Suicide Is Not Your Answer

Nurses and other healthcare professionals have higher-than-average rates of suicide due to elevated stress levels combined with the high-stakes pressure of our lines of work. However, suicide is not the answer to one's problems. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

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liketheairport

97 Posts

I can't judge either of them. I can't say it's not someone's option. To them, it definitely is. To me, I would be afraid of what may happen if there is an afterlife. I may have to come back and do this all over again. (No way would I want to!)

A friend of mine recently told me she was planning suicide. I told her I wouldn't judge her, I hoped she'd reconsider, and I thought God would forgive her. I prayed for her to reconsider and that she'd get at least some sign of hope. She hasn't done it, thankfully.

It's not that you want to hurt anyone else. You just want the pain, the whatever, to just STOP. As someone who typically blames myself for EVERYTHING, I can understand how it feels like there's no way to stop the pain. And maybe there isn't. But, I guess learning to cope with it differently, in an ultimately much less harmful way, is the better option, not the ultimate one.

When I hear about these sorts of things, I just pray they're not feeling pain anymore and that their families are OK.

Guests

Guest

0 Posts

I have mixed thoughts about suicide... and I think that it can be a rational act, given the realities of the world in which we live and each person's individual circumstances.

That said, however, my personal philosophy is, "Don't make permanent decisions over transient conditions..."

~~

Commuter, you quote suicide rates... I'd be more interested in the rates of attempts. I'd expect docs and nurses and pharmacists to be much more successful in their attempts... both because of knowledge of how to do it but also because of knowledge of what often results from botched attempts.

Guests

Guest

0 Posts

Perhaps part of her desperation derives from living in a culture that still feels it appropriate to link her sexual orientation to her gross error.

Pretty sure we'd never see it as, "Straight nurse takes her own life..."

Specializes in Med-surg, home care.

I thought the same thing too. Does it matter she was lesbian?

Specializes in Critical care.

It matters only in how many more clicks such a "hot button" headline draws.

MusicEMT

212 Posts

I

That said, however, my personal philosophy is, "Don't make permanent decisions over transient conditions..."

thats a fantastic quote/philosophy!

Great article Thecommuter, suicide is kind of a taboo subject in today's society that a lot of peopel seem to avoid talking about, it needs to be dicussed more, along with mental health in general.

my thoughts on it are similar to ♪♫ in my ♥'s philosphy

but I do believe that everyone is capable in influencing their fate at least to a certain degree, like for example if I really wanted to: I could save up money, go to Somalia and try to become a modern day pirate.. (as silly as that sounds), or I could with lots of training become a body building competitor.

the point I am trying to make, is that no matter how dire ones circumstances are in life, there is usually a way out of those despondencies without ending ones own life (although it might not seem to the person at the time). I personally only support suicide if the patient has a terminal disease with absolutely no cure.

It especially really pains me to hear about younger people commit suicide, I just always end up thinking about what they could have accomplished with their lives

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

As someone who was affected by suicide and was physically affected in the process...as Viva (I think) stated, suicide is about STOPPING the pain...how to we stop brain "pain"???

I think the complexities of the brain as well as external factors and stress or trauma are a deadly combination that may lead to suicide being an option.

Once mental health can be respectfully talked about, funded, accepted and be talked about as simple as having a BP check, then we can look at effectively averting suicide as much as we can.

Amnesty

168 Posts

I'm one of those who has seen people make the choice to commit suicide. Sometimes, I've agreed. Sometimes, I haven't. It's such a tragedy, either way. That somebody's life could be so bad that they'd want to. That people could become so tormented it'd be an option.

I completely agree with ladyfree28; when mental health isn't this huge taboo subject and people can be honest without fear of judgment and life-long repercussions, then and only then will we have a fighting chance at lowering suicide rates significantly. Humanity is so ugly in so many ways, and our reactions toward mental anguish and mental health issues are definitely part of that ugliness. My heart goes out to this woman and her misfortune and her sorrow. I also thought it was ludicrous that they made the headline about a lesbian nurse. It had nothing to do with her sexuality.

sneeds

134 Posts

phhh... I can empathize to the point that when a nurse goes through such a horrible event and then some time later takes his/her life.... What I'm saying is that I'm thinking that when a person takes their own life... it's probably about alot of things happening at once. The Commuter's article was about a nurse enduring a horrific event in his/her life. The Commuter did not witness said incident or was witness to any surrounding events. You know Optimist...don't draw your own conclusions either, then. What's important about the post is that nurses go through &^%# and I think all of us can appreciate that. It's important to look out after our colleagues. If my buddy had that happen to him, I wouldn't look at him and say, Hey you may be suicidal for other reasons, bro. I would pretty much get the clue. I don't need a newspaper reference for that.

nekozuki, LPN

356 Posts

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Thanks for the article, Commuter. I understand your words were a jumping-off point from a popular headline, not a grad-level research paper cited out the wazoo ;)

pooh_ac

5 Posts

As a newer member to this site but an older nurse with YEARS of experience I find this subject very close to home.... many times people (family, co-worker and employers) have no idea of pain that a person is in. Our society has no tolerance for people with mental illness. There is very little to no support from our peers if you should let your mask slip for even a brief period of time. Employers, managers and other staff have no understanding that it is not a something a person chooses to become. They have no understanding that there is at times no ability to see any other way to stop the pain. If you ask for assistance many companies limit how many visits they will cover for a worker, or they will mandate that they will provide service with a very limited choices of providers of this service. They may also offer free access to their "chosen" therapists but offer only an area to visit this provider within the confines of the facility. Nurses who attempt to confide in coworkers risk ridicule, lectures on how good there life "really is", that if they would just "try a little harder to be happy" Personally when things are heading towards the desperate decision to end the pain, our profession just doesn't understand how a coworker feels. In my case there was many if not all of the above until you just cannot fight any longer and nothing matters. I have been told everything will be "just fine", there is no reason to "overreact". Only when some incident shoves you so close the edge of stopping the pain that suddenly people take notice, ponder if perhaps they should've listened to the pleas for help, suddenly offer the help or offer their own concern about how "you are really doing". Many times it is far too little far too late

kcochrane

1,465 Posts

As someone who has suffered through depression for over three years, logic had no place in my decision to attempt suicide. All you think about is ending the suffering. The pain, the darkness, the fear of living, a future with no hope. I was just tired of living, of suffering. I looked at my knives more than once thinking if I just bleed to death, it would end. I think the only thing that stopped me on many occasions was my children and knowing at one time I was happy. But I totally understand now what drives others to end it all. I know I went through it for a reason, that I can understand others that are suffering. With help from medications and a great doctor that listened, I was able to work through issues and make it to the other side. I had several relapses, but eventually I found my way out. Others aren't as lucky. I have a great life and I thank god every day I did not go through with my thoughts.