Why are people so ignorant about suicide and depression?

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It's because they've never been in that situation and cannot empathise with whoever is depressed and/or wants to commit suicide. If they ever get into this position, then they will understand and be less ignorant. But for now, sadly, that is the way that it is.

Reply 221

lightburns

Original post by F i s

Everyone believes in something and that something is always greater than them or has an element of pre-eminence. I didn't say spend your whole life in transcendence, I just said that we cannot disregard it with only scientific means. Wonder is an abstract concept, only understood by a mind-set. Do not tell me this is just a chemical embodiment. :angry:

I don't agree. Any sense of transcendence or pre-eminence is dragging the phenomena out of reality. Wonder is no less wonderful for being biochemical in nature.

Reply 222

mazzie111

i agree
people who commit suicide are at a horrible time in there lives and need help and care and basically people being nice and trying to understand.

Reply 223

MovingOn

+ Rep, OP.

Likewise I find it sickening that people can be so callous about suicide, depression and other mental health problems. I've learnt the ignorant few don't represent the masses, and it's best to leave them to revel in that ignorance until one of those issues hits them at home.

Reply 224

EarlHickey

Ok coming from someone with depression(so severe I am losing hair due to stress) even I dont have an answer about what depression is and ways of treating it.

In my personal situation I feel weak yet strong, weak in that I cant do much as before I was depressed I went drinking a lot and became somewhat a normal 21 year old, popular with many girls, smiled all the time and had some confidence, strong in the fact that I have lasted years without a breakdown but i am at a horrible balance level, I cant enjoy the basic things nor can I let my feelings out in order to get better.

I have never been offered help, and should it come I would feel the person is either a goody goody, paid to do so, pities me or just has nothing else to do.

I need a shoulder to cry on but hate showing emotion as I feel it changes a relationship, be it friend family or lover, I want to scream but the idea makes me feel worse, I have insomnia but when I do sleep I cant get out of bed, if I do anything be it watch a movie, play a video game or go for a walk, I will stop myself doing it but once I am doing it for whatever reason you will have problems stopping me do it! which is why I have insomnia as I dont want to go to bed, or when in bed I dont want to get up, or in the shower I spend up to an hour.

I am just at this crazy one way or other part of my life.

Back to the situation at hand, the problem is like with me a form of balance people love to find any way to feel better about themselves, even subconciously and even the nicest person will do so even if they dont realise it.

How many people have seen someone in the street sometime and thought that person was weird? too fat? a mess? etc and with depressed people like me you need a bump of self esteem so someone giving you a messed up grin walking past you as if to laugh at you, or someone leaving you out of something is what you need to change, but as you arent given the opportunity to change you cant even if on a very very rare occasion someone makes a tiniest gesture you are further slammed down for not accepting it.

Theres no win or lose here, its either you are normal/happy or depressed or at very most dealing with depression well.

Reply 225

mya369

Original post by Lewroll

Oh sorry, i must not have received my copy of 'Mental Health Services Weekly', so they arent called asylums now. Didnt mean to offend you. So what are they called now? Whacky Shacks? Nut boxes? The Crazy Bin? Hmm, please enlighten me.

Absolutely disgusting.

One day you will look back at this and feel totally ashamed of your ignorance.

Thank you Sabertooth, Onyx and Little_My for doing your best to enlighten him.

Reply 226

Mr. Gutsy

Because they don't understand what it's like, obviously. Just like a lot of depressed and/or suicidal people can't empathize with these peoples' views on living a neurotically optimistic lifestyle.

Reply 227

EarlHickey

Another thing I would like to point out is that people go by the idea that if some has said depressive thoughts, and they dont accept the help(or maybe they do or maybe they just arent given it) then yeah, they are weak willed.

They come to this conclusion because of a variation of what people have said about the person not having been depressed before.

Its easy to think of someone weaker than yourself like I said in above post, but what I would say is what if some was exceptionally strong willed then something utterly devastating happened that pushed them down, would you then call them weak willed and not fit to be in the game of survival of the fittest?

What if said person never came across this one event in their life that pushed them down and at the same point in time 5 years later were far more sucessful in their lives, still amazingly strong willed would you call that same person stronger just because they never came across that single situation in their life?

Reply 228

username549578

Original post by mya369

Absolutely disgusting.

One day you will look back at this and feel totally ashamed of your ignorance.

Thank you Sabertooth, Onyx and Little_My for doing your best to enlighten him.

Oh cry me a river! Im not ashamed of anything and Im not going to be. Its you lot with the problem not me. So how many meds are you on then deary?

