The more we talk about the underlying reasons for suicide the better. My mum took her own life 2 weeks ago - but her mental illness (bipolar disorder) that we had all been battling together for 40 years took her life in the end. What I want to know is whether people who suffer from chronic depression have different reasons for contemplating suicide than those suffering from bipolar disorder. Thanks

"Back from the Brink"

Very sorry to hear about your mother. I am a fourty three year old mother of two girls, married for 21 years. Suffering from depression and anxiety for many years. I am on medication yet still thought of suicide several times. My first serious attempt was December 10 of this year. By the grace of god and a good friend coming over to drop my daughter off, she found me in time. I say that now because with help I am feeling better today. I had been mixing alcohol and my meds. But even not having any alcohol I still get very down any feel uncontrolable. Like nothing is right, The easy way out seems tempting. I,m sorry she felt that way like everything seemed so hopeless and dark. As for you I know she did not mean to hurt anyone at that split second, atleast I did not. God be with you and your family.
debbie

laurina70

When it is a "medical" reason for the depression, it is hard to say why someone gives up. Sometimes the medication is not working or they have no reason to live. I tried to take my life before I had my now 20 year old daughter. Since then I had to "divorce" my family as the pain was just too much and I knew I would be giving up again. I had tried counseling, medication and talking to family members - no one understood! Since having my daughter, I have had to "divorce" his family (I am a single mom since she was conceived - my choice) in order to stay sane. Today I am hurting from a 9 month relationship that ended when he found someone else. I was not happy 2 months into the relationship and should have made a UTURN and did not. But believe me, this will NOT happen again. I told my daughter who just does not understand, while she may not intend to HURT me, it does HURT when you do not have time in your life for me. But again, I have to LEARN to "survive" the best way I can and to be honest, it is hard and I struggle EVERY day with wanting to stay alive. Since not being able to CONNECT with the ONLY family member in my life (my daughter), I am EMPTY. People just do not understand the PAIN you feel and like to offer advice like go to church, get on medication, talk about it............ For some people those solutions do not work and if SOMEONE will just LISTEN! Maybe one day my daughter will understand, but until then I have to "distance" myself from her and be there to get her through college, but not ALLOW myself to continue to get hurt by someone who is being the BEST she can be. And yes it HURTS!!!!! But I know me and I have to stay alive to get her through college. I hope by the time she graduates from college I will have found another reason to live for. I have also not given up on a relationship now that I have finally FIGURED out what I have been doing wrong. Not EVERY man is going to "hurt and cheat", but I need to know when it is not RIGHT and let it go! For those that are struggling like I am, don't give up. FIND A REASON TO LIVE EVERY DAY!

I am 37 years old and I can relate to the feeling of being alone. Twenty years ago I was very suicidal myself. I attempted suicide several times from the age of 13 to 18 and a half. I would always use pills. I would never tell anyone that Iwanted to die, I would just take the pills. Once I got caught and my mother took me to the hospital and had my stomach pumped. The last time that I was going to attempt suicide. I was 18 and a half. I said all my goodbyes. I even went to see my brother at at schollbut before I could get back home, my father had killed hiself. His death saved my life because I knew that my mom could not handle two suicides in one lifetime. Although the feeling of wanting to die did not goaway right away, it made me talk about my problems more and made me want to seek help. I overcame those fellings with the help of my mom and God. It was a very difficult time because I was having my own issues on top of missing my dad, but my mom helped me to come out of it.

I am 48 years old and cannot remember the last time I was "truely" happy. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 4 years ago. At least now I have a name to go with the rollercoaster I have been living since I was a teenager. I have attemped or should I say contimplated suicide more times than I can count. I know exactly how many pills it takes to 1. sleep through the night 2. sleep through many nights 3. hope that you won't wake up. There is nothing that brings me enjoyment anymore. The only thing that really keeps me hanging on is my children and grandchildren. I can't bear the though of the pain that they would suffer, but then I have those moments of wondering whether or not they would be better off not having the burden of worrying about me. I get tired of pretending that everything is all right. The only time I feel any enjoyment is under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. I have tried every medication under the sun--works for a while--then the crash, or the medication works and when I feel better, I stop taking them. There have been a couple of suicides in my family and everyone just can't believe that they would do it. I totally understand. It's a miserable life. I am happy to see that there are others who have gained their life back. I wish them luck.

