Suicide is a very controversial subject in society, however, it is frowned upon by most. Whether that be because of religion, or simply moral standards, I think it is a topic that is very misunderstood. People who commit or attempt suicide are often branded as selfish, attention-seeking, or weak. It puzzles me that we can say such cruel things about people who have felt so hopeless that they are willing to end their life. Shouldn’t we be focusing more on the people or things that caused them to lose themselves in such a dark place?
If there’s one thing I am sure of, it is that happy people do not commit suicide. Happy people do not lose all of the hope they once had, and give up on any hope for the future. It’s heartbreaking to even imagine what could drive a person to end the only life they’ll ever live. A life with the potential to be filled with love, adventure, happiness and so much more.
So the question is: what did bring them to that point? There are an endless amount of possibilities. It could be their own personal afflictions, a battle with depression or other mental illness; over 90 percent of people who die by suicide suffered from a mental illness. But more often than not people are struggling with the sadness caused by their environment, or another person in their life. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for people of all ages in the US. How common is suicide? Well someone commits suicide every 12.3 minutes in the USA. It’s very common but still misunderstood.
When living in a toxic environment it is so hard to find even the slightest bit of hope. You feel as though nothing will get better, you are trapped by negativity. There are so many forms of abuse that people can suffer from in their environment. Mental, physical,emotional, sexual abuse are all equally traumatizing. If that alone is not hard enough, just imagine what it is like to not have a safe place to escape to. To even be bullied in the place that should be a safe haven amidst all of the pain. This pushes many to want to commit suicide because it is a last resort, they feel as though life would be better if they weren’t here. Many of us are fortunate to have a safe space, with people who love us, sadly many people don’t. Imagine the child who lives in a foster home and gets abused daily. They don’t have a family or many friends, they feel like they don’t belong on earth because there’s nothing worth living for. When people say suicide is selfish they don’t realize how selfish they sound. Abuse and mental illness isn’t something you wake up and get over, it plagues every aspect of your life. From the way you think to the way you interact with others. It has a strong hold on you, and sometimes people try to escape that hold by committing suicide.
No matter how much awareness we bring to the effects that bullying can have, kids will still commit suicide. Adults will still do it; It is inevitable. While we are working towards making the world a kinder and more accepting place, there will always be people with something negative to say. Bullying alone can be enough to make someone want to commit suicide, but imagine how that must feel when a person is experiencing problems at home also. The loss of hope can happen slowly, or it can happen all at once. One mean comment on a day where someone had started to regain their strength; Or constant hurt everyday until they can’t take the pressure any longer.
We are so quick to shame people who give up on their life, but shouldn’t we really be shaming the people who drove them to reach that point? It’s time to put an end to suicide shaming, and start bringing more awareness to the causes of suicidal thoughts, and ways to prevent them.
Suicide is stupid? You wanna know what is stupid? Hurting someone so much emotionally, that they think suicide is the only answer. Be kind.
— Taylor Belle (@thetaylorbelle) August 2, 2014