(and you got to admit, that was pretty funny)

Anyway I have nothing to feel ashamed of! Im not the one who selfishly tries to kill myself in public. Why should the rest of us be traumatised because you are too mental to sort yourself out. If you want to kill yourself, do it at home where we cant see you. Do you have any idea how annoying it is when some nutjob jumps in front of my train?! The selfish git makes us all late for work/school, and then probably expected someone to nicely clean them up and bury them. Welll i say if you want to kill yourself, why should we bury you?
At least have the courtesy to kill yourself in your own home. Drink some bleach or something. At least then no one will have to worry about you until the stench from your corpse becomes too unbearable, so the neighbours kick down your door to find out whats going on. At least then your body should have decomposed enough, so they will just have to get a broom and sweep your body into the bin. You wont care, your dead, you dont have to worry aqbout cleaning up, and signing forms etc etc. The selfish guy is dead now (or in hell, depends if you look at it from the religious perspective or not) so stop bothering the rest of society with your incapabilities to lead a normal life. And thats all i have to say about that.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 229

ipulledhermione

Original post by Fusion

I think it's worth taking note of the dire circumstances many suicidal people find themselves in. Just imagine a scenario where a person is heavily in debt, loses their job whilst on the verge of losing their home, aggressive bailiffs turning up every so often, going through a relationship breakdown etc...these are bound to lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair, and thus suicide. But, of course, you may not have experienced any of these life experiences, which is why you cannot comprehend suicidal thoughts.

The irony is thick.

You are right, the important thing imo is that these people are somehow shown. When you feel there is no other viable option, that ending your life is really the only way, something very wrong,has happened and you need to someone to make you realise there is another way, not someone mocking you, calling you weak and making things worse.

I used a lot of comas :s-smilie:

Reply 230

asdfg0987

Because TSR is full of impudent, arrogant fools who seem to have a vested interest in portraying the image that they understand things by presumption alone, where in actual fact, they don't?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 231

Magnanimity

Because everyone has to tiptoe around the subject of depression because a lot of sufferers are completely oversensitive about being perceived as having this horrible disease with so much grief and suffering. This thread is evidence of that. On threads on this site before I've seen depression compared to cancer by a sufferer. That is ludicrous.

It's also over diagnosed, AD's are chucked at patients like sweeties. It was almost fashionable for a little while there to have depression.

And I do believe physical illness is worse than mental illness.

And you guys have no idea of my medical history so I would think twice before saying I don't have any experience of physical or mental illness.... Or that I just 'don't understand'.

Reply 232

Jimbo1234

Original post by mya369

How can you be so sure that it's not the 'chemical imbalance' that causes the person to wallow in self pity in the first place?

Nobody understands how depression works and how its brought on. You are deluded if you think that you do.

Go ask a doctor. They do know why and how....... :rolleyes:

Original post by GodspeedGehenna

Negative chemical? Whatchoo talkin' bout?

Basically how you feel depends on what chemicals you brain is releasing. There are chemicals that make you happy, ones that make you sad etc. If you are constantly thinking of miserable things then eventually your brain adapts to this and starts to uncontrollably release this chemical that makes you depressed. This is where the medication would come in as it limits the amount your brain releases.

Original post by Gemma :)!

My God Father killed himself, and it drives me MAD when people say that people who commit suicide are "selfish". I can see WHY they said that, but I don't believe you truly understand what someone goes through at such a time until you've actually experienced it for yourself.. although obviously I don't want you to experience it.. not nice.

It depends on the situation.
But sometimes those who do kill themselves are selfish as they can be leaving behind a family etc and most of the time the circumstances for why they killed themselves are not even that bad.

Reply 233

trimmy

i just love how you get negative repped on here for simply having an opinion on the topic. How pathetic.

Reply 234

Architecture-er

Original post by IndigoRockGirl

"Note, this isn't how I think (though I do think this about teenage girls who get 'depressed' over a tiny relationship or whatever)."
Whether you believe all of the things in your list or not, you definitely give the air of ignorance and callousness about depression.
I am not immature, you don't know anything about me either. How old are you? What has age got to do with anything anyway? I have been through more in 16 years than most people do in 60, so don't tell me about myself please, because I know exactly what and who I am.

*cough*

I think you've got a little bit of nerd-rage stuck in your teeth there.. :rolleyes:

Reply 235

flubadiblam

Original post by .Ali.

No one chooses to get depressed. People react differently, I think that's slightly unfair.

that is exactly my point. your reaction is your fault not anyone else, i mean how can it be? met a few people that actually wind them selves up (not literally) if something goes wrong, start feeling sorry for them selves and get depressed. last thing i wana say is BOO HOO everyone has or had the same problems as you do, so what makes you so special?

by "you" i mean people who always get depressed over nothing, if theres a proper reason its fine lol

Reply 236

DiZZeeKiD

Original post by Crazy Paving

I've been depressed to the point where I've considered it so i Can empathise, but committing suicide is a gutless, selfish act that causes nothing but further misery to the people you've left behind. Sure, people with depression need to be supported but I can have no sympathy for someone who would rather end their life just because they are struggling rather than sticking it out and making things better. I did, because I'm a strong person. You only get one life and you shouldnt throw it away just because you can't see a way out.

Reply 237

flubadiblam

Original post by Steevee

How does one go about becoming depressed?

I kinda want to be, so I can justify my opinion on the matter.

lol just put on some RAM music... and look in the mirror! :biggrin:

nvm that was bad lol

Reply 238

Charzhino

Original post by adam_zed

repeating lame catch phrases that attempt to simplify a complex situation (which by the way, says more about your intelligence and scope of mind then it does of the bravado that you wish to portray) is the ignorant tool's way out......