PHOTO FROM INTERNET
“I can’t see a way out.”
No matter how jokingly said, statements like this may indicate serious suicidal feelings.
World Suicide Prevention Day is an internationally observed day of awareness on September 10, so as to direct attention to pressing concerns about mental health globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from suicide. The gentle slopes of the line graphs became steep mountains and sheer cliffs, and many of the distinctive fun, and cheery characteristics of the Millennial generation began to disappear.
What drives a person to take their own lives? To those not in the grips of suicidal depression and despair, it’s difficult to understand what drives so many individuals to take their own lives.
Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. Blinded by feelings of self-loathing, hopelessness, and isolation, a suicidal person can’t see any way of finding relief except through death. But despite their desire for the pain to stop, most suicidal people are deeply conflicted about ending their own lives. They wish there was an alternative to suicide, but they just can’t see one.
But you can be that one.
Almost everyone who attempts suicide has given some clue or warning. Don’t ignore even indirect references to death or suicide. Statements such as “You’ll be sorry when I’m gone,” “I can’t handle the pain anymore,” but not necessarily, “I want to be dead forever,” take any expressed intention of suicide seriously.
Having someone to talk to can make a big difference, but persistence is the key. You may need to be persistent before they are willing to talk. While you may not be able to solve these problems for a friend or a classmate, you may be able to help the person find someone who can help.
Even the most severely depressed person has mixed feelings about death; they want the pain to stop. The impulse to end it all, however overpowering, does not last forever. Bringing up the subject of suicide and discussing it openly is one of the most helpful things you can do.
Offer empathy, not sympathy. As defined by Diffen, empathy is the ability to experience the feelings of another person. It goes beyond sympathy, which is caring and understanding the suffering of others. Both words are used similarly and often interchangeably but they differ subtly in their meaning.
Don’t be afraid of being wrong. It is difficult for even experts to understand who is at serious risk of suicide and who is not. Many of the warning signs for suicide could also indicate other problems which also needs professional help. Don’t pretend you have all the answers. The most important thing you can do may be to help them find help.
Continue your support over the long haul. Even after the immediate suicidal crisis has passed away, stay in touch with the person. Your support is an crucial to ensure your friend or loved one remain on the recovery track.
As of September 2016, the Department of Health, together with the World Health Organization, and Natasha Goulbourn Foundation, launched Hopeline, a 24/7 suicide prevention hotline.
Should you ever need its services, here are the numbers you can contact.
(02) 804-4637; 0917-5584673; and 2919 for Globe and TM subscribers.
You have the agency to try and make a difference to the ones you love. Be that helping hand, and make that difference.
No matter how jokingly said, statements like this may indicate serious suicidal feelings.
World Suicide Prevention Day is an internationally observed day of awareness on September 10, so as to direct attention to pressing concerns about mental health globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from suicide. The gentle slopes of the line graphs became steep mountains and sheer cliffs, and many of the distinctive fun, and cheery characteristics of the Millennial generation began to disappear.
What drives a person to take their own lives? To those not in the grips of suicidal depression and despair, it’s difficult to understand what drives so many individuals to take their own lives.
Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. Blinded by feelings of self-loathing, hopelessness, and isolation, a suicidal person can’t see any way of finding relief except through death. But despite their desire for the pain to stop, most suicidal people are deeply conflicted about ending their own lives. They wish there was an alternative to suicide, but they just can’t see one.
But you can be that one.
Almost everyone who attempts suicide has given some clue or warning. Don’t ignore even indirect references to death or suicide. Statements such as “You’ll be sorry when I’m gone,” “I can’t handle the pain anymore,” but not necessarily, “I want to be dead forever,” take any expressed intention of suicide seriously.
Having someone to talk to can make a big difference, but persistence is the key. You may need to be persistent before they are willing to talk. While you may not be able to solve these problems for a friend or a classmate, you may be able to help the person find someone who can help.
Even the most severely depressed person has mixed feelings about death; they want the pain to stop. The impulse to end it all, however overpowering, does not last forever. Bringing up the subject of suicide and discussing it openly is one of the most helpful things you can do.
Offer empathy, not sympathy. As defined by Diffen, empathy is the ability to experience the feelings of another person. It goes beyond sympathy, which is caring and understanding the suffering of others. Both words are used similarly and often interchangeably but they differ subtly in their meaning.
Don’t be afraid of being wrong. It is difficult for even experts to understand who is at serious risk of suicide and who is not. Many of the warning signs for suicide could also indicate other problems which also needs professional help. Don’t pretend you have all the answers. The most important thing you can do may be to help them find help.
Continue your support over the long haul. Even after the immediate suicidal crisis has passed away, stay in touch with the person. Your support is an crucial to ensure your friend or loved one remain on the recovery track.
As of September 2016, the Department of Health, together with the World Health Organization, and Natasha Goulbourn Foundation, launched Hopeline, a 24/7 suicide prevention hotline.
Should you ever need its services, here are the numbers you can contact.
(02) 804-4637; 0917-5584673; and 2919 for Globe and TM subscribers.
You have the agency to try and make a difference to the ones you love. Be that helping hand, and make that difference.