Can one really will themselves to die?

[Mia Wallace]

First off, I am so sad that you are even here on this site to be reading this and wish I could take everyone's pain away. I wish peace and love to all.
Well as for the topic of my post here it goes...I am in a severe depression and am experiencing intense anxiety paired with headaches where it actually feels my brain is swelling and touching my skull. My mind cannot think straight anymore and I have become severely dumbed down that I had even left my job recently bc of it. Just last year, I was thriving at my role and now I struggle to properly put a thought or sentence together. I feel like I am shutting down completely as a person. I have been self isolating which doesn't make a huge difference to outside world as I always been more of a lone wolf but I feel like an absolute stranger to myself. Looking back at photos of myself even from just last year I am smiling and that person is irrecognizable to me. I think I'm losing my mind and my body is following suit. I read people can die from losing their will to live and I truly believe this is happening to me. Has anyone here felt this or known someone this has happened to?

 

[Nature_is_God]

First, I greatly sympathize with your pain. It's easy to become trapped inside your mind; evolution's greatest flaw.

Second, I believe that one's mental state can significantly affect one's body. For example, a few months after my mother died, my aunt died. It was clear that she was so sad/depressed over the death of her sister that her health started deteriorating, as she was healthy before hand.

 

[rancho]

I feel all of your pain...............It seems to me only really old people can "give up" and die. I keep asking God to take me when I sleep but no luck obviously.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

First off, I am so sad that you are even here on this site to be reading this and wish I could take everyone's pain away. I wish peace and love to all.
Well as for the topic of my post here it goes...I am in a severe depression and am experiencing intense anxiety paired with headaches where it actually feels my brain is swelling and touching my skull. My mind cannot think straight anymore and I have become severely dumbed down that I had even left my job recently bc of it. Just last year, I was thriving at my role and now I struggle to properly put a thought or sentence together. I feel like I am shutting down completely as a person. I have been self isolating which doesn't make a huge difference to outside world as I always been more of a lone wolf but I feel like an absolute stranger to myself. Looking back at photos of myself even from just last year I am smiling and that person is irrecognizable to me. I think I'm losing my mind and my body is following suit. I read people can die from losing their will to live and I truly believe this is happening to me. Has anyone here felt this or known someone this has happened to?

I am sorry you are experiencing depression.
Maybe it would be a good idea to see a neurologist and get an mri scan because of the headaches etc?

I think it can happen that people become so sad and lonely and depressed that they just stay in bed for weeks and end up dying, but it is rare and depends on their overall health and preexisting health issues.
I think I am on the verge of giving up too. No will to carry on anymore. Hopefully I don't wake up one day.

 

[Mia Wallace]

I feel all of your pain...............It seems to me only really old people can "give up" and die. I keep asking God to take me when I sleep but no luck obviously.

I'm sorry friend. I don't know how much more of this I can take. It's torture every second of my waking life and when I can sleep, nightmares follow me even. I feel like I've gone mad. I really hope you find peace.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

I'm sorry friend. I don't know how much more of this I can take. It's torture every second of my waking life and when I can sleep, nightmares follow me even. I feel like I've gone mad. I really hope you find peace.

I do think you should get an mri scan, just to rule anything out.
I get nightmares too :(
I hope your life gets better, always try to cling on to hope, there may be things out there that help you to get better.

 

[Mia Wallace]

I am sorry you are experiencing depression.
Maybe it would be a good idea to see a neurologist and get an mri scan because of the headaches etc?

I think it can happen that people become so sad and lonely and depressed that they just stay in bed for weeks and end up dying, but it is rare and depends on their overall health and preexisting health issues.
I think I am on the verge of giving up too. No will to carry on anymore. Hopefully I don't wake up one day.

Thank you for the response It just tears me apart people carry on this way. I don't care enough to go see a doctor about this as I am almost certain my time here is up. I am right there with you. I don't even remember what peace or happiness feels like anymore. It would be nice to have a permanent break from this madness. I wish you well and hope you find your peace soon and hopefully you can while you're alive and kicking.

First, I greatly sympathize with your pain. It's easy to become trapped inside your mind; evolution's greatest flaw.

Second, I believe that one's mental state can significantly affect one's body. For example, a few months after my mother died, my aunt died. It was clear that she was so sad/depressed over the death of her sister that her health started deteriorating, as she was healthy before hand.

