Discussion The Logic of Despair: Why We Must Address "Circumstance-Caused Suicidality"

[PersonBeforeLife]

What do you think of this article?

https://medium.com/@pvtac.k/the-logic-of-despair-why-we-must-address-circumstance-caused-suicidality-5e7d31eeafea

 

[h4ppyhypoxia]

this is such a great article and i think theres a lot of truth to it, thank you for sharing

 

[Praestat_Mori]

There's so much truth in this article.

The circumstances made me suicidal (and caused depressive episodes&burnout).

 

[Forveleth]

Oh my god it is like someone read 90% of the venting threads here and went "huh, maybe these people have a point".

I wish I still had social media, I would love to post this article everywhere.

 

[ctb_warrior]

This is a really good article that finally talks about why many ppl want to ctb..

 

[isolute_2488]

Truth nuke

 

[PersonBeforeLife]

Oh my god it is like someone read 90% of the venting threads here and went "huh, maybe these people have a point".

I wish I still had social media, I would love to post this article everywhere.

And amazingly hardly any views or comments on it even though it suggested original solutions... But generic article by a psychologist repeating Endless talking points... Basically a celebrity...

 

[solely.pain]

It's a great article, I wish there was more like it.

 

[desiderium]

I think it's a really good article that sheds light on things most mental health professionals refuse to acknowledge.

Finances, housing, lack of insurance/inability to get resources, and a million other physical factors can lead someone to suicide. I wish more people understood that a therapist isn't going to help me pay my bills. My therapist isn't going to put food on the table, or help me afford a break from my crushing work schedule. My therapist isn't going to TOUCH 99% of the driving factors that have pushed me to where I am.

 

[PeaceSeeker83]

Great article.

 

[PersonBeforeLife]

I think it's a really good article that sheds light on things most mental health professionals refuse to acknowledge.

Finances, housing, lack of insurance/inability to get resources, and a million other physical factors can lead someone to suicide. I wish more people understood that a therapist isn't going to help me pay my bills. My therapist isn't going to put food on the table, or help me afford a break from my crushing work schedule. My therapist isn't going to TOUCH 99% of the driving factors that have pushed me to where I am.

Crazy how this isn't obvious to people... Like... Mental health awareness month... AWARENESS... Like... Who still isn't aware?... Should have solution awareness month... If I went to a march I don't know... Hand put brochures about solutions (and how much stagnation in second generation economics is a crime against humanity)

It's a great article, I wish there was more like it.

Same. I should probably look... Seems economists understand it better than psychologists somehow.

 

[dust-in-the-wind]

Im old (57f) and have suffered on and off depression my entire adult life, often severe enough to want to kill myself. Hence, why I belong to this group. I have read SO many books on the psychology of depression to try and help myself. Even the one mentioned in the article that Viktor Frankel wrote. There are so many different types and levels of depression and I have experienced just about all of them. Situational depression is very common now because of how difficult it is just to make ends meet in today's society, which is pretty much what this article is about. Also, loneliness is huge now in the digital age. Some people only have online friends and no real life friends. This is so sad to me because growing up in the 70's and 80's we all had lots of real friends and online didn't exist. I agree meds won't help and we need good solutions to help these situations. Another common situational depression is a breakup. I have wanted to kill myself in my 20's over a break up. Meds does help with this one in regulating your emotions better to be able to handle it. Regardless, it usually takes about 2 years to fully get over the loss, but at least there is hope of an end in sight. Then there is existential depression, this one is tough. When I hit 30. I checked all my boxes. I had the good job, house and husband, everything I worked towards in my 20's. I never wanted children, so I had nothing left to strive for. This led me down the rabbit hole of what is the purpose and meaning of life. I came up empty handed and concluded life IS inherently meaningless with no purpose. We will all eventually die so nothing we do actually matters and even if it does for a little while, the human race will someday end and the earth will be burned up by the sun unless humans destroy it first. Once you fully process this, there is no coming back from it and meds don't help. You just have to figure out a way to live for each moment even while knowing it ultimately doesn't matter. One thing I did for a decade in my life was I volunteered at an animal shelter from about age 35-45. I adopted out over 1000 cats during that time period. Now at age 57, most of those cats I found homes for are dead. This is how my brain works :(
Now the most deadly depression of all is chemical depression. There is no reason why you are depressed. Therapy won't work because there is nothing to talk about. Meds sometimes work but not always and if they do, they can become ineffective over time. Sometimes meds make you worse and push you even closer to the edge of suicide! The last 3 years of my Iife was in a severe bedridden chemical depression. Tried no less than 25+meds, ECT and Ketamine and was hospitalized (not willingly) 3 times by my psychiatrist for fear I would kill myself. I lost my business and had to go on disability. I was humiliated.
Finally on a last ditch effort I started hormone replacement therapy as I am in menopause now with no hormones. OMG it has been 3.5 months now and I am back to functioning and seeing friends. It is a fucking miracle. I still very much have existential depression. That will never go away but chemical depression is the worst hell I ever experienced and no one though it could be a hormonal issue. I had to figure that out for myself and I am lucky I am still even alive to tell my story. You can go back and look at posts I made on here over the last couple of years to see how bad I really was.

 

[Passenger4224]

This person has common sense! Great article, thanks for sharing!

 

[doneforlife]

Well said !.

 

[CopingWithSenility]

What do you think of this article?

https://medium.com/@pvtac.k/the-logic-of-despair-why-we-must-address-circumstance-caused-suicidality-5e7d31eeafea

Amazing article. Brings up great points and things that don't really seem to be recognized whatsoever. Suicidal ideation needs to stop being treated as an illness. It's not something you cure

 

[90377lethe]

Thank you for posting this.

