Comments on: A Surprisingly Long List of People Who’ve Attempted Suicide

By: Moe

Moe — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:59:21 +0000

I think one thing that was not addressed here is that depression Is usually caused or comorbid with anxiety or perfectionism. scientists, athletes, and artists tend to be perfectionists. Perfectionists tend to judge themselves more harshly than the public, so If you could imagine being famous and constantly under the public eye and criticized it could cause a lot of anxiety, which eventually leads to depression.

I have experienced these types of mental breakdowns 3 times in my life due to high levels of stress I place on myself due to perfectionism in school and my job. Thinking becomes irrational. Feeling worthless for getting a 98% on a test is not rational. Feeling that your life will end if you leave graduate school is irrational.

When people place such large amounts of stress on themselves and don’t have an outlet, there becomes a chemical imbalance in their brain. Their mind starts racing so fast, they cannot focus, they feel like they aren’t part of reality anymore. They become paranoid to be around people because they think other people will notice and think they are psychotic. A person in this state feels like they will never be normal again….this is when suicidal thoughts start to creep in. The only way to escape from the pressure and racing, make it all stop is to end your life. People who try often don’t want to do it, they just don’t know any other way out.

Thankfully I never tried to hurt myself. I always sought treatment from a counselor or psychiatrist and I encourage anyone else feeling this way to do the same thing. I coach a lot of college students right now that go through the same thing and since I know the signs I will usually reach out to them and suggest counselling.

My anxiety is much lower now thanks to treatment, proper diet, and exercise. My faith in Jesus Christ also allows me to get through the tough times. When I feel I cannot push myself anymore, or things aren’t going the way I plan, I remember I am not the one in control of my life. God is and he has a plan for my life. I just need to quit pushing my own agenda and instead stop to pray on what he has planned for my life!

By: Drox

Drox — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:55:27 +0000

I guess the first comment did go through.. I’m dumb

By: Drox

Drox — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:50:36 +0000

Wow it’s like god doesn’t want me to have a voice! I just wrote a whole blog about my suicidal thoughts and experiences, then the page refreshed by accident and got deleted…
I’ll just say that reading people’s stories, as sadistic as it may sound, actually helps me cope with myself.. So thank you to those with the courage to tell your stories on here. I hope thIs terrible nightmare I’m in is just a thing of the past one day. I’m not the nicest or most social person ever; quite on the contrary actually. But whenever I think of my future self I see me helping others, being more positive, living comfortably, and razor a healthy family that has no idea I was at such a low point once..
Peace to all

By: Drox

Drox — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:44:11 +0000

I feel a little better everytime I hear people’s personal stories… I recently became suicidal and have thought about it almost everyday all summer (’11)… Mostly from breaking up with my perfect ex… Partly from finishing college and feeling like a failure.. partly from living with my parents still, with few friends, very few skills, and VERY little motivation to better or even continue my life.. This experience has taught me alot about myself and others, unfortunately most of what ive learned is either useless or negative…
Yeahh my life sucks.. Yea I’m pretty useless, and not a lot of people would care much if I really killed myself.. It’s a constant fight,for everyone. You get upset, something happens that makes you feel better, and hopefully you continue on..

My hope is that I eventually get through my depression, and extreme lack of motivation for anything. Hopefully this is just a thing of the past one day, no one knows about these suicidal thoughts of mine thankfully…
Blah… Life sucks. But you still gotta live it somehow.

By: callievic

callievic — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:51:41 +0000

No wonder depression (and other mental illnesses) are so stigmatized. I consider it a miracle I’m still alive. My freshman year of college I was so depressed I cried sometimes ten hours at a time. I’m 5’9 and weighed 115 lbs. I starved myself until I started having seizures. I overslept six hours some days and missed all my classes. I laid in bed and stared at the wall. I hurt all over. But I was too afraid to get help. I was ashamed, I felt like I’d lost my mind. I felt weak and I truly thought I’d be doing everyone a favor if I killed myself. In October I sent a suicide note to my ex-boyfriend on facebook and took a box of benadryl. I wanted to be less conscious of any pain so I could take my entire bottle of adderall. John was at a football game, but somehow he felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he got my message. He stopped my plan halfway through. Through the intervention of a few friends, I got help. But I was still hesitant to share my story with others. Some people I told made fun of me, some freaked out, some told me what a coward I was. But most people were inspired, and a lot of people confided in me that they’d dealt with mental illness too. You cannot understand depression until you have been at rock bottom. It’s not controlled just by circumstances. It’s a chemical imbalance in your brain. Sometimes no amount of good fortune can overcome chemicals and genetics. People who continue to stigmatize the 1 in 4 adults who suffer from a mental illness are only making the problem worse.

By: troy

troy — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:23:35 +0000

money doesnt mean happiness. neither does love. dont blame someone for wanting a sooner end. blame the people who saw that they wanted it and didnt try to help.

By: Nasha

Nasha — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:16:56 +0000

What about owen wilson? that was fairly noteworthy.

my 18yr old boyfriend died by his own hand at the golden gate bridge on his birthday, mental illness is just as real and life threatening as any other disease of the brain. i will always love him no matter the pain i’ve endured since.

“remember me, my misery, how it lost me all i wanted”

By: Quite Despair

Quite Despair — Mon, 03 May 2010 07:02:40 +0000

All through life, we know only what is behind our own facade. Never do we truly know what someone is thinking or feeling behind the mask they put on. There’s always at least some disclosure.
I’ve been in silent agony just about all of my 38 years. I can honestly say I think about ending my life once a day – it’s not a good place.
This is something I never tell anyone, as most who are depressed, I keep it to myself. That’s the irony of depression; when in it, you are the prisoner, the guard and the warden, it’s just not that easy to get out.
Those who judge suicide attempts and/or successes are either depressed themselves or just cynical and callused.
I myself try to climb out of the darkness every day – just keep living and hope for a brighter day.

By: annon

annon — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:45:55 +0000

funny i saw this i was thinking about offing myself

By: Tyler

Tyler — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:28:11 +0000

Marijo. You posted quite a while ago that in order to act you mist have low self esteem. ” why else would they want to become someone else?” Because it is a thrilling experience, because it’s amusing. 85% of my actor friends are the most confident people I know. They show off all the time; that’s what stages are built for. I love to act and I have generally great self esteem. Educate yourself before you speak.