Thank you for your response It most certainly is. You know there was a time about five years ago I got into this incredible mindset where I had gone on for a year that I was so incredibly happy I felt almost enlightened in a sense. I always struggled more with my mental health than others regarding depression and anxiety growing up and I really thought I set myself free from it all but a bad relationship slowly but surely pulled me out of that and I was never able to get back to that again. I definitely changed however in a sense where I was able to pull myself out if I felt I was headed down a dark path but now is different. Far different.
I lost my mom around Xmas time this past year and I think the grief had finally set in for me. She was my best friend and a real angel in every sense of the word. Then covid hit and work furloughed me for months until recently and I was just too far gone to return for a full week even. This depression is far different from the rest. I've lost everything I knew about myself to it including the will to live.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

I don't even remember what peace or happiness feels like anymore.

Same. It feels life a lifetime ago that I was happy and at relative peace.

 

[TAW122]

I don't see how someone would just die by willing themselves to death, at least not physically speaking. Usually for death to occur, there must be a physiological cause, like heart-attacks, loss of oxygen (going to hypoxia and later brain death), stopping of the heart, organ failure, etc. I would think that the actual cause of death in such situations would be due to physical conditions and causes, but I could be wrong. I do apologize if I sound a bit callous and skeptical here.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

I don't see how someone would just die by willing themselves to death, at least not physically speaking. Usually for death to occur, there must be a physiological cause, like heart-attacks, loss of oxygen (going to hypoxia and later brain death), stopping of the heart, organ failure, etc. I would think that the actual cause of death in such situations would be due to physical conditions and causes, but I could be wrong. I do apologize if I sound a bit callous and skeptical here.

Yes that's true, it will be a physical cause, but it could be brought on or precipitated by a mental state. Mental states can massively affect physical health. Like, you can be so anxious and depressed that this ends up causing a heart attack or something, just as an example.

 

[TheSkyIsBlue]

It's called psychogenic death. You basically die by giving up, but it's not very common.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-care-news/articles/2018-09-27/yes-people-can-die-from-giving-up-on-life

 

[ThreeWords]

Thank you for the response It just tears me apart people carry on this way. I don't care enough to go see a doctor about this as I am almost certain my time here is up. I am right there with you. I don't even remember what peace or happiness feels like anymore. It would be nice to have a permanent break from this madness. I wish you well and hope you find your peace soon and hopefully you can while you're alive and kicking.

Thank you for your response It most certainly is. You know there was a time about five years ago I got into this incredible mindset where I had gone on for a year that I was so incredibly happy I felt almost enlightened in a sense. I always struggled more with my mental health than others regarding depression and anxiety growing up and I really thought I set myself free from it all but a bad relationship slowly but surely pulled me out of that and I was never able to get back to that again. I definitely changed however in a sense where I was able to pull myself out if I felt I was headed down a dark path but now is different. Far different.
I lost my mom around Xmas time this past year and I think the grief had finally set in for me. She was my best friend and a real angel in every sense of the word. Then covid hit and work furloughed me for months until recently and I was just too far gone to return for a full week even. This depression is far different from the rest. I've lost everything I knew about myself to it including the will to live.

Reading some of your posts is like talking to myself. Sending you all the virtual hugs, and I hope things work out for you

 

[Mia Wallace]

Reading some of your posts is like talking to myself. Sending you all the virtual hugs, and I hope things work out for you

Thank you so much. Virtual hugs right back and I hope you find peace.

 

[Good4Nothing]

No. I gave up and wanted to die years ago. I still wake up every fucking morning.

 

[Mia Wallace]

No. I gave up and wanted to die years ago. I still wake up every fucking morning.

I'm sorry hun. I just wish we had an off switch. I hope you find peace.

It's called psychogenic death. You basically die by giving up, but it's not very common.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-care-news/articles/2018-09-27/yes-people-can-die-from-giving-up-on-life

Thank you for the info

Yes that's true, it will be a physical cause, but it could be brought on or precipitated by a mental state. Mental states can massively affect physical health. Like, you can be so anxious and depressed that this ends up causing a heart attack or something, just as an example.

I feel this. The anxiety is so Intense sometimes I can hear my heartbeat and loudly.

