Figure out how to help people with the goal "commit suicide"

for years i’ve struggled with depression. finally winning the battle, i want to help others the way i was helped. one thing that pulled me through was Frank Warren’s project Post Secret. It is a project where people mail in their deepest secrets anonymously for all the world to see. with millions of supporters, Frank helped the suicide hotline from going out of business. without post secret, i don’t know what state i would be in. it helped me, i hope it helps others.

http://www.postsecret.com

We get caught up in moments of despair, we become frustrated by the difficulty and unfairness of it all, we lose sight of what is positive about even the harshest realities we face and on and on… There is little that others can do to help us beyond our darkest moments, particularly when so much of each moment is lived inside our own heads. Individual realities vary, and the degree to which we are individually inclined to become addicted to those chemicals in our brains that dictate our moment to moment emotional impressions of each instants reality varies greatly as well. As you may have guessed I am speaking from experience, an experience that until now I have never shared or discussed with anybody except my wife. When I was a much younger man I went through a period where the world I saw was as bleak and dark as a night sky without the moon or stars. I became so entrenched and overwhelmed by this perception of reality that my mind began to create things to be depressed about even when there was nothing in particular to bring me down. I would find myself going through depression exercises so to speak, where I would think to myself such disturbing thoughts as �How would I feel if my Father died, what would I feel if this happened or that, etc.! Thank God that I was in the Coast Guard then, for if I had not had such an incredibly reliable, caring and vigilant family as my fellow Coasties around me I do not believe I would have survived the depression that consumed me and the attempt I made to take my own life. It began as merely an impulse to feel sad, and gradually became an overwhelming desire to give up on life. Even now, so many years removed from those dark thoughts and desires, just thinking about it fills me with such powerful emotions that I can hardly stop crying as I relate this to you. But this must be said and it must be shared because I was able to overcome those thoughts and desires and if my history can help even one of you in the world that is considering this worst of mistakes based on a deceitful perception of reality, then I shall have contributed to saving a life, and there is nothing I can think of that my God would smile on me more for than that. So before I suffer from dehydration from the tears this memory has provoked, let me just say this. Since the day that my commanding officer became concerned about my absence and ordered my crewmates to search high and low for me, found me in the nick of time and rushed me to emergency care, saving my life, I have enjoyed a million happy moments, met the love of my life, owned and operated my own business, consulted for some of the largest most successful companies in the world and am truly enjoying my life more and more with each and every passing moment that God grants me. I will write more on this subject in the future and strongly, emphatically encourage anybody that is suffering from this problem to reply to me through this article, and I promise that I will respond to you as quickly as I can, and would only ask that you await my response before doing anything that cannot reversed. God bless us all!!!

I was reading my self help psychology book.
I came across a story someone wrote in it I think could be of some help for people who are contemplating it.

It’s by a girl called Lia Gay who was only 16.

“I never thought about killing myself; it just became a condition. Kind of like catching a cold. One minute you are fine, and the next minute you are sick. Whenever people talk about suicide you think ‘I would never do that’ Why would someone want to do something to final, so stupid?”

I’ll rush on. I’m sure you don’t want to read the whole thing.

“I went into my mom’s bathroom and took a bottle of Tynenol PM, some tranquilizers and a couple of pain pills I had left from an injury. Soon the pain would be over.
I will spare you the gruesom details of what followed.
It was a whole new kind of pain. Physically I puked until I couldn’t move. Emotionally, I was more scared than I have ever been. I did not want to die. (Statistics show that immedietly after ‘attempting’ suicide, the person perately wants to live…not die, which makes it even sadder to think of those who succeed.)”

It touched me and stopped me from a foolish suicide attempt I knew I would end up making.
Made me realise I had much more to live for.

I can help.
Not in the slightest when I myself am contemplating suicide.
I’m not sure what to do.

I was talking to my friend one night..and he was feeling really down and low and had brought up sucide. It turned into a long conversation and I had told him not to even think about it and just think about all of his friends and family that would miss him…in the back of my head I was thinking “Did I just save him?” I’m glad now I talked to him = )

most people just get irate with me and tell me they can do what they like..it’s not like i’m forcing them not to but they won’t even accept advice. i guess if i ever come across someone in real life who’s comtemplating suicide it’ll be different & i’d like to think i could help to change their mind.. other than that i give up :(

..not to obviously :S

I’m 15 years old and in my whole lifetime I have lost a total of three people to suicide.
To me that’s three people too many.
The greif I need to live with. The memories I dwell over. The hope I have that I’ll wake up and realise those three people are still with me today.
It pains me, more than anything, to know people would even want to think about taking their life.
Think of how selfish you are, think of the future, don’t dwell on things.
The fact being sometimes people don’t even try to help themselves and see suicide as the only option.
I empathize and I understand.
Just think about the people you will leave behind.
Years have past since I lost my friends.
I’m still not over it and I never will be.
Suicide is a horrible option, don’t think about it.

i couldn’t help everyone, and it pained me. but i did focus my attention to one girl and tried to help her, and as far as i know i either succeeded because she stopped posting on the commit suicide page and didn’t say anything about still wanting to commit suicide, or i failed. i don’t think ill ever really know. i think she made it. but i think the important thing is that i tried and the girl was really trying too. and all of you guys doing the same, that’s what’s really important. i think all of you are incredible people for stepping up to help others that are in need and cannot at this time help themselves. you are all wonderful. =]
much love,
laura.

I haven’t been commenting on many of the entries recently… I guess I just don’t know what to say sometimes. I want to help, but I can’t find the right words. I’m so scared of saying something wrong and making someone feel worse, I couldn’t forgive myself if that happened!

A lot of the time when I give people advice, I feel like my words aren’t good enough. I feel like a hypocrite… how am I supposed to convince someone that their life is worth living when my own life is such a mess?