Suicide article, *courtesy of Han*

Han found this. I think its really good. It may be triggering. Its also very graphic.





You've decided to do it. Life is impossible. Suicide is your way out.

Fine--but before you kill yourself, here are some things you should know. I am a random person who trys her damn hardest to help people in need, and I seen and heard of the results of suicide--when it works, and more often, when it doesn't. Consider, before you act, these facts:

•Suicide is not usually successful.

•You think you know a way to guarantee it?

*Like electrocution?

Ask the 25 year old who tried to electrocute himself. He lived. But both his arms are gone.

•What about jumping?

Ask John. He used to be intelligent, with an engaging sense of humor, and a wonderful personality. That was before he leapt from the building. Now, he's brain-damaged and will always need care. He staggers and has seizures. He lives in a fog. But, worst of all, he KNOWS he used to be normal.

•Pills?

Ask the 12 year old girl with extensive liver damage from an overdose. Have you ever seen anyone die of liver damage? You turn yellow. It's a hard way to go.

•And what of guns?

Ask the 24 year old who shot himself in the head. Now he drags one leg, has a useless arm and has no vision or hearing on one side. He lived through his "foolproof" suicide.

You might too.

But if not..

Who will clean your blood off the carpet or scrape your brains from the ceiling? Commercial cleaning companies may refuse that job--but SOMEONE has to do it. Who will have to cut you down from where you hanged yourself or identify your boated body after you've drowned?

Your father?

Your mother?

Your brother?

Your sister?

Your wife? Husband?

Your son, or daughter?

The carefully worded "loving" suicide note is of no help. Those who loved you will NEVER completely recover. They'll feel regret and an unending pain.

(Suicide is the most selfish thing you can do to the people who love you, or as you so constantly remind yourself, "DON'T" love you. Because everyone is loved. You are lieing to yourself, and making whatever you are feeling ten times worse because of it. However you choose to do away with yourself, you are going to hurt someone. Maybe that's what you want. Maybe all you want is to see the people who hurt you, hurt. Then you are doing it for completely the wrong reasons, and I don't even need to tell you it's selfish. [Not to mention you won't be able to see them cry anyhow.] Not that there are RIGHT reasons. But, if in the process of trying to hurt someone by your death, you live, and somehow end up forever damaged by your choice, who will you want to hurt, then? You are loved. And the people who love you will always remember you, and miss you. It is the worst feeling in the world for your loved-ones, having someone close to them, die. Especially when you take your own life... because that may mean they had a hand in the reason for your death. Do you know how aweful that would feel? Think of other people, not just yourself.)

Suicide is contagious. Look around your family. look closely at the 4 year old playing with his toy cars on the rug. Kill yourself tonight, and he may do it ten years from now.

(Your choice may perminantly scar people. What are your parents going to tell your baby sister when she's 5 or 6 and she asks who the pretty girl is in the picture up there? Poor kid. See now? You've made three more people's lives harder. Not to mention the emotional damage you caused your parents years before. What about your little brother, who watched your mother take your wrist in her hand in a vian attempt to stop the bleeding, and try to dial 999 with the other? What do you think he will IMIDIATELY think of when he's going through a tough time later in his life? ...Congratulations. You've just decided to kill your siblings, too. No one goes uneffected.)

You DO have other choices. There are people who can help you through this crisis. Call a hotline. Call a friend. Call your minister or priest. Call a doctor or hospital. Call the police.

They will tell you that there's hope. Maybe you'll find it in the mail tomorrow. Or in a phone call this weekend. But what you're seeking could be just a minute, a month, or a day away.

You say you don't want to be stopped? Still want to do it?

Well, then, I may see you in the psychiatric ward later.

And we'll work with whatever you have left.

whoever is reading this and is considering suicide...plz reconcider.....remember people are out there that can help, you might not thank them right now, but later on, when you do have a reason to live, you will thank them. And just remember what I have written - print it out, keep it, read it over. It may all start to make sense in the morning.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to reply to this or not, but I can't resist the urge to nitpick. Nitpicking things makes me feel better. I'm going to assume for the sake of my own sick joy that you just copied and pasted that article, and that the typos contained therein are the author's. Because God, I LOVE it when people can't spell things like tries ("trys"). It just takes so much seriousness out of any article for me. So woot on that one.

"Suicide is not usually successful" is dependent on which group you're considering. Most men are usually VERY sucessful. However, women usually are not, because women tend to use the methods that are often less damaging (i.e. overdoses). I would love to see the statistical evidence of that claim.