 

[jumpingoffpoint]

Couldn't agree more. What a great article with brilliant writing and imagery. It's like putting money into prisons to stop crime. Why not give people a good life so they don't do crime in the first place. I'm not saying it's that simple, but it should be the aim and the culture to keep people out of prison and for them to have a good life. Western society (I can't speak for the east) merrily punches down on the vulnerable in the guise of virtue. Blames alcoholics and drug addicts filling the void and trauma left by a childhood of parental abuse, stigmatises mental ill health, disapproves of and exploits the poor, thinks the overpoliced are asking for it. It's a lot easier to restrict suicide and disapprove of it to keep the suicide rate down than it is to change the structure of society to make people less suicidal. Even psychologists, in my experience, are usually rubbish, often do more harm than good, and are often being paid by the government to put a bandaid over things and move on. You can't have an us if you don't have a them, and unfortunately we here are part of the them, so we get fucked over.

The only thing I would question about it is the bit about ghosting. Although I don't much like being ghosted I think people do this for a multitude of reasons and often they are related to anxiety and fear, anticipation of being rejected themselves or they don't know how to deal with a situation where someone likes them a lot and they are scared - I don't think it's necessarily malicious, much as it may hurt.

 

[booplesnoot34]

"Total Transparency: …Mandatory facial verification for all."

HELL NO. Part of why I'm suicidal is the loss of privacy and constant surveillance in every aspect of life (social, employment, government, economic, etc.). The solutions part definitely needs to be workshopped, but the heart of the article is true.

 

[PersonBeforeLife]

"Total Transparency: …Mandatory facial verification for all."

HELL NO. Part of why I'm suicidal is the loss of privacy and constant surveillance in every aspect of life (social, employment, government, economic, etc.). The solutions part definitely needs to be workshopped, but the heart of the article is true.

Well I think it's great to actually start thinking of solutions to rub in the faces of social media and politicians social media accounts to start pushing for solutions instead of just empty awareness. Also I guess there are so many ways around that. Maybe social health professionals should actually be a thing instead of just psychologists.

Couldn't agree more. What a great article with brilliant writing and imagery. It's like putting money into prisons to stop crime. Why not give people a good life so they don't do crime in the first place. I'm not saying it's that simple, but it should be the aim and the culture to keep people out of prison and for them to have a good life. Western society (I can't speak for the east) merrily punches down on the vulnerable in the guise of virtue. Blames alcoholics and drug addicts filling the void and trauma left by a childhood of parental abuse, stigmatises mental ill health, disapproves of and exploits the poor, thinks the overpoliced are asking for it. It's a lot easier to restrict suicide and disapprove of it to keep the suicide rate down than it is to change the structure of society to make people less suicidal. Even psychologists, in my experience, are usually rubbish, often do more harm than good, and are often being paid by the government to put a bandaid over things and move on. You can't have an us if you don't have a them, and unfortunately we here are part of the them, so we get fucked over.

The only thing I would question about it is the bit about ghosting. Although I don't much like being ghosted I think people do this for a multitude of reasons and often they are related to anxiety and fear, anticipation of being rejected themselves or they don't know how to deal with a situation where someone likes them a lot and they are scared - I don't think it's necessarily malicious, much as it may hurt.

Well all the more reason to brainstorm solutions because what currently exists isn't really working.

 

[never mind me]

Amazing article. I barely can believe that somebody acutally realizes that the problem often isn't mental illness, but life circumstances. Mental and physical illness are also driven by life circumstances. Poor people are a lot more likely to suffer from mental as well as physical health issues and have a much lower life expectancy.
I disagree on the mandatory facial verification for dating apps and being punished for ghosting people. That seems a bit too much interference with people's privacy. Although I understand the reasoning, I certainly wouldn't like it, if I can't be on the internet anonymously and decide by myself, if I want to reveal my identiy / how much contact I want with someone.

The last 3 years of my Iife was in a severe bedridden chemical depression. Tried no less than 25+meds, ECT and Ketamine and was hospitalized (not willingly) 3 times by my psychiatrist for fear I would kill myself. I lost my business and had to go on disability. I was humiliated.
Finally on a last ditch effort I started hormone replacement therapy as I am in menopause now with no hormones. OMG it has been 3.5 months now and I am back to functioning and seeing friends. It is a fucking miracle. I still very much have existential depression. That will never go away but chemical depression is the worst hell I ever experienced and no one though it could be a hormonal issue. I had to figure that out for myself and I am lucky I am still even alive to tell my story. You can go back and look at posts I made on here over the last couple of years to see how bad I really was.

I read your posts and realized how desperate you were. I am so happy for you that you found something that helps you. Hormones can really have a big impact. I know people who get suicidal thoughts because of PMS, although they feel ok the rest of the time.

 

[Somewhat Suicidal]

Good article. Refreshing.

Sadly a drop in the bucket compared to all the other noise surrounding the subject and half the good propositions seem uttterly utopian. But one can dream I guess...

My therapist isn't going to TOUCH 99% of the driving factors that have pushed me to where I am.

not to forget, your therapist is also not going to touch you...
The article seems to have solutions for even that, at least decent people should have a way easier time finding a faithful partner like this. I especially like the social accountability thing which probably will promote accountability and faithfulness in general. I think the amount of happy partnerships, marriages and alle that would drastically go up if there was more of that because as a 2nd order effect people would not throw away their otherwise perfectly nice relationship at the first hint of a slight misunderstanding or fight (not a physical one). I mean, hell, hordes of people are apparently breaking up about differing opinions regarding the Lindsay Clancy debate, wtf.

Pretty sad that none of this will ever happen...