suicide is an illness

[hazelharris]

i read this letter from a lady who had contemplated suicide Dorothy survived thank goodness it shows that this dreadful feeling is an illness like any other i hope like her this may give someone some small comfort if they have lost a loved one and if anyone reading this has this feeling of despair please talk to someone and ask for help there is no problem that can't be overcome

I was interrupted by surprise mid-suicide attempt in 1996 when I was 40. I had two small kids. As I was sitting in my car I was thinking over and over again that they'd be OK without me. And I believed it.So I can say to all the survivors simply that my brain had a physiological illness that I almost lost the battle with. My brain turned into my enemy, just like some people's liver, kidney, or any organ can. Killing myself made perfect sense to me at the time. I wasn't even crying. I thought I was solving my problem in a logical way. Please don't blame yourself or your lost loved one anymore than you would assign blame for someone losing their battle with cancer. I hope my post helps someone to leave guilt, blame and shame out of their grieving.

[hazelharris]

re posted x

[Marjatta]

Hi Hazel,

Thank you for sharing your firsthand insights into the thought process of suicide and how it is rarely anyone else's fault. Too many people feel guilty that if they only could have done more, the person who ended their own life would no longer be trapped in their own private hell that nobody else could enter.

I agree with you that this is simply not true.

When an individual has reached their limit of tremendous pain (physically or emotionally), it is very difficult for them to heed outsiders advising them to "Hang in there" or "Wait for better days to come." Even with a loving family around them, the pain that overwhelms them is too hard for them to bear.

One of my physically healthy family members committed suicide recently. However, another family member, who is basically bed-ridden with a debilitating illness, has continued to grasp onto hope and has chosen life for as long as God grants it to him.

There is no rhyme or reason sometimes as to the faith or lack thereof that keeps some people going and others to throw in the towel.

What must be recognized by everyone is that we are not responsible for the choices made by others. As much as we have nurtured them, supported them, and lent a friendly ear when they needed it, there are still some situations where the choices made by those who commit suicide are all their own. There is no human being on the face of this Earth that could ever change their mind or ease their pain, no matter how much they loved them.

They are in God's loving arms now, and we need to accept that. We don't need to add further unwarranted guilt to our sorrow.

M

[hazelharris]

re posted x