I don’t believe that suicide is selfish. It may not be entirely rational. But selfish, no. I understand why people do it. Those who have left me behind… I’m not mad at them. They were in pain, they felt like they were a burden to the world, that everyone would be better off without them. I get that. They weren’t a burden, at least not in my life, but I never got to tell them that.
We don’t know how much time we have on this earth. We don’t know when someone we love will leave this world, either through their own hands, those of others, or “natural” causes.
Sometimes we have to say goodbye to someone sooner than we thought. Sometimes there’s no warning. It doesn’t seem fair. It doesn’t seem right. But that’s the reality of being alive.
Journey Toward Healing 
3 responses to ““Hold On”?”
I wouldn’t blame anyone for committing suicide either. I experienced suicidal depression myself. I attempted my life.
There is a neurobiological imbalance in the brain of people suffering with depression. Over time, this chemical imbalance changes that persons ability to accurately perceive, reason, make judgments, and causes impairments to their cognitive processes. When that person’s ability to think properly becomes affected, so does their decision making ability.
When we look at a suicidal person from this lens, we can then see in this muddied cognitive state, from their viewpoint they come to the conclusion that they are a burden to all, that they feel there is no hope, and that they believe their life is not ever going to change. They then make the the decision based upon these distorted thoughts, to end their life.
People who have never experienced suicidal depression may think it to be a selfish choice because that’s how it may “appear” from the outside. Those folks are not understanding that suicidal people cannot think, judge, and reason in the same way that their neurotypical counterparts can.
These people do not understand that the neurobiology of suicidal person’s brain CAUSES cognitive impairment.
This is why however, it is so crucial for all those who are suffering with depression, particularly those who experience self-injury and suicidal thoughts to stay in treatment.
Every life matters. Everyone is worth saving.
#endthestigma #mentalhealth
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My brother committed suicide and I don’t believe he was selfish in doing so, he just wanted the pain to stop. Sometimes the pain is just so overwhelming you never see an end to it
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Life is hard. In some cases, it’s just too hard. Nobody ever took lightly the decision to end their own life. They did it because they thought it was best for themselves and everyone else. The very suggestion that suicide is selfish is, in itself, selfish. Some people may think life is the greatest gift of all, but that doesn’t mean it is or that everyone else feels the same. Like you, those I know who did commit suicide I wish could have told me what was wrong and given me the chance to try and help them. I don’t feel any animosity towards them for the fact they didn’t though. How dare I make their independent choice about me. All I hope is that I never feel it’s a necessary course of action for myself.
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