Busting the Myth: Attempting Suicide is Seeking Attention.
People are social beings and interacting with each other is an integral part of our lives. We all need attention in the form of love and affection. People who are contemplating suicide are misunderstood to be seeking attention. They are accused of threatening to commit the act and get noticed. Nobody seems to notice the cry for help and the desperation for someone to hear them out. If they really wanted some attention, wouldn’t they want to be alive to get it? All that they need is our attention in the form of help that can save their lives. When someone who is attempting suicide is tagged as “seeking attention” from their family and friends, it will hit them the hardest and stop them from reaching out for help.
We need to understand that thinking about or planning suicide is indicative that something painful is going on in their lives right now, and that they are considering death as a “better alternative”.
They feel helpless, worthless and powerless.
They feel they have reached a dead-end and see no way out except death.
They feel that their family and friends will be better off without them.
They sometimes just want to punish themselves.
Suicide is not chosen. Most people who commit suicide don’t actually want to die; they want to end the pain/misery they are experiencing. Eg: Cancer patients become suicidal because of the pain they endure.
They want help but may not be aware of how to go about seeking it.
They don’t know how to make the pain stop.
They are unable to think of any options other than suicide. There can be many ways of resolving their problems, but they are not able to see them. It is important that people around them read the signals and encourage them to realize that the crisis is temporary. By seeking professional help, they can change their current feelings, get their pain to subside and bring in the urge to live. One can reach out to our Counselors at LeanonMe too.
How to Strike a Good Work–Life Balance.