Discussion Can suicide be a self fullfilling prophecy?

[Forever Sleep]

I expect you know but a self fulfilling prophecy is where you get an idea into your head about something- a prediction and that idea then affects your behaviour so that said prediction comes to be. Do you think that can relate to suicide?

Someone gets an idea into their head that they will suicide one day. Does that make them less motivated to try at life? Does it make them more wreckless- so they open themselves up to things that could very probably make their life worse in the long run? So- more likely to want to CTB?

What do you think? Has it applied to you? I guess it's going to be more obvious for people who have been suicidal for a long time. Do you think being suicidal early on set you on a path to actually doing it?

I'm not sure myself. I have had ideation for ages- 33 years. I think I did still try my best at life for quite a while though. My coping mechanism to what made me suicidal in the first place is what my focus was on. To an extent, it still is. I don't actually want to be in a position where I feel forced to CTB. I'd rather go out in a more comfortable frame of mind.

What do you think though?

 

[hellispink]

I think a lot of people use the "suicide" pull card if things go wrong in their lives to avoid taking responsibility over their emotions, actions and their daily lives. The thing is they never end up committing suicide because they know deep inside they wont. But since believing they will creates some psychological relief then they used it as coping relief or mechanism. Thats why its important to self analyze and think why we want to die and wheter is something we truly will and have decided to do. Otherwise we will just live a miserable life until we finally die using this useless mechanism.

 

[doneforlife]

First of all, I don't associate my want to not exist with the term suicide. It is a pretty negative term actually. I am super conscious of my mortality and one of my desire in life is to have a painless exit. I do pray and ask one thing every single day. To have a painless exit. I don't think wanting it would set me up onto a path because there is hardly any path that guarantees painless exit. Hence I have left it to God.

 

[leloyon]

I would say this applies to me, yes. Though there have been times when I have genuinely tried and still fucked it up, so there's that.

 

[Deleted member 65988]

Someone gets an idea into their head that they will suicide one day. Does that make them less motivated to try at life? Does it make them more wreckless- so they open themselves up to things that could very probably make their life worse in the long run? So- more likely to want to CTB?

My question would be how would that idea even come into mind, no one just wakes up with the intent to entertain the idea of ending their existence. I think some of us have gone through years of disappointing, painful and frustrating experiences that have made is less inclined to see the future as anything worth striving towards, we've tried to accept to take responsibility where we needed to. I think if people do use suicide as a reason to not make an attempt at improving their lives then that's a big problem for them which means they are using as an emotional mechanism to keep in case things don't go well in life for the most minute of reasons. I think the weight of contemplating existence and if it's worth continuing is up to the individual to consider after introspection.

I guess it's going to be more obvious for people who have been suicidal for a long time. Do you think being suicidal early on set you on a path to actually doing it?

Having had suicidal ideation since I was 12 without anything active but just the mere thought of being able to end my life at my own hands has always fascinated me even if fron a religion perspective, to even think such thoughts is not pleasing to God but nevertheless, I didn't care after some time. I'm now on the path towards doing it and the deeper I've gone, the less reason I see to turn around because I don't see any catalyst that would warrant otherwise when it should be within my means to end my life, no longer be inconvenienced by the cost that it takes to even maintain it.

 

[Forever Sleep]

My question would be how would that idea even come into mind, no one just wakes up with the intent to entertain the idea of ending their existence. I think some of us have gone through years of disappointing, painful and frustrating experiences that have made is less inclined to see the future as anything worth striving towards, we've tried to accept to take responsibility where we needed to. I think if people do use suicide as a reason to not make an attempt at improving their lives then that's a big problem for them which means they are using as an emotional mechanism to keep in case things don't go well in life for the most minute of reasons. I think the weight of contemplating existence and if it's worth continuing is up to the individual to consider after introspection.


Having had suicidal ideation since I was 12 without anything active but just the mere thought of being able to end my life at my own hands has always fascinated me even if fron a religion perspective, to even think such thoughts is not pleasing to God but nevertheless, I didn't care after some time. I'm now on the path towards doing it and the deeper I've gone, the less reason I see to turn around because I don't see any catalyst that would warrant otherwise when it should be within my means to end my life, no longer be inconvenienced by the cost that it takes to even maintain it.

