Suicidal thoughts – what do they really mean? Are we only expressing hidden emotions? How do you see those who contemplate suicide?

I will step lightly because to speak of suicide is to make a general assumption about all sorts of things. I have heard many statements and even entertained suicidal thoughts myself, and I understand this topic to be something classified according to the individual.

We just cannot know for certain what causes suicidal thoughts, when it concerns individual reasonings. So, as with other sensitive topics, I will provide any facts available to me, while I state my own opinion.

Suicide is serious. If you don’t believe me, then check out statistics of this monster.

  • Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
  • Suicide accounts for 1.4% of all deaths in the world.
  • Around 800,000 people die of suicide every year.

What do your thoughts say about you?

Suicidal thoughts usually stem from two distinct forms of stimuli: Emptiness or Desperation. Now, that’s as close to the foundation of suicide that I care to share.

There are many other reasons as well, reasons that are hard to explain, even impossible to decipher. Mind you, this is just my opinion. I have, however, studied mental illness and suicide for quite some time and realize that you don’t have to be mentally ill to have these thoughts.

Does this make you a bad person? Not at all. Does this make you a coward? Of course not. In fact, suicide isn’t a cowardly act at all. For those who criticize others for their suicidal thoughts, stop right there! I bet you’ve had the same thoughts yourself!

So calling people who have suicidal thoughts cowards, is quite an insensitive thing to do. What’s wrong with this world is that people aren’t taking others seriously when suicidal thoughts begin to surface.

Here’s a secret: Most of you have thought about suicide at least once in your lifetime. You may never have told anyone about your secret thoughts, but I already know.

Thinking about checking out of this life is extremely easy, and for those who have suffered many years of trauma, suicide is even romanticized. Now that’s a truly disturbing thought.

Some things about mental illness you need to know

One of the main symptoms of mental illness is having suicidal thoughts. With depression and bipolar disorders, these thoughts can come and go as rapidly as eat or drinking.

During the day, a sufferer of mental illness can have suicidal thoughts more than a dozen times, if it has been a rather complex day or a day filled with more than the average amount of triggers. This is why it is so important to talk about these things, even if they are dark and disturbing.

What should I do about my suicidal urges and reasonings?

I have found that releasing information has a therapeutic effect on these issues. Suicidal thoughts, when relayed to a trusted friend or family member can be talked through.

Having this “sounding board” you might say, gives you the opportunity to see things from their perspective, providing hope and reassurance, thus sharing reasons why the world still needs you around.

Hey, one person does really matter and can truly make a difference if they choose to stick around and see. Remember, if you commit suicide, you will never know whether or not it was going to get any better. If you stick around, you give the world a chance to become brighter. In so many words, I heard this before. I carry it with me for strength.

I am in no way advocating suicide. I want to get that clear right now! What I am saying is that if you think about suicide, you’re not alone and it doesn’t make you a freak for doing it.

Now, the important aspect is knowing how to deal with those thoughts when they come. Here are a few things to always keep in mind.

Talk to someone

If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please talk to someone, NOW! Don’t worry about how you look or sounds; what’s important is that you find a way to release those thoughts and allow yourself to see things in a different way.

Seek professional help

Never be ashamed to seek professional help, especially if you feel like you cannot talk to others. There is always someone to help you if you allow this. If you’re drowning, here’s a lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Someone is available 24 hours a day to speak with you.

Make promises and keep them

Promise yourself that you will try one more time, one more day and then give yourself one more chance at enjoying life. The key here is to make this promise every day, over again and then keep it!

Don’t give up! There are so many beautiful reasons to live, so remind yourself of this every day as you keep your promises for one more try. Life always gives us another chance and it’s worth it.

Stay safe

Make sure you have no access to weapons and this will give you time to “come down” from the suicidal thought high. Many times, when depression hits hard, those thoughts get pretty powerful.

So, if the home is void of weapons or anything that can be used to harm yourself, you can ride out the worst parts of a depressive episode.

For loved ones

If a loved one or family member is having suicidal thoughts, don’t panic. Stay calm and listen to them. Offer advice but never berate them. It’s important to show respect to those who have these thoughts while reminding them why you believe that suicide is never the answer.

Having suicidal thoughts doesn’t make you a bad person or a coward. It simply means that you need help. Never be afraid to ask for this help either, it could make the difference that you need.

Talking with someone could even change your entire view of suicide altogether. I send you my love and ask you to promise me one thing.

…Just give it one more try.

References:

  1. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

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This Post Has 30 Comments

  1. Gordon Chamberlain

    i wonder why the authors on learning mind do not publish their full name? When I post comments I am proud to put my full name on my compositions .

