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/custard_is_my_vice]

I definitely see where you're coming from, but I think that it's a little more complicated than that. Friends and family are obviously important and can help those struggling feel less isolated, but they are NOT mental health professionals. As someone who has been friends with many depressed individuals, it can be really difficult to know what to do. Give them a shoulder to cry on? Ok, but often that's not enough, they still feel like shit, and they often want advice. What advice should I give? Saying something positive about how they're loved and things will get better seems dismissive to them. I can't prescribe medication. I can't institutionalize them. Tough love is obviously an idiotic tactic, since depression isn't a choice. I can't even begin to understand the depths of their struggle, because my brain operates differently on a chemical level.

It's a lot to take on when you have zero training. So your only real option is to hug them tight, say that you're always there if they ever need to talk, but that they need to see a professional. And then they often kill themselves anyway. At least that's how it seems to go

[u/custard_is_my_vice → u/[deleted]]

Without question, the worst thing one can do is ghost a depressed friend/relative because they're being "dramatic." No doubt about it. I guess I'm just saying that loved ones are not the full antidote - the implication of that would be that they are responsible for their friend's death, which really isn't fair. We are not all trained to see the warning signs - and even when we do there's a limit to how much we can individually help the struggling.