Have you ever had ANY suicidal thoughts? Open discussion for all.

Emotion runs deep in the human psyche. Depression is the far end of the spectrum, allowing thoughts to flow in, detrimental to your well-being. Trauma, often emotional, leads to such a choice.

Suicide is the voluntary taking of your own life, just to proscribe a term for the discussion.

To be honest, I had just one episode when I was 18, dating a 26 year old, and we broke up. My world was devastated, had lost my virginity, and was in love, but couldn't see the future without her. I had a loaded handgun in my glovebox, and drove my 2 by (pickup truck) into the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere after driving for hours on end. I sat and cried, contemplating, (never did take the gun out of the glovebox) thinking I'd show her for the pain she caused. I cried myself to sleep, spending a night on a bench seat in the cab of my truck, and woke up in the morning in the middle of a field all by myself. I'm now 44. I'd chuckle at such, but I've had a few NDE's since then, and realize how precious life really is.

Life is Very Precious. Cherish it. No matter how bad your own life is, there's someone in worse shape.

When researching this thread, I thought originally the statistics would tend towards younger folk, such as I was, traumatized by love, but such is not the case.

Here are some BASIC FACTS:

Over 38,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year.
In 2010 (latest available data), there were 38,364 reported suicide deaths.
Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years in the United States. Currently, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
A person dies by suicide about every 14 minutes in the United States.
Every day, approximately 105 Americans take their own life.
Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death. There are four male suicides for every female suicide, but three times as many females as males attempt suicide.
There are an estimated 8-25 attempted suicides for every suicide death.

The trend has been increasing:


But startling enough, in the US, the peak age for suicide is 45-64.


(Sorry, but current data isn't available. 2010 is the latest data summary.)

Please visit these links for more information:

Source one.
Source two.

Internationally, sucide is on the rise.

In the last 45 years, suicide rates have increased by 60 percent in some countries.
In the year 2000, approximately one million people died of suicide.
This represents a global mortality rate of 16 per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds.
Suicide rates among young people have been increasing and they are currently the group at highest risk in one third of all countries (developed and developing).

In the US, the prime age range for suicide is 45-64, while worldwide, my originally supposed dispensation towards youthfulness does appear to be accurate.

Since ATS has a worldwide membership, it will be insightful to read what you have to say, as readers of this thread. Have you thought about it? Why? Since you are posting, tell us how you overcame your depression.

If a loved one, share. Get it off your chest. While I never had a loved one take their own life, I have had friends whose children have. My own brother almost committed suicide, while a teen, and I prevented it, but he was/and has been depressed his whole life. I am close to the horror, and would like to know if their is anything we can do to prevent suicide. Are there signs? Does intervention help? What causes such severe depression?

Are there any answers?

I have suicidal thoughts all the time

I tried after my Bro died, tried to overdose but a pal found me and got me into hospital, I was so down and the Docs put me on prozac which helped for a year or so but made me into a robot so I stopped.
I was very selfish and only thought about my feelings and none of the feelings of those I loved and to be honest Iam ashamed of trying to do it.
The reasons it is on the rise are many but I think we don't talk anymore or their isn't anyone to listen, people feel useless and heck life is hard and many just want to goto sleep and not feel again, I know I did.
But never thought of it again since so all is good.
I have learned to laugh everyday it is the best medicine

I gave it some thought years ago...

I always recommend that people look at things through the eyes of someone who has actually been there...

Tamara Laroux is a perfect example of this.

One day she decided to finally end it once and for all and she took a .38 and shot herself in the chest.

Tamara Laroux was broken and aimless and thought her only option was to put a gun to her heart. Tamara attempted suicide by shooting herself in the chest. She died and came back to life. She believes she experienced the afterlife between the time she was bleeding out and when she recovered.

I was convinced there was no way to live a completely happy life. If I couldn’t live happy, I didn’t want to live at all.

I believed the only answer for me was to end my life. I began screaming out to God, “God, forgive me.” The gun went off. My lungs began to fill up with blood. I began to go deaf. My eyes were open, and I became blinded. I knew that death was gripping my soul. Then all of a sudden I felt my soul leave my body. I instantly began falling and falling.

At that moment I knew I was no longer in control of my destiny. I ended up in a place that was complete torment. My body was burning. I no longer was lonely. I was no longer depressed. I became depression. I became loneliness. I became a tormented being of fear. I saw all of these other people and everybody was screaming out in pain. The mutual thing that everyone shared there was their desire to scream out to everybody on earth, “Do not come here. Acknowledge that life is about Jesus Christ.”

Eternity is real. Hell is real. Heaven is real. How you live your life will determine where you go. Everybody cried out that their loved ones would hear the truth.

I saw the hand of God literally come down. I knew that He was coming for me. His hand picked me up, and instantaneously I was no longer a being of tormented sin. I now was being cleansed. God took me over the Heavens.Source

yeah had a few and would think that most people would have......with mine tho i know i would never go through with it cause i couldn,t put people i loved through it but many a time i,ve thought what is the point.

wow, I haven't posted in quite a while. I'm mostly a lurker, but this topic hit home for me.

A few years back, my ex wife filed for divorce. My life changed in a huge way. I ended up hitting rock bottom, and decided to end all. I drove to Vegas for a few days of fun, then headed to the bridge in Cali. My drive was 24 hours straight to Vegas. I could not sleep at all, I was so scared.

After the few days of charging my credit cards, living it up, I continued to what I thought would be my final resting place. I parked next to the bridge and walked up the hill.. My heart is beating just thinking about it now. I slowly walked across 4 times. It was thanksgiving day. I watched the people passing me, thinking how horrible it would be for them to witness what I wanted to do. Especially the kids.

