Suicide Attempt Survivors
“I’m a burden. They’ll be better off without me.” “They’ll get over it.” “Nobody will care that I’m gone.” “I’m worthless.” Do you tell yourself any of these things? Many people who think of suicide do. In fact, a leading expert in suicide research, Thomas Joiner, PhD, writes that seeing yourself as a burden to others is […]
If you have suicidal thoughts, then you probably have clearly spelled out in your head your reasons for dying. These reasons may taunt you, incessantly reminding you of what is wrong with your life, perhaps even the world. Do you pay more attention to your reasons for dying than your reasons for living? People’s reasons […]
In just four sessions, the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program aims to stop somebody who recently attempted suicide from making another attempt. This is quite an important goal, because a previous suicide attempt is the largest predictor of eventual suicide. Is it really possible to prevent another suicide attempt with just four sessions of therapy? […]
There are many characteristics that place a person at higher risk for suicide – depression, substance use, a prior suicide attempt, as examples. It is important for clinicians to know that an especially dangerous characteristic, one that exponentially increases the chances of suicide, is recent discharge from a psychiatric hospital. I am at the Aeschi West […]
“If someone’s life is so awful that they want to die by suicide, why stop them?” I am frequently asked some variation of this question, even by mental health professionals. Once, a therapist told me about a client of hers with schizophrenia. “He is miserable, and he will always have schizophrenia. I think letting him […]
Suicidal thoughts and hope exist on opposite ends of the spectrum, and one withers in the face of the other. A good means for challenging suicidal thoughts, then, is to cultivate hope. That is the aim of the “hope box.” The premise is simple: Get a box (or a bag, or a large envelope, or […]
One night, a friend unexpectedly came to my house very late. Only after we had chatted for 15 minutes did she roll up her sleeve and show me why. Her wrist was bleeding. I rushed her to the hospital and struggled not to faint as doctors stitched up what she had cut with a razor. […]
I cannot pretend to understand your situation. You are a stranger, first of all, and everybody’s story is unique. So I’ll refrain from the clichés: “It’ll get better.” “This too shall pass.” “You are a good person and deserve to live.” Those statements may well be true, and I hope you will consider them. But […]
Hello, my name is Stacey Freedenthal, and I am excited to start this blog on suicide. I am passionate both about preventing suicide- what one author calls “unnecessary deaths” – and about understanding the intense psychological pain and despair that can drive a person to end their life. I have a lot to say about […]