  2. Gordon Chamberlain

    PS I can now understand why some authors do not put their full name as it can give them freedom to explore sensitive issues
    I would also like to suggest , would learning coping techniques also help
    I am working on an alphabetical index of how people have learned how to cope . The end goal it to provide people with options
    A admire leaders they need our support
    Abuse recognized that some people are abusive of others . If they are close they should be asked to change. If they are unwilling we should limit or cut off our contact with them
    Art creating, admiring, studying art can be relaxing
    Alcohol in small amounts can be relaxing It unfortunately can turn into a costly addiction that has ruined many lives
    Ask learn how to ask for help is very important
    Associate with like minded people who are working to make the world better working on the things that concern you . Many people have no idea what leaders or organizations are doing about the things that concern then . They think inaccurately that no one cares
    Breath slow relaxing healing breaths is fundamental to many meditation techniques The use of mantra puts a space between what is troubling us and the need to put it down and relax. If is is really important we can pick it up later to assess the options of dealing with it
    Communicating can be a challenging issues especially about difficult subjects Take the time to plan what you want to say when approaching difficult subjects with those you would like to resolve issues. This while realizing the other person should be given time to think about how they want to proceed or if they want to

    Victor Hugo holocaust survivor wrote about his experience and finding hope and growing CBC radio has podcasts about him
    It is not that some people are not taken seriously I view it as the general public is ill equipped or uneducated to deal with mental health issues or the serious abuse, trauma, incidents people have experienced. That said there are compassionate informed individuals who can help. The first crucial step is seeking help. I am also of the belief that learning project management / or life skills to manage difficulties, and plan how to take better care of ourselves can help .
    Wise people limit the amount of junk food sugar and fat contaminated
    Wise people limit the amount of junk entertainment (violent , fake reality shows some talk shows ) they do not nurture our mental and physical health
    I wonder if is better to relabel suicidal thoughts as a challenge, a project and not a monster as challenges and projects can be addressed one small step at a time.
    Best wishes

    1. Sherrie

      Gordon,

      Thank you for reading. I love this! I hope that I can copy this for my own personal notes because I sometimes need to read these thoughts. Options – oh yes, options are great ways to deal with this! Thank you so much. I really don’t know why I never published my full name. I guess it would be a complicated set of answers paired with factors and excuses. Maybe one day, I shall publish it. 🙂

  3. Marwa Obaid

    People do urge they understand the ones with such thoughts but I urge they can’t
    No one can understand the other with a mental problem

    1. Carlin Covello

      they can’t even understand if the other has a mental disability, let alone a mental problem…………………………

    2. Keli Blanker

      Most people cant.. but there is a rare few that does, those feel what you feel and understand because they do not try to define anyone within the limits of their own experience.

    3. Marwa Obaid

      Yeah u r right , but only a few ppl understand where as the rest try the hardest to deny its a mental condition , this z what my personal experience judges

    4. Keli Blanker

      I guess to deny a problem takes less effort than to atleast try and help. Ive never agreed how some people can just turn their backs on others, but i understand that not everybody is strong enough or willing to really make a difference.

  4. Christina Bunch

    i lost a partner to suicide an its like grief with the volume turned up .

    1. Juan Jones

      I have lost over 6 people friends of friends I’m
      Sorry for you lost !! It shocking and scary

    2. Nico Smith

      Sorry you had to deal with that. So sad xx

    1. Keli Blanker

      Whatever is wrong with you wont be fixed by attacking people on a facebook post but lemme clear it up for you “it” is the article and “they” are people with suicidal toughts..

  5. Tanya Barlow

    What about when a person gets suicidal thoughts even when there Day has been good? For example have a few drinks and a laugh with a friend… then u go to the toilet sit down and the first thing when ur alone that comes into ur mind is I wish I was dead. Sometimes having these fucked up thoughts in ur head even tho u don’t want them, u just want to have a clear mind but it’s still there no matter what u do, what medication you take, what therapist you see and no matter how much help you get (or no help in my case!) it’s always there.

    1. Tanya Barlow

      And when everyone else has failed you (the therapists and doctors) you try to self help you try ur best to walk outside and do normal things, smile when u really want to fucking cry, you try every day to carry on even when ur heart feels like it’s going to explode and u feel faint when ur around lots of people outside. But u keep pushing on and still at the end them thoughts come into ur mind…. all u can do is try… but sometimes trying all the time and getting nowhere makes you feel worse… the stigma attached to mental health makes u feel a million times worse about urself and u begin to question urself and u say to urself stop being silly just live normally like others do…. but no it doesn’t work because when ur alone even just for a few seconds… them horrible scary thoughts of harming urself come again… even tho you have done everything to stop it… maybe you have to live with it…. and pray that one day ur mind will be clear and you can be you again.

