A Note on Suicide

I'm not sure I really need to say this, but trigger warning for discussion of suicide.

I've got suicide on the brain because of the tragedies in the last few weeks of young men who've killed themselves because of bullying related to homophobia. My previous post was about the strength of character and the strength of will that it takes to live with mental illness. I stand by everything I said there.

I've attempted suicide on several occasions, and I know better than I'd like to know how it feels to think that life is not worth living. It sucks to struggle and struggle and feel like you're getting nowhere. It sucks to feel like nobody cares about you, nobody cares about your struggles, your worries, your life.

I never meant to imply or say that suicide is reflective of a lack of strength of character or will. Suicide happens when the seas of life swamp one's boat and one just can't take any more. Suicide is horribly tragic, because for many people who kill themselves, there were people in their lives who were willing to help if only they'd known how bad it was for the person who committed suicide.

There is help. There is hope. Suicidal despair is not a reflection of your character or strength of will. It is not weakness, it is an expression of being overwhelmed in the worst way.

And it is always, always a tragedy when someone commits suicide.