I ended up walking back down to my car and breaking down. I called my mom (the family had a missing persons report on me, I left my cell phone off during the entire trip). She was SO happy to hear my voice. I promised to drive home and get help. Which I kept (obviously lol)

Even though it was the worse and scariest point of my 32 years of existence, I do not regret what has happened. Driving the country, especially the mountains and canyons were amazingly beautiful. If I ever get "down", I can just think back to how much I scared and potentially hurt my friends and family.
(Sorry if this is a long rant, I'm not the best at expressing myself)

Every Frickin' Day...

And then I log off ATS.

Peace

reply to post by Casualboy100


Care to state your age and gender? I'm curious.

Is depression a disease, or a symptom of environment. I'll lean the latter.

reply to post by boymonkey74


Where is your old Monkey Avatar? Your wit was always associated with it, quick, from the hip, and precise.

I always knew what to expect from a glance at your avvy.

I have suicidal thoughts a lot.

I hate this society we have to live in today. It sucks.

It is sooo difficult in so many ways.

I have always felt I belonged to a different time than in this one; ever since I was very young.

I have never really liked living in this time.

I go on because I am determined, and was born with a lot of perserverance.

But, I really don't like it here that much.


I will be glad when it is over and I can rest ....

few times i've seriously considered it.. it wasn't from an emotional cause though, i could get along happily enough when i had to, it was more just a complete emptiness and loss of all meaning to life..

here in new zealand we have one of the western world's highest rates of teen suicide, and i believe it's because we've hit a generation that has lost nearly all connection to meaningful, deep, spiritual communication with itself. it's often blamed on classic hormonal teen depression, but i believe it's just evolving human logic..

i literally nearly thought myself out of existence because everything i did felt so hollow and unjustified. i knew i had to go to work, but nobody told me what i was working for.. there was no goal, seemingly no direction, and no unity, just an evergrowing population of hostile chimps devouring a planet and fighting over bananas..

i realised after growing older that small as it may be, you can still make a difference, to the people around you, and they make differences to those around them, like particles zipping around and colliding, making stuff happen, and that's worth living for =)

"in a time of chimpanzees i was a monkey" -beck

reply to post by Murgatroid


Sound Advice so far:

Laugh.

Experience life from a survivor.

Many thanks to you guys.

reply to post by Murgatroid
i know people have tried it and believe god has saved them but i don,t believe in god......if he existed then why hasn,t he showed himself in thousands of years?even if he existed in first place.

like bigbeefy its down to the family round you that stops you,family is the greater power.

Originally posted by Druid42
reply to post by Casualboy100

 

Care to state your age and gender? I'm curious.

Is depression a disease, or a symptom of environment. I'll lean the latter.

I believe depression is a symptom of this f'd up society we live in today.

It is more environmental that genetic.

I do think depression has been around since humans have been on this earth.

Some of it is genetic but limited as compared to the amount we have today.

It is mostly environmental today.

I work in health care and the diagnosis of depression is exploding.

MOST pts seen have it as one of their many diagnoses.

It is also a way for the big pharma to make money on prescription meds for "treating the disease of depression"

reply to post by sparky31


But somewhere inside.......there's something. Aye?

Never. Ever.
I don't really understand the concept. I've been emotionally devastated before, was such a total mess, but suicidal?
No. That's what alcohol and stuff are for.
Especially if you've already driven all your friends so crazy they don't want to be around you any more....

Life's too precious.
Besides, when you're at your rock bottom worst, the only way left is up. It can't get worse.

The only way I could ever see suicide as an option, is if I was terminally ill, and in a lot of pain, and a burden financially to my family.
But that's more like euthanasia, just self administered.

Originally posted by Druid42
reply to post by boymonkey74

 

Where is your old Monkey Avatar? Your wit was always associated with it, quick, from the hip, and precise.

I always knew what to expect from a glance at your avvy.

Put up an old photo of me when I was young and gorgeous...you sure you have the right dude?

Please be careful every one.

A yes answer in this thread could be used against you by THEM.

You could lose your firearms, freedom, ability to have large sodas or anything really.

Consider.

Great topic. OP, wrong question. Perhaps have the Mods tear this one a new AH and start a general discussion with a safety warning.

P

Originally posted by bigbeefy
wow, I haven't posted in quite a while. I'm mostly a lurker, but this topic hit home for me.

A few years back, my ex wife filed for divorce. My life changed in a huge way. I ended up hitting rock bottom, and decided to end all. I drove to Vegas for a few days of fun, then headed to the bridge in Cali. My drive was 24 hours straight to Vegas. I could not sleep at all, I was so scared.

After the few days of charging my credit cards, living it up, I continued to what I thought would be my final resting place. I parked next to the bridge and walked up the hill.. My heart is beating just thinking about it now. I slowly walked across 4 times. It was thanksgiving day. I watched the people passing me, thinking how horrible it would be for them to witness what I wanted to do. Especially the kids.

I ended up walking back down to my car and breaking down. I called my mom (the family had a missing persons report on me, I left my cell phone off during the entire trip). She was SO happy to hear my voice. I promised to drive home and get help. Which I kept (obviously lol)

Even though it was the worse and scariest point of my 32 years of existence, I do not regret what has happened. Driving the country, especially the mountains and canyons were amazingly beautiful. If I ever get "down", I can just think back to how much I scared and potentially hurt my friends and family.
(Sorry if this is a long rant, I'm not the best at expressing myself)

I can understand. Divorce sucks the big one.

Would you say it was nature that "brought you back" or your own desire for life?

reply to post by jude11


I can only give you one star.