Speaking of Suicide

Choosing to Live After My Stepfather’s Suicide

My stepfather died by suicide in July of 2019. I was 20 at the time, living in a fraternity house in Wyoming, delivering pizzas as a summer gig. A month before he died, my mother informed me they were getting a divorce. I was puzzled and disappointed because I’d known my stepdad for 15 years. He was the father of…

A mother sits on a porch with her arms around a son and a daughter

Helping Children Understand Suicide

by Erie Crawford, PhD, LSW

When a loved one loses their life to suicide, it’s difficult for adults to understand, let alone children. The night my husband, Jac, died by suicide, my three small nieces and my nephew were at our home. They were all under the age of twelve and frequent visitors. Jac and I loved having them over for sleepovers while their mother…

Letter to a Dear Friend who Died by Suicide

by Allison Songbird

The last time I saw you was a Saturday night. The air was cold and crisp outside, and your kitchen smelled like mulling spices and Christmas cake. You poured me a glass of red wine, like you had done so many times before, and we looked out the kitchen window into the darkness of winter. I asked if you thought…

Chatbots and Suicide: Both Sides of the Story

by Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW

Two recent headlines show ChatGPT’s dramatic potential to harm or help people with suicidal thoughts: “Lawsuits Blame ChatGPT for Suicides and Harmful Delusions” (The New York Times) “Over 1 Million Users Talk to ChatGPT about Suicide Each Week” (PC Magazine) ChatGPT isn’t the only conversational chatbot out there, so it’s possible millions of people every week turn to AI for…

I Wanted to Die for Five Years. Here’s How I Saved My Life.

by Morgan Ellis

On a cold November night in 2020, I awoke at 3 a.m. to find I was barely breathing. Very light inhalations, barely enough to stir my chest, spaced unnaturally far apart. I’ll never forget the cadence and feel of that breathing. “huh……….. huh……….. huh………..” I immediately knew what was happening, and I didn’t care. I didn’t try to take deeper…

People chat and eat at many tables close to each other in a crowded restaurant

Where is It OK to Speak of Suicide?

by Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW

I was mid-sentence when someone slid a sheet of paper across the table to my friend Sam. “This is for you,” a female-sounding voice said to Sam, and the messenger slipped away without my ever seeing her. We were lunching at a popular diner in Denver. I was intrigued: What was on that piece of paper? Sam happened to be…

Will I Be Committed to a Mental Hospital if I Tell a Therapist about my Suicidal Thoughts?

575

You may be considering suicide and yet not want to tell a therapist, because you fear landing in a mental hospital. If you go to a therapist or psychiatrist and tell them you’re seriously thinking of killing yourself, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be hospitalized – even if you want to be admitted. Hospitals are pretty strict these days about…