 

[ceelo]

I'm sorry hun. I just wish we had an off switch. I hope you find peace.

Thank you for the info

I feel this. The anxiety is so Intense sometimes I can hear my heartbeat and loudly.

Heart palpitations are nothing and a typical anxiety symptom, theres literally no threat from it at all, its a nothing burger symptom. I wish that was all i had tbh

 

[Mia Wallace]

I don't see how someone would just die by willing themselves to death, at least not physically speaking. Usually for death to occur, there must be a physiological cause, like heart-attacks, loss of oxygen (going to hypoxia and later brain death), stopping of the heart, organ failure, etc. I would think that the actual cause of death in such situations would be due to physical conditions and causes, but I could be wrong. I do apologize if I sound a bit callous and skeptical here.

Thank you for your response I think it's more the physical symptoms that come with wanting to die such as the heart palpitations and organs shutting down as the result from the insane anxiety that sometimes goes hand in hand. Although I have heard you cannot die of panic attacks which is a shame bc I would have been a goner by now.

 

[Lordsudbury]

First off, I am so sad that you are even here on this site to be reading this and wish I could take everyone's pain away. I wish peace and love to all.
Well as for the topic of my post here it goes...I am in a severe depression and am experiencing intense anxiety paired with headaches where it actually feels my brain is swelling and touching my skull. My mind cannot think straight anymore and I have become severely dumbed down that I had even left my job recently bc of it. Just last year, I was thriving at my role and now I struggle to properly put a thought or sentence together. I feel like I am shutting down completely as a person. I have been self isolating which doesn't make a huge difference to outside world as I always been more of a lone wolf but I feel like an absolute stranger to myself. Looking back at photos of myself even from just last year I am smiling and that person is irrecognizable to me. I think I'm losing my mind and my body is following suit. I read people can die from losing their will to live and I truly believe this is happening to me. Has anyone here felt this or known someone this has happened to?

Sounds exactly what I went through last few months after my partner lost feelings for me and in reaction I treated her poorly and we were unable to maintain our friendship. It ripped my world completely apart and I still suffer every day from it due to a lot of other stress and her not being around.

My aunt who had a high level of anxiety and issues in her life gave herself cancer from all the stress she put herself through, but she survived.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

My aunt who had a high level of anxiety and issues in her life gave herself cancer from all the stress she put herself through

Did the stress actually give her cancer?
Do you know how long it would take for chronic stress to cause cancer?

 

[Abgrundanziehung]

I've tried as hard as anyone to will myself to die back when I believed one could do that. I still get triggered every time I hear Dream On by Aerosmith because of the line "Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away." I used to wish so hard at times as a child that would happen. No luck yet, lol

 

[SoIntoYou]

The only examples of willing yourself to death that I know of are from people who are already frail and/or old, and fiction, namely, The Lord of the Rings, where one of the ways an elf can die is from sadness.

 

[Lordsudbury]

Did the stress actually give her cancer?
Do you know how long it would take for chronic stress to cause cancer?

Took her about 4 years as a mid 40s mother of two after her husband died in a motorcycle accident after retiring from ten years of tour service

 

[GoneGoneGone]

First, I greatly sympathize with your pain. It's easy to become trapped inside your mind; evolution's greatest flaw.

Second, I believe that one's mental state can significantly affect one's body. For example, a few months after my mother died, my aunt died. It was clear that she was so sad/depressed over the death of her sister that her health started deteriorating, as she was healthy before hand.

I'm terribly sorry for your losses.

Carrie Fisher's mom, Debbie Reynolds, died one day after her daughter because "she wanted to be with her."
My grandma died after a visit from a relative. When the relative left, they hugged her real tight and that for her was an indication that "they were hugging her tight bc they knew it was the last time they'd see her alive." She psyched herself out all night and died.
My other grandma had a stroke before her 79th bday because she was convinced she was turning 80, "and you die in your 80s." She psyched herself out, had the stroke and is still alive and well and functioning at 82.
So I mean psyching yourself out can lead to terrible physical results, if you're not in good physical shape. All the examples I gave were of women in their 80s. Nevertheless both my grandmas were super active and healthy and had no major health issues before their events.
Now, if only this could happen for younger people...

 

[Living_Hurts_so_Much]

If I could, I think I would be dead already.