die anyway, it's like people forget that and it's inhumane trying to force people to suffer so unnecessarily all for the sake of it.

 

[HyperEclipse]

Suicide prevention is only prolonging suffering, it disgusts me how so many people are against the permanent relief and escape from all harm. Not everyone wants to exist here anyway, to me it's certainly always preferable to not exist and I just think the whole idea of suicide prevention is absurd as we are all just destined to die anyway, it's like people forget that and it's inhumane trying to force people to suffer so unnecessarily all for the sake of it.

I agree with the destined to die idea. We all die eventually. And I sometimes wonder if some of us were meant to die by our own hands. I see it as dying from a disease (at least in my case) because it's often an end result of mental illness. I believe it's as valid and natural a death as any other. How can any death be unnatural? You can't synthesize death. It is what it is. However, I don't believe that we simply stop existing when we die. I believe we have spirits and souls that continue to live on, hopefully in a better place. I for one believe in God. And I believe that in the end, God is the one who decides if my attempts will work. And if he agrees, then I believe I'll exist somewhere better than here in a form that's no longer broken and in immense pain.

I used to believe in suicide prevention until I realized that there isn't help for everyone and it doesn't always get better. Not everyone can be saved and not everyone wants to be and we should respect people's pain and not guilt trip them and make them feel even worse.

I used to believe in suicide prevention ass well, even for myself. I think perhaps it's alright for those people who think about suicide maybe once in their entire life. But it doesn't always get better. I'm one of those cases and I'm sure many of us on this forum are. I tried and waited for it to "get better" for most of my life, but I just keep getting sicker. (Mentally: depression, emptiness, despair, anxiety, ect.) I'm at a point now where I feel so sick that I honestly don't know if I can survive even if I tried. I've always been sickly. Now at an early age of 23 I feel like I'm already out of fight and it just keeps getting worse.

 

[DeadPool360]

Society tries their best to keep us from offing ourselves. Among other ways, they make potentially lethal substances near impossible to get, many of which would be relatively quick and effective. But who are they really saving? Maybe it discourages some, but many of us try anyway. But the options at our disposal can be very unsafe and unreliable compared to the ones harder to obtain. The unreliability might provide room for emergency treatment, but is that really a good thing? In some cases the patient ends up with insignificant damage, but some end up with extensive damage to themselves which only adds to their suffering. So how is that saving the individual? And many of us who are chronically suicidal will continue to try until either we succeed or give up.

And the part that really gets me is the whole idea of suicide prevention is to "hold on because there's help available." I used to believe it would get better. For half my life I held on to this notion that if I just kept resisting suicide and just kept fighting, it would get better. But it never does. And then when you hold on long enough you realize that this "help" suicide prevention promises doesn't actually exist. Therapists and doctors don't always know what to do with us. Treatments and medications are unreliable and often become guessing games. Hospitals are simply holding centers for those who are deemed a danger to themselves. There's no real treatment offered. And often times treatment is paywalled by insurance and affiliations or is just plain too expensive. So who are they saving? They throw us threads of hope only to have them be false.

Look I think at first the things they did where genuine but I guess the greedy people are now the majority so the prevention is not even looking for how to help just looking for how to stop by the way most medication that are lethal are not prevented cause they want suicidal people to not die I think it's because they don't want someone to die by mistake like why for me to go and get help by a professional need to pay most of the ,only I have especially here in egypt they are expensive they are not a lot most of them are in the rich people areas and they are not that good most of them tell you to just pray and it will fix it or take this drug it will help and come a lot I can't lie some doctors genuinely care but they are not that much and it's hard to find them
Fun fact in egypt if you are diagnosed or say that you have a mental illness most people will call you crazy oh and forget about looking for secrecy that's almost impossible

 

[WantsToJumpAlready]

I completely agree with you. I think that traditional suicide prevention is only useful up to a certain point, only helping very impulsive suicidal people. I think that for many people, the best type of suicide prevention is when it takes a similar approach as this site. This site has prevented many people from ctb'ing because it allows you to share your ctb-related thoughts without worrying about being put into a psych ward, and people actually understand you and help you instead of just calling you selfish or crazy when you talk about your feelings. Best of all, it supports you no matter what decision you choose, and if you choose to ctb, it tells you the best way to do so without traumatizing people, the most effective, least painful way, etc. It goes against many of the typical parts of traditional suicide prevention, but it is still very effective because it is centered around the suicidal person and not around how the pro-lifers will feel for a few days if the suicidal person ctbs.