Arguably there's never a way to guarantee anything. One of the first things anyone will teach you in physics is that there is a certain statistical probability that your body will completely disintegrate and appear intact two rooms over. Nothing is certain. Fact of life. The only thing that is certain is uncertainty.

If you read "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach (I highly recommend it) you will discover that death is certain if you jump seven miles out of the sky. In fact, you'll hit the water/land so hard, that your shoes and clothes will disintegrate right off your body, and you'll end up naked and very dead. One man did survive a plane crash and a fall of seven miles out of the sky into water, but he lasted 24 hours and never regained consciousness. It takes the human body approximately 250 ft. to reach it's terminal velocity of 1200 mph, at which point, you'll die upon impact. It's a statistical probablity. If you live, you are not only the only person to ever do so, but it was not your time. Live on, my child.

I would also like to know how the author "knows" that the jumper "knows" he was once normal. I'd love to see the fMRI or EEG to back it up. At which point, I'll eat my words.

Turning yellow is jaundice. Pills is a terrible way to go anyway, because you have to take like 150 billion in order to go. Not only have I tried it, but I have several friends who've tried it. I agree with the author. That one sucks. Unless your pills are cyanide, in which case, woot! Have a good time. Cyanide will do it right quick. So don't take cyanide. It'll suck.

As for guns, just get a big ol' shotgun. It'll blow your head clean off. But don't count on an open casket. Though Van Gogh survived a shotgun blast to the head...The 24-year-old the author was referring to in all likelihood only took off one half of his brain, considering that brain function is crossed (left controls right, right controls left), and I'd be curious to know if he was able to speak or recognize objects pictorially.

None of those people will have to clean up the mess. When a death is suspected to be unnatural, the medical examiner/coroner is called in, the area is declared a crime scene, and evidence is collected. While any one of those people may find you, there will be no cleaning involved. Bloated bodies are often only identifiable by dental records anyway. Your family will never have to see you unless they insist. Bodies in rivers and bodies of water are often so eaten by fish, algae, et cetera, that identification is often only possible via dental records. So go to the dentist!

While in America suicide is often a selfish act, in cultures such as Japan, it is a very unselfish act. In Japan (I don't know if they still do it or not) if a man brought dishonor on his family, the only way to regain the family honor was to stab himself in the stomach with a sword, drag it across, spill his intestines, and NOT FLINCH. His suicide meant the honor of a family was restored. Just as an argumental unselfish act of suicide. Generalizations drive me crazy.

The suicide contagion has been neither proved nor disproved. Depression and other mental disorders have been correlated with a geneological link within a family tree, and are often triggered by life events. Technically there is no evidence that the "4 year old" will kill himself if he's not related to you. If it's your brother or sister, then it's possible that your death will act as the trigger, but the groundwork was already laid by genetics and fate.

I refuse to even grace that paragraph that begins "(Your choice may perminantly scar people." with a response. If this is an anti-suicide article, then getting snippy with the reading audience does not help your case. I, for one, tend to hate myself even more when people accuse me of destroying my entire family.

The police will tell you jail. Suicide is illegal. I love it. And yes, there are plenty of places to turn to instead of suicide. But sadly, if you try suicide once, the urge will generally return to plague you again. If you're going to get help, try to get something more long-term, like pills or therapy.

And I'm spent. That's the life of an NYU student, always thinking. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Perhaps that's where my particular breed of depression stems from: too much thinking. But you can't listen to everything everyone tries to tell you. That's why when you make it through one suicidal night, you can say it's because you found the strength in you, and not because someone else lied and told you pretty things or scary things.

I'm done! Analyzing things to death makes me feel better.

Yeah, it was copied and pasted.

I have an obsession with grammar and spelling, but didn't have time to read through that properly.

I enjoyed the article and the "anti article", but as a 3time surviver, they BOTH make me feel a little more guilty for being alive, lol. (Note to Self: Stop laughing at morbid statements.) (Note to Self: Stop talking to self.) Okay, seriously, I see both points and I aree with half of everything.... Does that make sense to you? It doesn't to me either. I know this conversation was a month ago, but I felt the need to put my two cents in. "throws two pennies in" and now I'm done.~Lisa

Sorry, I only just read, this, I really have to comment, by the time I got to the end of that, I had to wait 5 minutes, before I could post this post, I was so blinded by tears, and felt guilty, after 2 attempts, no reall side affect, nobody but me, the people who read this, and the two of my best friedns I confided in know. I felt so bad reading that article, I wanted to die again, I think that article contradicted the way it was supposed to make me feel, I feel even more deppressed now, instead of all "na im alright, ill get through it" like you think I should? Well thats wrong, I don't think that helps one little bit! In fact, I can laugh at how pathetic! that made me feel! >.<

am sorry you feel like this...a not gonna say clinches and stuff but well..life is NOT beautiful.....when everything seems aimless..some day..some time...a change may happen..and you'd like it..this life.....that's what sometimes keep me goin....i wish you'll be better son...