One of my good friends has been dealing with depression for several years and has attempted suicide 3 times (each time she was rescued in time). When she is low she calls me and I don't know what to say to her, I just listen,how can I help her best ? What can I say to her that will make her feel better ? I feel so sad and helpless that I cannot say the right things to cheer her up. Right now she feels she should get out of her marriage ( she feels being single will take away her pain but I am not sure thats the best option) . Could someone pl give me the names of some online support groups?Also, is visiting a psychiatrist a good option? Thanks

HI, thank you for your interest in Oprah.com. There are some resources on today's show page. Click this link that we are providing and scroll down to 'Related Resources':


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-HarpoBear, Oprah.com Community Producer

I am watching the show right now and I think Oprah is back on her high horse again. Oprah is being condescending, at times, to the first lady on her show. I don't think Oprah really understands depression. Oprah has this certain way of acting like she knows everything about everything. I feel bad for the lady. She almost acts like Tom Cruise. I hope she never has to deal with depression.

I remember going to my prenatal appointment, I was about 8 months pregnant, and head been on bed rest for about two or three months. Traffic had been so backed up, and I was impatient wanting to know what was taking so long. I drove by and had no clue what was going on. I later heard on the news that a woman had tried to jump off the very bridge that I had crossed. I then realized what I had seen. I am so happy that you are doing much better and that you didn't succeed in committing suicide. I have dealt with depression for a long time now and know that it isn't easy. I hope your story helps other women who are going through depression.

I hear people say, God was there. God brought them. Well, so what does it mean when people succeed? God didn't care? Where is God for me. I keep trying to get help. No medication works or I can't take it because I have a bad reaction. I am alone. this is why I don't believe in God. I feel like life isn't worth it. If it wasn't for no guts on my part I would be like my brother. Dead from a Suicide. Lucky him. I live in Ferndale, Michigan. Have no friends, no car, on disability. Does anyone care? pshreiman@comcast.net

I remember going to my prenatal appointment, I was about 8 months pregnant, and had been on bed rest for about two or three months. Traffic had been so backed up, and I was impatient wanting to know what was taking so long. I drove by and had no clue what was going on. I later heard on the news that a woman had tried to jump off the very bridge that I had crossed. I then realized what I had seen. I am so happy that you are doing much better and that you didn't succeed in committing suicide. I have dealt with depression for a long time now and know that it isn't easy. I hope your story helps other women who are going through depression.

I can really relate to the things said. I don't know if I could ever go through with a suicide.
You really do feel alone. It's hard. Every day is a different struggle.
The permanence of death scares me enough never to actually go through the act myself.
Depression is a horrible thing. I kept thinking, for myself, it was going to go away eventually.
I feel like such a bother to everyone. No one has the time to help me out with my problems.
And talking to others feels like a burden.
I guess I supress a lot of it.
But I can understand them.

My husband recently tried to commit suicide. Even after three months from the date of his attempt he still thinks about ending his life constantly. We have tried numerous different medications, therapy, and hospital trips but nobody seems to know what to do with him. I have called and contacted all the organizations I have found, my friends and family have found, and what the doctors have given me and I still haven't received any help for him. I just keep hearing "give the medication time" or "you need to re-evaluate your priorities" etc. etc. etc.

Does anyone have any additional suggestions for me? I appreciate any help you can give me.

yes, there are too many reasons. There was nothing you could do. She is at peace.

6 years ago, I was the parent of a depressed teen son. (who also was using drugs) When he mentioned suicide at school, his female friends told the school counselor, whe then called me. I had already known he was unhappy about a break-up. I went into action, and not for one minute did I think that this could not happen. The counselor told me to take it seriously, which I did from the beginning. I took him directly to the emergency room for an evaluation. After that I walked the path with him towards recovery, never minimizing his feelings. One never knows if a person will eventually succeed in suicide. But we can be the people who help guide others towards happiness once more. There are more reasons to live then to die. He hurt, and was in pain. He healed and we moved on. A person needs just one other person to help them, and to validate their feelings. The combination of unstable teen years and drug use can be deadly. My heart goes out to this woman whose mother ignorantly minimized her severe depression. Thank goodness for her husband and the troopers who kicked into action.