A person who has never had suicidal thoughts, or tendencies has a hard time understanding why someone would want to commit suicide. It is difficult for them to imagine how someone could believe that death is a solution for anything. However, for the suicidal person, death is seen as the ultimate solution.
Suicide is not a pointless or random act. To the person committing suicide, it makes perfect sense, and is something they have given a lot of thought to. It is a solution to an otherwise unsolvable problem. That problem usually is unrelenting psychological pain.
Generally, when a person reaches the decision to end their own life, they are so full of pain that they want it all to just end. Their consciousness is full of a never ending stream of distressing thoughts and feelings, with which they are preoccupied. This stream can contain messages of self-loathing, that they are a burden to their families, guilt, a pervasive sense of hopelessness and other very negative thoughts and emotions.
Because of their skewed thinking, the suicidal person believes the messages that are flooding into their head. If they could turn them off on their own, they would. However, they are not able to make use of problem solving strategies, so their internal dialogue continues to be full of negative messages. This leaves the suicidal person with no way to alleviate their extreme pain.
The only option they see to end their pain is to take their own life. All their thoughts began to revolve around this idea. They begin to formulate their suicide plan. Deciding how they are going to end their life, figuring out when they are going to do it, and where it is going to take place. It is extreme thinking, with an all or nothing mentality.
A suicidal person cannot think beyond the fact that suicide will provide them an escape from intolerable circumstances, and their pain can end instantly. They are seeking oblivion and suicide will provide it for them.
If you or a loved one is in imminent danger of committing suicide call 911 immediately.
National Suicide Hotlines, USA
Unites States of America
1-800-SUICIDE–1-800-784-2433 1-800-273-TALK–1-800-273-8255
1-800-799-4TTY–1-800-799-4889 (Deaf Hotline)