What stops you from committing suicide, anyway?

[Aleph]

[...]'selfishness' goes both ways. I'd rather just not even use that word in this context.

Oh good, I was afraid no one was going to point that out.

I personally view suicide as a consequence of implosive weakness. That is, I expect people would or wouldn't do it based on the strength of their character (mine's apparently pretty ridiculous).

More importantly, I see no need to bother with it, even if I wanted to be dead, because there are plenty of things actively trying to kill me anyway. Why throw away the most valuable resource there is (me), especially if the effort is redundant?

I have a vehement disrespect for the suicidal and I think that last point is a large reason of why. You're not going anywhere so don't be in such a hurry.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Solais

[Aizenberg]

people wouldn't understand what another person is feeling until they've experienced that same feeling them self....which some of you guys don't seem to understand

[Phoenix Wright]

oh man "what stops you from living, anyways" really is a much better question.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Phoenix Wright

[BK-201]

Or rather: "What reason do you have for living" seems to be closer to the original question's intent.

[deleted35362]

like i said in the op, i was wondering what other people would think of to combat the urge to commit suicide if those urges came about.

[dondon151]

you can't really reason your way out of clinical depression. claiming to be able to do so betrays a lack of understanding of the chemistry behind the condition.

[Percivalé]

Throwing my personal thoughts in here

I think that all suicidal thoughts and talk of suicide should be taken seriously and people who are suicidal, whether they suffer from depression/other mental illnesses or not, should ALWAYS be respected and allowed to get help. People who contemplate suicide don't always actually want to do it--I can't speak for everyone of course, but this is what I've seen from experience & research--they just view it as a last resort kind of thing and, in the moment, feel there is no other way out of their situation, be it mental, environmental, etc. Calling them selfish or attention-seeking usually only makes the situation worse.

Whenever I catch myself imagining my own death or possibly feeling suicidal, I always think about a certain three people: my sister, my friend KV, and my partner (idk if they want to be named but it's probably obvious who they are). I don't know if my depression (or anxiety) is clinical because I don't have a medical diagnosis, but it got so bad last year that I did consider suicide or at least seriously harming myself and at the time I mostly thought about my sister and the promise I made to her that I would never voluntarily leave her alone. Now I think about that plus things I'm looking forward to in life, and as long as I give myself things to look forward to, I don't think it'll be as bad even if I relapse. I also pledged for a sorority which helped me a LOT.

[Original Alear]

you can't really reason your way out of clinical depression. claiming to be able to do so betrays a lack of understanding of the chemistry behind the condition.

Why wouldn't reason be able to have a physical effect on the mind? As far as I'm aware, the strong consensus favors therapy and medication, but it still seems like therapy sometimes takes the form of reasoning. It also seems like the term "trigger" is also a synonym for a reason: "I'm suffering such and such because [reasons]" as opposed to "[Trigger] is having an effect on my mood."

[dondon151]

Why wouldn't reason be able to have a physical effect on the mind?

a few rational thoughts don't magically right the chemical imbalance in the brain that causes depression in the first place. you can wish for your seizures to go away, but that is clearly not possible.

there is a reason why clinical depression is a disease and not merely a bout of sadness or grief. if people could successfully reason themselves out of depression, there would be no disease in the first place. i find it almost extremely arrogant that some people suggest to "stop being a pussy and it'll cure your depression" because it demonstrates an utter lack of empathy for the people who are truly clinically depressed.

[Percivalé]

There are ways that you can manage the disease through therapy, medication, and practicing healthy habits (through positive thought, exercise, a good diet, etc.) even though you can't necessarily cure it. For people with a mental illness it's about learning to live with it for the most part, because it'll probably never completely go away. Even taking as much care of yourself as you can doesn't prevent it from getting bad sometimes, but good habits make it a lot easier at least.

Edited October 4, 2013 by The Best SK

[Espinosa]

There's definitely an intellectual culture surrounding depression though; sort of a trend. If you mind your surroundings on the internet, you'll find that these guys often quote Schopenhauer and listen to DSBM - there are some 'patterns'.

I also wouldn't say that an emotional breakdown following a divorce, failure or loss of hope is 'chemical'; still, it's common courtesy to be respectful.