    2. Raj Prasad Neralla

      I understand wt u r saying …

  6. David Valenzuela

    I still get them , after 6 units E.C.T. , six month hospital …

    1. Marwa Obaid

      U r a really great man still tackling the problem , may God give u reward and strengthen u to overcome it ,

  7. David Valenzuela

    Suicidal Thoughts Are One thing but most people kill themselves in a Mania thinking they can fly off of bridges do you really want to understand

  8. Marwa Obaid

    First of all , it’s extremely important to understand the person with a mental problem , try to accompany them , make them realize we are always with them and most importantly we have to support them, since in so many countries ppl still don’t know anything about mental state , they besmear the ones with mental problem “possessed” and treat the worst with them , as per my experience a mentally ill person should be given timely and appropriate treatment and full family support n always stand by them

  9. Keli Blanker

    Sadly not that much people know how to deal with one another, we live life disconnected making it so much harder to find understanding. And lets be real there are many people who do not wish to even be bothered let alone try to help others in need. In a world like this thinking about dieing isnt such a strange thing. People suffer and if everybody would actually care about our fellow human then those in need couldnt possibly stand alone in difficult times. At some point people forgot to live life because we’re too busy surviving. Its not living anymore, its just not dieing and without a perspective of love its too easy to think life just isnt worth the agony that comes with living.

  10. Lesley Brewis

    I know this sounds weird but if you suffer from neck and back problems and have suicidal thoughts, then maybe your atlas/axis vertebrae are misaligned.

  11. Don

    I have always had difficulty associating suicide with cowardice, as that word is simply defined as lacking bravery or courage. There are a myriad of causes for suicide and isolating it with one word is not possible. It is the same with thoughts of suicide. The ending of one’s life I usually think of as part of a life story, a story different in ways from all others. Condemning it with cowardice is thoughtless and in a way selfish.

    1. Sherrie

      Don,

      I agree. Never once have I thought of ending my life as being cowardly. It takes great strength to make such a decision, although I do not advocate this. There are so many great things about each and every one of us, and to me, suicide just eliminates the ability to discover those great things that are there. Not cowardly, just unfortunate, and not sticking around to be other beautiful things about life. For instance, each time I contemplated ending my life, I always caught a glimpse of why I shouldn’t: my son, my family, the beauty and changing of nature and of course art! I start to think about food I love to eat, places I actually love to go, and I think of all the books I have yet to read. Those things and many more, keep me here. I think that is one of the keys of suicide prevention.

  12. Nico Smith

    Try to – and then you might help.
    Things you can say –

    I want to understand
    I hate that you would feel that was a solution. What can I do if I’m scared you’re thinking that way again.
    Even if you don’t want to talk to me about it, I need you to know that I care deeply about this

  13. This is the most crude and beautiful reality of every soul in earth, we cant be fine with ourselves all the time, but its just a transition that we really need to complete.

  14. Nima Javan

    it’s a simple fact, why to make it complicated!?
    actually that’s lill fun too! – i’m not agree with committing suicide – but let’s say that’s a RELEASE for a Deep thinking mind! when the road gets tough your mind starts creating ways to release us and help, and If already you are little disappointed abt life so your mind can’t think any better way than suicide! suicide means Not Existing Anymore and a Nought body will not feel sorrow anymore. The introverted people usually think of suicide much more than others.
    well, another point i’d like to mention is lill scary! look, Our rules and laws are somehow adapted from NATURE. through the Natural Selection Theory from Darwin we learn that if a body ain’t Producer (=Helpful, Asset) then it must be removed from the cycle! so why not to accept the rule of Nature??? it seems like it’s ok to commit suicide if you feel you’re in vain then!
    but wait, another dimension, i’d like to remind you of Stephan Hawking. if ever ever sb had the right to suicide it was surely him. but look What Can A Human Make while in great adversities. i think even for the weakest of us there’s another hope!
    to get your feelings managed and safe, i suggest TAKE THE LIFE EASY.
    have a beautiful day

  15. JoAnna Parker

    My suicidal thoughts come from the fatigue of trying to get better for decades to no avail, as well as hopelessness about the future of humanity (I particularly struggle with the value every society throughout history has put on female beauty, and how that influences women’s life experiences and self worth).

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