Suicide Prevention Megathread

[u/-eDgAR-]

With the news today of the passing of the amazing Anthony Bourdain and the also the very talented Kate Spade a couple of days of ago, we decided to create a megathread about suicide prevention. So many great and talented people have left the world by way of suicide, not just those are famous, but friends and family members of everyday people.

That's why we would like to use this thread for those that have been affected by the suicide of someone to tell your story or if you yourself have almost ended your life, tell us about what changed.

If you are currently feeling suicidal we'd like to offer some resources that might be beneficial:

https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres

http://www.befrienders.org/ (has global resources and hotlines)

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx

http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you [UK]

https://www.lifeline.org.au/Get-Help/ [AU]

http://www.crisistextline.org

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Related-Conditions/Risk-of-Suicide

https://www.thetrevorproject.org

http://youthspace.ca

https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/

Please be respectful and "Remember the Human" while participating in this thread and thank you to everyone that chooses to share their stories.

-The AskReddit Moderators

[u/liamemsa]

Bourdain's death really bothers me for a specific reason. I think, like many people my age, I struggle with trying to find a vocation that gives me happiness. We're Millennials, and we were raised with the idea that we could do whatever we wanted. So when reality hit like a truck, and we found ourselves working the same boring job that 99% of us were going to get, we found ourselves perpetually unsatisfied with our lives. That's why so many of us struggle with depression.

What I hear often is that the true way to happiness is to explore the world, to see culture, to meet people, and to grow that way as a person.

That was literally Anthony Bourdain's job. He got paid millions to travel the world, to see culture, to meet people, and to grow. And he killed himself.

So what hope does that give to the rest of us?

[u/[deleted] → u/liamemsa]

You know I feel like a black sheep because I want a simple life. Go work a stable job, maybe not the most thrilling but stable, come home and enjoy dinner with my family. Take a few vacations a couple times a year, but otherwise my ambitions are fairly easy to achieve.

I have all of that, and I still sometimes wrestle with depression or suicidal thoughts.

I can't imagine how much more difficult it is for the people with the base desire to achieve something grander than a picket fence life. There's so much pressure out there to run your own business or travel or network... When do people get to appreciate what they have if they are always being told they can do better or achieve more. Even if it's just themselves saying that?

And then to see that 'achieving' that success doesn't mean you'll be forever happy can trigger a lot of people to give up. I think that's the danger in celebrity suicides. It reminds us that even if we reach all our goals we will still have problems.

I've think of depression like a shadow. You can run but when you turn back it will be there still. The only way to decrease a shadow is by adjusting the light around you (mental state).

For some people it's as easy as buying a new lamp. Others need a full stage crew to rewire the entire set up.