Do you know anyone who has committed suicide?

1. 69

   baybpnkposted 9 years ago

   Do you know anyone who has committed suicide?
   
   two days ago I found out someone I went to high school with committed suicide. It was unbelievable and left me speechless. We were friends, a little more than acquaintances, and I always had a crush on him. If I can't find words for this, only disbelief, it has to be 100X harder for his close friends and family. I almost feel as if I don't have the right to feel so sad about his death, but then I remember that we can't control how we feel and if it makes me sad, then it makes me sad. I am allowed to mourn the death of someone I knew, someone I shared classes with, and someone I cared about.

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2. 0

   RTalloniposted 9 years ago

   Yes.  And you are certainly allowed to mourn a distant friend. 
   This topic is one of the most difficult that people sometimes have to face.  The reasons a person takes this route are varied and most often inexplicable.  What they were motivated by, what they must have been thinking can usually only be guessed at.  You can only know that it was a dark path they were on.  Have a season of mourning, yes, but it would probably be useless try to figure it out, especially from a distance.  You can move forward, step by step.  Embrace the truths of God's Word for your own life and live abundantly (John 10:10).

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   1. 69

      baybpnkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you very much for this comment. Very touchy subject and extremely hard to deal with. His funeral is tomorrow and I along with classmates will be attending.

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3. 86

   Express10posted 9 years ago

   Yes, I knew a man who killed himself not long after he found out he would soon have no job. It is very sad when someone kills themselves however none of us have walked anyone else's exact same path and do not know what their burdens and options truly are. We may have ideas or experiences in common or may be able to empathize with them if we try but none of us can ever walk the same path as another person. This is why I don't judge or condemn those who do it. And yes, you are certainly able to mourn anyone's death that you care about.

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4. 85

   liesl5858posted 9 years ago

   Yes, my mother committed suicide two weeks after my graduation from college. It was so sudden but it took me a while to get my head around it. I was only twenty one and our youngest sister was only three years old. My father was working nights for a mining company at the time so I had to decide which way to go. Go get a job or look after my brothers and sister. It was the easiest decision I had to make, I chose my siblings over work. Although I wanted to practice my midwifery course, I could not because I now have to look after my siblings and my blind grandfather(Mum's father) who was living with us at the time. It was hard but somehow I managed.
   When someone takes their life so suddenly, it affects the whole members of the family.
   I am sorry to hear about your classmates suicide. You are allowed to grieve for anyone. You will get over it but it takes a very long time.

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      famhauzposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      That must have been devastating liesl. My most sincere condolences. However, hard it must have been, and still is, I wish you the strength to carry through it. Did I mention you're an unsung hero choosing your siblings over work? Props for you!

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5. 77

   AnnaCiaposted 9 years ago

   First, I am so sorry for your lost.  I feel for many people who have had the experience of loosing somebody who has committed suicide.  With the things I have experienced and the people I have lost due to suicide, I say, "If I take out the word SUICIDE, i will be left with accidental death."  I don't get upset with the person who has an accidental death, and I will surely miss them.  Good question.

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6. 58

   famhauzposted 9 years ago

   baybpnk, I'm certain you're entitled to feel the grief. Happens with people you knew who've also departed not necessarily from suicide.
   Yes, I know of someone. He was a class behind me back when I first enrolled in school, a neighbour. Years went past, life happened, all grown up. Next I heard, he committed suicide in the most unimaginable way possible: set himself on FIRE locked up in his house.

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7. 72

   brakel2posted 9 years ago

   Hi baybpnk - I am sorry for your loss, and suicide makes me sad. I understand how the loss makes you feel, and you do need to grieve.  A similar situation happened to me. A friend I knew well in high school and with whom I hung around , committed suicide. I was shocked and called his home. His roommate said he was about to get a promotion at a bank. He thinks my friend became depressed, as he suddenly could not deal with the idea of the new position.  He developed feelings of inadequacy, and that may be the reason. You never know what goes on in the minds of others. Be glad you knew him, and later you may start remembering the happy times. Good luck.

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8. 71

   delaneyworldposted 9 years ago

   You absolutely have the right to mourn someone you cared about.
   
   I lost my mother in law to suicide on my daughter's 7th birthday. Our family never discussed this loss, but I have reached out to others who have been through similar experiences for support.
   
   There are many support services to those who have lost someone, as well as for those who are struggling with thoughts of taking their own life. I don't think we'll ever truly have answers to why it happened, but I do know that a soul must be burdened in ways I cannot understand in order to reach that point, seeing it as the only way out of unbearable pain.
   
   My advice is to acknowledge your loss, grieve, recognize your sadness and seek support if you need it. I'm very sorry for your loss. <3

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