Yes- that's a very fair point. People don't just wake up with suicidal thoughts most of the time. It's likely to be what caused the thoughts rather than the thoughts themselves that taint that person's life.

As a thought though, I think the idea maybe holds weight. Some people seem to want and be able to banish their ideation. For whatever reason- they don't let themselves stray that far down the self annhilation pathway. I think for those of us that do though- the whole way- as in- this is an option I would be prepared to take. I think in that case- those thoughts maybe never entirely leave.

So, they are always there to fall back on when life (inevitably) becomes challenging again. I think it's much easier to consider doing suicide if you have become comfortable with the idea of doing it. I notice that the people who are more resistant to the thoughts here are maybe ones who haven't had them so long and therefore become comfortable with them.

I guess all that may not exactly affect someone's behaviour entirely- although I think we are maybe far more aware of the exit door on the periphery. The pro-lifers out there likely won't even consider giving up on things because- death isn't an option.

I guess it depends on whether someone has developed a new love for life. Someone who has been suicidal but now has found a reason to live may cling to it all the more because they know how close they came to losing it. Someone who doesn't receive that positive feedback though- maybe a certain pessimism and cynicism sets in. We maybe simply don't believe in the rewards in life enough to think it's worth all that effort and without that effort- we don't succeed and we become even more suicidal. I think I lean more that way. I have tried in life. I tried hard but I never really had that optimistic- life will be great and I'm going to succeed! Attitude so- I pretty much haven't. Lol!

 

[Deleted member 65988]

. For whatever reason- they don't let themselves stray that far down the self annhilation pathway. I think for those of us that do though- the whole way- as in- this is an option I would be prepared to take. I think in that case- those thoughts maybe never entirely leave.

That would be people who have researched a certain method to a great extent, in order to retain knowledge of it as an option to use in future so yes, that option never truly loses its reason to ponder on should life change in a way that it's no longer worthwhile.

One of the reasons I hold to ctb and option is that life can get unpredictably bad and there's nothing protecting me from that, one bad thing could easily follow another which would have a compounding effect. There's no telling when it could happen and how bad it could be, anything from being diagnosed with a rare disease to a murder of your loved one in a car accident or just them being in the wrong place at the wrong time like a mall where there's a shooting occurring, any of those things aren't outside the possibility of happening to anyone at anytime.

I suppose its just reassuring to know that I have a way out and know how to use it.

I guess all that may not exactly affect someone's behaviour entirely- although I think we are maybe far more aware of the exit door on the periphery. The pro-lifers out there likely won't even consider giving up on things because- death isn't an option.

That's because most pro-lifers arguments seem to make use to the Gamblers fallacy and sunk cost fallacy, that there's still life left to be lived and it could be good so why opt out when you just never know when things could turn around. So for them, it's easier to live this way because suicide is seen as giving up any chance of a better future.

Someone who has been suicidal but now has found a reason to live may cling to it all the more because they know how close they came to losing it. Someone who doesn't receive that positive feedback though- maybe a certain pessimism and cynicism sets in.

Lose it who? After an attempt that came close to ctb? Perhaps that could be their survival instinct driving that desire to live but again, that really comes down to how the individual sees it and yes, if pessimism and cynicism sets in without a positive feedback that gives them reason to not be both of those things then it would be pointless.

We maybe simply don't believe in the rewards in life enough to think it's worth all that effort and without that effort- we don't succeed and we become even more suicidal.

Maybe but after all, this is a world in so few people manage to get those rewards they sought after and believe it's all worth it, we love to show examples of people achieving success and we all think it'll be the same for us but nobody ever thinks about the individual who tried their best but never succeeded, never saw their efforts amount to something worth celebrating.

I lean that way as you do though.

life will be great and I'm going to succeed! Attitude so- I pretty much haven't. Lol!

It's just lowered my expectations greatly after having had many disappointments so it's automatically what I expect most of the time.