Most Suicide Methods Don?t Work And Are Painful
By geralt at Pixabay
I thought I would be dead by the time I was thirty.
I drank too much. I took too many risks.
I was an adrenaline junky. I rock-climbed and whitewater rafted.
My family members were dying at a young age. I figured I might as well do all the things I wanted to do before it was too late.
After I broke my ankle in three places rock climbing, I was out of action for over a year. It finally made me cautious.
But I had thought about suicide since my teens, and made an attempt in my 20?s. I always thought it was an option if I was seriously ill or truly miserable.
I haven?t considered suicide for many years. But when the love of your life has a severe illness, you start thinking about your choices.
So I did a thorough search on the web. I wanted to know what method was the least painful and most effective. It was enlightening.
I found a kindred soul on the net. He attempted suicide but failed. He decided to research everything about killing himself. He discovered why he failed, and he was surprised to see that most people fail at committing suicide.
He realized that like me, most people want a painless death. But he discovered that not only are most suicide attempts unsuccessful, but they are painful.
Worse, the survivor can be left permanently mentally and physically disabled.
Who is attempting suicide?
Some people who try to kill themselves are suffering from depression as I am. But not all. Between 20?25% of Americans suffer from depression.
Of those who get help, 80% to 90% get better. Like me, people can usually deal with depression with therapy and drugs. But not all.
And when you have to handle a major life crisis and haven?t seen a therapist or changed your meds for a long time, you are in desperate need of help.
What happens if you make an attempt?
According to the CDC, only 1 in 25 people who try, successfully kill themselves. That means that 96% fail. That?s a very high percentage. What happens when you fail?
The most popular suicide method for women is a drug overdose. But during your overdose attempt you may experience for three to six hours:
- Seizures (Convulsions)
- Chest pain caused by heart or lung damage
- Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. You can vomit blood.
Also, to revive you, you may be given activated charcoal and other drugs to force you to expel your ?stuff quickly.?
If you survive, you may suffer liver or kidney damage. If the heart and lungs were damaged, you could have permanent brain damage.
And you may be admitted to a psychiatric ward for days and must take outpatient psychiatric care for months.
After I read that, I decided there are good reasons to see my doctor, get a referral to a psychiatrist and psychologist and stay healthy.
Are you still thinking about suicide?
If you still think suicide is a good idea, think about the suffering it will cause your parents, children, spouse, family members, and friends.
Immediately after my attempt, I felt foolish. I regretted what I did. I?d been drinking heavily, my marriage was failing, and it was four in the morning.
It was not a good time to make a life and death decision.
What should you do?
Instead, give yourself time: an hour, a day, a week. Do something to distract yourself, other than drinking or using drugs.
You?re feeling like the pain won?t end, but it does.
Talk to someone you trust, who won?t judge you. If you need confidential support, call 24/7 the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine.
Take care of yourself ? if you can?t or won?t see a therapist, join a support group. But do something for yourself. You?re worth it.
Who is successful at suicide?
More men kill themselves than women. Why? They choose more lethal methods: guns, hanging, moving objects (cars). These methods are less likely to allow you to change your mind and get help.
And because of social expectations, men are less likely to seek help.
Even if you try to kill yourself using a potentially more lethal method, such as firearms or hanging, you may survive, and be permanently physically and mentally disabled.
Also, some suicide methods can accidentally kill others in the household and can permanently scar the person who finds the body.
A parting thought:
By KRiemer at Pixabay
Don?t give up. We need you.
Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.
? Jane Addams
Resources
- Lost All Hope
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
- Mental Health America: Take a Screening Survey
- American Association of Suicidology: Suicide Warning Signs
- Why are More Women Committing Suicide?
