Research What Do You Guys Think? Informal Survey On Suicidality.

[Matilda]

Alright, I need to know what you guys think (and moderators, if I put this post in the wrong forum then please feel free to move me :) )
So I went to my first appointment with my therapist (which went great by the way) and she encouraged me to take up a project for myself since I'm currently not in school. So I decided to do a general survey asking close friends of mine on why they believe people consider/commit suicide. I was genuinely curious what they thought, especially since no one knows about my depression. That way, I knew they would give me honest answers.
So far, most of the answers have been somewhat infuriating to me. The answers are so generic and, at times, far from the truth.
So would it bother anyone if I put up some of the answers on the forums and maybe you guys could provide your thoughts on the subject?

 

[mrsps]

hey I would be very interested to know some of the answers. I guess people who don't suffer from depression etc and have never been in the situation where life sux, don't fully understand what it is like to feel suicidal.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I say post 'em! It would be like a debate with people who don't know we are debating with them, lol.

 

[Friday]

I enjoy these kinds of things, usually (sick sense of humor :sneaky:)... But I also take this attitude in general:

“He who takes offense when no offense is intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense is intended is a greater fool.” - Brigham Young

 

[Matilda]

Thanks for all of the replies :) so I'm going to wait for a few more interviews before I post anything (so maybe late tomorrow).

 

[sun seeker]

Yes, do. I'll be sure to be in a good space before I read them though :-)

Last winter a man in our community committed suicide. It hit me like a ton of bricks. He had a history of abuse and had been desperate for a long time. It made me do some serious thinking about how to be supportive of people who are that desperate. I chose the wrong person to tell my ideas to and was badly triggered by her insensitive responses. Most people just don't want to think about what it takes to make someone that desperate so they judge the person without really asking.

 

[Eagle3]

My boyfriend committed suicide last new years eve. I have a weird and twisted relationship with the idea myself, so i'm looking forward to reading these interviews and opinions...

 

[Matilda]

My only issue is; it's difficult finding people to ask and I really want responses from a diverse age range with diverse experiences. So, maybe some of you would be wiling to ask others and post their responses onto the forum I open up. They don't have to be too long. You could just say you're helping an acquaintance with an essay.
I tend to ask this, but you could always word it differently:
"Why do you think people commit or consider suicide? And it has to be a personal answer, not just researching the topic and then repeating the information. What do you think is really going on in the minds of people who have suicidal ideation?"

I feel like I'm asking way too much of everyone, but I'm beginning to see that not many people really understand suicidal ideation and even depression. The tricky part is: they don't understand it, but they believe they do understand.

 

[sun seeker]

It's too strong a trigger for me, sorry. But there are a few thousand people here so hopefully some of them can help. :) I can mention a few things people have told me in the past though.
1. Isolation, especially for women.
2. "choices people make, especially the choice to be a loner."
3. "selfishness, wanting to control others".

You can tell what I think of the last two.

 

[sun seeker]

Matilda, I have a question. Do you just want answers from the general public, or would you like our opinions as well? It might be interesting to compare answers from people who have no personal experience with the issue and answers from people who do. I don't mean to imply that everyone here has been suicidal or close to someone who has been, but it's a safe bet that most of the people attracted to this thread will have some reason for a strong opinion on the issue.

 

[Matilda]

@sun seeker I believe it would be great to have the opinion of everyone on the forum who have some experience with this topic to compare to those who don't have experience with the topic. As @Solara said, we could treat it as if we are debating people who we don't even know.