People ending their lives?

It’s impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it, the sheer agony suicidal people are in - it’s not really about the ‘people left behind’ most often they don’t have the capacity to care about that in the least. The level of pain is often unbearable and a living nightmare.
I don’t think we can take away that choice. It’s their life. We can offer as much support and care as we can, and many people hit the rock bottom and bounce up, and some people don’t.

For the people left behind, it is extremely hard but that is something they need help with, but you can’t expect a person in dire straits to consider that in their darkest hour. Often the only thing you can do is offer love, comfort and support to that person - not judgement and shame.

Absolutely nobody chooses to be in that position, and unreserved dignity, non judgment and respect is required.

Depressing to see comments that simply aging would cause posters to end their lives. Not the point of the thread but: We have an aging problem in this country. Too often it’s seen as a ticket to decay and poor care rather than wisdom and love from caregivers. Services are awful and I can see the point of posts saying they would rather end it than be infirm at the mercy of the state. It’s within our power to end this though. If we think about the services we are likely to need as an aging population and work towards improving them both financially and our weird attitude to aging on then old age might not seem so bad or sad.

I think it is a popular understanding that a lot of single-vehicle road accidents "lost control, drove into concrete overpass abutment" are written up that way so the surviving partner can claim the life insurance.

It isn't more common, its just talked about more.

Methods of suicide recognised now such as crashing into a power pole or tree or drowning oneself were not previously recognises, they were assumed to be accidents.

And please don’t try to police others saying commit suicide. People are entitled to use whatever terms they like. I will always use the term that my brother in law committed suicide after murdering my sister. He was mentally ill.I loved them both. M and T xxxxx

It is selfish in that the impact on others is devastating yet it’s not as the person believes they have no other option. Very complicated situation

The title says quite enough for people to make their own decisions.

I thought it decreased from the 1980s because more people have access to proper pain management and mental Healthcare.

I concur with thinking it is a genuine benefit for your family. In my case my family will actually SAY it even when they aren’t cross (why don’t you kill yourself properly, if you really wanted to you would have done it years ago).

Suicide and mental health need to be talked about.

Especially as the government has thrown a monumental wrecking ball at mental health, in the shape of three prolonged and extremely damaging lockdowns, exacerbated by an inhumane campaign of fear, pure cruelty to children during their formative years, and a prime minister who laughed at us while deliberately breaking the rules that he set, and desperately tried to play the idiot's defence when he was caught red-handed.

Are they going to do anything to put this right, such as increasing the mental health budget for those whose mental heath was shattered by their cruel lockdowns? Are they even going to admit that prolonged lockdowns, school closures and relentless fearmongering caused massive damage to mental health? Can pigs fly?

I am still extremely angry about this. The way the government treated the public (especially children) was absolutely CRIMINAL. I will never forgive or forget this for the rest of my life.

Clearly we have mega problems with access to MH care. unfortunately, I don’t think any “reviews” of the system will help because we also have similar problems with access to physical health care. People die before they can get to see doctors all the time. Waiting lists are ridiculous, often over a year to see a consultant. Treatment is rationed and there is a whole generation of doctors who seem to have been trained to tell people to go away instead of treating a problem. My mil begged for help for years, batted between GP and consultants. Way too late by the time they actually found the cancer.

I don’t know the answer

Suicide was illegal 50 years ago and treated as a mortal sin by the church https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14374296

I don’t. ( you’ll be pleased to know - how rude!)

I don’t actually have the job anymore. But essentially it was my job to review. I based my post on ACTUAL findings. Everything I said there was true.

How can you post be based on "ACTUAL findings" when it is mostly opinion, @Youcannotbeseriousreally? What "findings"? Presumably not the findings of the many inquests that find serious failures in care, staffing, leadership and safeguarding in MH provision contributing to deaths by suicide?

(Your "how rude!" comment further reveals your attitude.)

I know when I was actively suicidal I genuinely believed that I would be doing it for my family. To set them free from the burden of me. I believed they'd be happy and their lives would be so much better once they didn't have to suffer me!

Your thinking is so very different. People can look at you and say you're selfish but it's just not true. You truly think that you are acting in the best interests of those around you and that they'll be relieved.

Or at least I did. I was genuinely shocked when my husband said he would have been devastated. I tried to explain to him all the ways in which he and our children would have better lives and I remember being completely confused why he couldn't see it because it made perfect sense to me.

For those people who are saying it’s selfish, I’d guess in at least half of those cases the people have weighed up those people have thought long and hard about whether their loved ones would be better off without them. They absolutely wouldn’t have done this thinking ‘life is too hard for me, won’t impact anyone else’. In my situation, my kids would be financially set for life if I died in the next few months. I know my death would be hard on them but would it be worse than relieving all their financial worries for life? Ultimately I believe that they’d get over an ‘accidental’ death but not intentional. So it’s not a choice I’d make atm. But some days weighing up that choice is vv close. In many instances people who choose to die do it precisely because they think they are providing a benefit to loved ones

When I was a child a neighbour, father to two small children, "got tangled up in a rope". It was not until over 40 years later that I learned it was suicide, it was always hushed up as others have said.

I agree.

I ve had NHS CBT when I was younger. It was OK but 6 sessions nowhere near enough.

I found myself a fabulous therapist but I have to pay. I go for as long as necessary to work through my issues at that point. All my coping techniques have come from therapy.

The government budget for mental health services is minuscule, almost non existent, that’s how much they care

This!

The 'support' I recieved at an NHS 'mental health hospital' was frankly a disgrace and, if anything, made my situation worse - after one night I was sent home, where I then had a complete mental breakdown.

Fortunately for me, I have medical insurance, which I used to cover four weeks admission to a private hospital and a further fifth, which we paid for ourselves. It literally saved my life.

I dread to think what would have happened without it and I despair for those who aren't so lucky.

@MillicentMaybe

Pop off yourself.

Mine was over 30 years ago.

It was the single, most influential, life changing excruciatingly painful incident that I have ever ever felt or experienced.

The fall out, to this day is still deafening.
I have and never will recover from it.

No note. No indication. No diagnosed or treated mental health issues (that we knew about).
A happy, funny, witty, intelligent and quietly successful person. We all adored him. 26. A dad.

As out of the blue as you can get.

His mother died from heart break. We all have chronic heart break that knew and remember him.

Previously, I had no experience nor had I known anyone who had died by suicide. I do now, more & more.

We understand that many serious physical illnesses have a death rate and that some illnesses remain untreatable even with all possible medical intervention. Might it be that it is also true of severe mental health problems? That no health or social care or family support system can reduce the risk of death to zero?

I’m not sure. However, I’ve heard of 3 men (one approx late 20s) and the other mid to late 40s, latter both married with children. Both said or were said to have had mental health issues, depression and maybe financial.

I do think people don’t talk about problems much or solutions like therapy. Men in particular.

It is unbelievably sad for me as my best friend ended her life in her early 30s but she was probably bi polar, under the care of her mental health time and they’d given her a huge incorrect dose for the past 3 years. You never get over it.

Oh for goodness sake, stop taking life so bloody seriously. People can do what they like, I can do what I like, and I can hold whatever opinions I like. Incidentally, I never said one word about my health.

Now off you pop and have a wee ride on your high horse.