1. There are enough people with mental illness that most of us probably know or even respect someone with mental illness. I have seen stats that 1 in 5 have some form of mental illness.
2. Those with mental illnesses probably never did anything to deserve the illness.
3. Most people with mental illnesses want to get better.
4. Those who take their own life do not want to die, they just see their life as hopeless. I always think about 9/11 and those people on the floors above the crash sight. They saw a fire behind them. They knew the jump from so high up was a better option than burning alive. Those who take their own life are in a situation in which they see a metaphoric fire all around them. It is burning them. They see the option of suicide as the lesser of two evils. As a person who is currently mentally healthy, I can look and see that the circumstances in my life are not so terrible that I need to jump. However, my mental health is not unstable. I can see things clearly.
5. I cannot judge those who have taken their own life.
This is what I encourage others out there to do. Before you post something on Facebook or Twitter about suicide, mental health or any subject for that matter; consider that you may be friends with or have followers who have strong opinions on the subject. There is a good chance that you may know someone who has attempted suicide, thought about suicide or known someone who has committed suicide.
If you are thinking about suicide, call someone you know, call 911 or go to this website.
No comments:
Post a Comment