SUICIDAL ELIMINATION

I happen to be a person who can't comprehend suicide. That a person has the guts to not only get the thought of it but also act upon the thought overwhelms me and it is why I would always try to make people understand that there is a huge difference between mere sadness and depression... reference to my "you are not depressed, you are just sad" post. I'd say depression is a very severe form of sadness caused by a lot of *REAL LIFE* happenings to a person. 

You see, a person thinking of suicide and acting upon it wouldn't or doesn't rather, wish to die. They look for a way to escape the unbearable pain and suffering they go through and in the absence of any, they find death as the ONLY escape route. Deep down, there is always the wish for another alternative but then, studies show that hopelessness is a very strong predictor of suicide. 

In a situation where I'm in a race and suddenly experience muscle fatigue for a few seconds, I have two options on my mind while watching other athletes surpass me; to either leap to the finish line or just sit back in my lane. Me leaping to the finish line shows I still had the hope of finishing the race, even though not winning but that I had to sit back shows how I lost hope in getting to the finish line at all. 

*Let's try understanding suicide*

First of all, talking about suicide to a suicidal person is scary because you wouldn't know how to start the conversation and what to say even; but then let's look at some do's and don'ts of a suicide conversation.

*Do's*

1. Be yourself and listen: I don't think a suicidal person should be interrupted when interrogated. Paying rapt attention and listening carefully would do both parties a lot of good as you won't feel like you're putting the victim in some kind of more frustrating environment and also the victim on the other hand would have the feeling of being listened to. 

After asking a question, till a complete answer is given you should say something else. Bear in mind that giving a suicidal person the opportunity to express their feelings could ease them a bit 

2. Be sympathetic, non-judgmental, calm, and accepting: no matter the reason(s) for a suicidal thought, do well to be calm about it, accept and never judge a suicidal person. 

We are approximately 8.2 billion people on earth and these 8.2 billion people see life in 8.2 billion different ways and have 8.2 billion different experiences. 

3. Choose your language VERY carefully: I'm a person so heavy on people's utterances to others. If you happen to be an unconscious person with your tongue, do well to refer a suicidal person to someone verbally conscious. The aim is to reduce the suicide rate and not to increase it because a plus one to it is a minus one to us. 

*Don'ts*

1. Argue: arguing with a suicidal person is somewhat useless in my view; the reason being that this is a person blinded to the reason to live. You're only TRYING to make them see reasons not to live happily but to see the hope in being alive, just alive. 

Arguing with a suicidal person is only going to fuel the desire. 

2. Promise confidentiality: what is the point of starting a suicide conversation if you would keep it to yourself, most especially as a nonprofessional in such a field? You can't and shouldn't be confidential about a suicidal person; maybe the reason/cause in a very few cases but it's still really not advisable. 

3. Act shocked or lecture them on the value of life and the wrongness of suicide: in as much as you should be sympathetic, do well to keep your emotions calm. Different people handle different emotions and expressions differently. 

As stated earlier, a suicidal person is already blinded to the long list of reasons to live happily. You are only there to TRY giving such a person the hope of being just alive. Also, in a bid to discourage a person from suicide, do well to not use phrases like "committed" or "completed" suicide. Rather, use "died by suicide" or better still "attempted suicide" 

Aside from individual approaches to curbing suicide rates, schools should also adopt the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). It provides a set of guidelines schools can follow to take action to decrease suicide dates and support survivors. 

We should understand that the world is going a bit wild and a lack of access to mental health care for the young ones would lead to a lot of things that could lead to suicide.