I'm a new member and was the closest I've ever been to actually CBT-ing the other night when I joined this site. But after reading through the forums I felt so much less alone - my CBT thoughts were immediately validated just by reading through the forums and I had never felt more understood in my life. Ultimately that's what saved me the other night from actually following through. I realized for me personally, I truly didn't want to act on it, but that doesn't mean the CBT thoughts don't consume so much of my entire being throughout the days - but constantly having to force yourself to keep it all to yourself is exhausting. I'm fortunate to have a good therapist that I've been able to talk to about "passive suicidality" with, but even then I can't be 100% honest for legal reasons and one too many details could lead me to hospitalization. So while I can say as of right now, CBT-ing isn't an option for me, I still want to stay part of this site because having an outlet to express my honest CBT thoughts without fear of hospitalization is relieving to me.

 

[NoWayOut015]

But after reading through the forums I felt so much less alone - my CBT thoughts were immediately validated just by reading through the forums and I had never felt more understood in my life. Ultimately that's what saved me the other night from actually following through. I realized for me personally, I truly didn't want to act on it, but that doesn't mean the CBT thoughts don't consume so much of my entire being throughout the days - but constantly having to force yourself to keep it all to yourself is exhausting. I'm fortunate to have a good therapist that I've been able to talk to about "passive suicidality" with, but even then I can't be 100% honest for legal reasons and one too many details could lead me to hospitalization. So while I can say as of right now, CBT-ing isn't an option for me, I still want to stay part of this site because having an outlet to express my honest CBT thoughts without fear of hospitalization is relieving to me.

I know that feeling very well, I'm glad to have people here who get it and don't demonize me for having "evil thoughts". I got consumed by the thought very much tonight and today I just feel extremely exhausted...

 

[anhed0nia]

Whenever I see public anti-suicide campaigns, it's so obvious that all of the rhetoric comes from people who are not depressed and have no idea what it's like to want to kill yourself. It always seems to boil down to just "talking to someone" (so you can be forced into an institution?) or the idea that you're "not alone". Certainly some people suffer profoundly from loneliness, but to suggest that all suicide is preventable through socializing is reductive and insulting. I'm not alone. And I know that I'm loved, actually. My own reasons for wanting to ctb are different, deeper to me than those concerns, and other people will have whole worlds of reasons that could have to do with their bodily abilities, circumstances, memories, future prospects... Frankly I think we'd have better treatment for suicidal people if the treatment were devised by people who actually understand depression and self-destructive feelings from the inside.

Another thing I'll add is that if safe and reliable suicide methods were legal, suicide might become something that is less shocking and burdensome to the bereaved. As it stands, you have to hide everything up to the end, and then you get no chances to say goodbye, help people understand, or finalize your affairs in an open and convenient manner. Death is never easy on the living but it could be a lot easier if suicide were not so criminalized, culturally and emotionally if not literally.

 

[Torabol]

I always believed the idea was to protect those who care about you from the mental anguish (So one should suffer until his deathbed so others can live life without trauma?) Or because suicide is expensive to the state (lost taxes, etc etc)

If that's the case, then something is seriously rotten with humanity, as people in crisis are just doomed to suffer

 

[J&L383]

I'm a new member and was the closest I've ever been to actually CBT-ing the other night when I joined this site. But after reading through the forums I felt so much less alone - my CBT thoughts were immediately validated just by reading through the forums and I had never felt more understood in my life. Ultimately that's what saved me the other night from actually following through. I realized for me personally, I truly didn't want to act on it, but that doesn't mean the CBT thoughts don't consume so much of my entire being throughout the days - but constantly having to force yourself to keep it all to yourself is exhausting. I'm fortunate to have a good therapist that I've been able to talk to about "passive suicidality" with, but even then I can't be 100% honest for legal reasons and one too many details could lead me to hospitalization. So while I can say as of right now, CBT-ing isn't an option for me, I still want to stay part of this site because having an outlet to express my honest CBT thoughts without fear of hospitalization is relieving to me.

I agree about not being able to find a therapist that you can talk openly about this because you always risk the 72-hour hold. I've never been in a 72-hour hold but once you're in it's hard to get out, you're almost a prisoner. So that is what makes this site so important. Whenever I start to feel anxious and am having a difficult time I know I can come here and find people I can relate to.