Livana I hope you feel better I felt the same everytime I read something relating to the subject. I wanted to kill myself even more cause after reading some books that helps suicidal teens get help and where it shows all of the signs that shows one person is...u no suicidal I just wanted to get angry with myself. What The thing is I no it is emotional and I did the same after I read this excat same article last summer, I cried after it like every other suicidal artical I read. Just please dont let it get to you like me. If it helps your not alone and not thonly person who feels like this If you need to talk Livana you can PM me if you ever need to talk. I hope the best wishes for you

This post has been edited by Blace on Jan 6 2006, 04:30 AM

I cant think of anything better than it..I want to go...

You can't 100% want to go, not if you posted that.

I WANT..not going to cuz I'm not that brave..

After reading this article and the replies (I know it's late) I searched the 'net to find that other article again of which I personally think is one of the best ones around.
At least, it got me thru a very difficult period.
Judge for yourself.

"You’re thinking about committing suicide.
Which means that you feel that you’ve run out of options.
I’m not going to try to talk you out of this, all I ask is that you read this.
You probably already have read and heard a million times that you’re selfish and that you’re scarring those you leave behind, for good.
I know that you aren’t selfish, you’re just desperate and utterly cornered.

However, you probably have noticed that all the stuff you’ve heard and read made the thought of dying more appealing.
And made you feel even guiltier than before.
So, you fight against it, making that thought that much more present on your mind, because oppressed thoughts want to be thought and acknowledged.
While if there’s one place in this world where you have total freedom it’s in your head.
So, allow yourself to think about death and how wonderful it’s going to feel to finally be released of all that pain you hold inside.
Allow yourself to plan it.
Think about the method you want to use and do your research on the internet of how to succeed.
Set a date for yourself of when you want to do it. Make it one you’re comfortable with. One of which you are sure you can reach.
What you also can do is make a list of Reasons to Live and Reasons to Die, this’ll help you clarify things.
Don’t be afraid of the thought.
Because thinking about and doing it are two completely different things.

I know what you actually want by leaving this mortal coil.
It’s not death, it’s freedom. You feel trapped.
Trapped inside life and you feel that death is your key to freedom.
Well, I assure you that you’re not trapped, because in your head you’ll always have your freedom and in this freedom hides the privilege to think about death as often and as much as you want.
Try it, give yourself this freedom and you’ll notice that when you start to feel that the choice of life and death is yours, that the urge and desire to actually do it will become less."

I followed this advise and even set a date. Because, the last time I checked my calendar was over a week ago, because whoever wrote this was right and allowing myself to simply think about death felt liberating and made me feel less trapped.
I still have moods that I want to quit, but then I go back to my calendar and remember it's not long anymore.

I didn't post this to drive anyone into an early grave. I posted this, hoping that it's going to help somebody else, too.

Thanks for posting it I have seen that somewhere before, can't for the life of me remember where, but it was good for me to read it again.

I didn't like that article. i don't think it's fair to call someone whos in so much pain selfish. i also have a problem with being responsible for other peoples feeling, yes i know thats selfish. but whenever my mum found out that i'd self harmed she'd tell me how i was hurting everyone else and how i didn't have to worry about other people all i had to worry about is myself. she's text me saying how my sister is crying cause she's scared that i'll cut too deep and die. i know what i do effects other people, and don't expect people not to be effected. i just don't like it when people make me feel guilty for how i'm feeling and how i deal with things. and that article made me feel extremely guilty about feeling suicidal.

great way to make a suicidal person feel better.

The reason it's selfish is because when you attempt it, you don't think about anyone else's feelings. You're just thinking about yourself, and not about anyone else's reactions. In the end, it's all about you.

The article's original intention was to prevent you from attempting and show you there is another way to help yourself get better. In no means was it supposed to make you feel guilty, but maybe that's just me.

The siblings reference.. it just means that there are people who care about you, and your siblings are no exception.

I'm sorry the article had a negative effect on you, I don't think the writer of the article meant for it to have a negative effect on people.

whats wrong with thinking about yourself? i strongly believe that suicide isn't a selfish act. i think if the people who love you knew how you were feeling, how every day it hurt to just wake up, and how every night you'd pray to die in your sleep. they'd understand you wanting to kill yourself, and maybe a part of them would be glad that you're at peace.