The spectrum of Suicidal thoughts

An introspective unprofessional take

Take a moment and answer this as honestly as you can. Do you want to kill yourself?

Now answer this one — Have you ever thought about killing yourself?

 

What is Suicide?

Although Suicide is a concept that has been explored by many and various definitions and types of suicide have been derived, a simple and ultimate definition of suicide is this — ‘ it is the act of intentionally taking one’s life.’

The most common cause is severe depression, however many things could lead a person to kill themself including loss, fear of loss, stress, substance use disorder, social isolation and my personal favourite — hopelessness.

But this article isn’t for the people we have lost to suicide, and it’s not for those grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. It’s for the rest of us — thinking about suicide. Casually or chronically.

When should I be worried?

As someone who has admitted to myself that I do crave oblivion and I hope there isn’t an afterlife and I don’t really have an attachment to my life — I sometimes wonder, when should I be worried? When have I crossed the line from harmless thoughts of dying to suicidal intent? I have to check myself every time. Is rubbing my wrists continuously when I’m anxious suicide behaviour? Is writing this article a cry for help? Am I suffering from hopelessness or one of the mental illnesses and is my desire for oblivion as a result of that? All fun questions to ask but, life is so distracting I -

Actual professionals recommend that you should not try to manage suicidal thoughts or behaviour on your own and that you need professional help and support to overcome the problems linked to suicidal thinking. So in other words we should seek help when we catch ourselves having suicidal thoughts because apparently, it’s not normal to have suicidal thoughts. Or is it?

All the people I’ve had candid conversations about suicide with have admitted that they have at many intervals thought about killing themselves too. Kanye said he has thought about killing himself (and Kanye is a genius!). So maybe we all have thought about killing ourselves? Maybe suicidal thoughts are part of life and we all do it sometimes? If you’re reading this and you’ve never thought about killing yourself, I’d appreciate it if you left a comment below. To disprove my thoughts that we indeed all have suicidal thoughts lurking in some part of our minds.

Final Thoughts

I believe we are all somewhere on the spectrum of suicidal thoughts because let’s face it — life kinda sucks. And I think it’s okay to think about not being here. I think we all do it and we all should talk about it more without fear or sugar coating.

I’d love to read your thoughts below and thank you for reading!