What's doing your head in?

Suicide

Suicide is now the biggest killer of young men in England and Wales. That's an awful fact. People who feel depressed, hopeless and alone don't have to feel that the only way out is to kill themselves. While suicide is more common than we'd like to admit, it doesn't mean that it's the answer for you.

You can feel suicidal for all sorts of reasons:

  • Something might have happened to you that has upset you a great deal.
  • When someone close to you has attempted or actually committed suicide.
  • You have been using drugs or drinking heavily.
  • You may be upset for no reason at all. This is very frightening. People become depressed not just because sad things happen to them in their lives. The chemicals in the brain which control how happy and sad we feel can get messed up, so that they're not in balance and we feel depressed.
  • A combination of any of these things.

Feeling suicidal is actually fairly common. It's normal for people to get into situations that make them panic, and they briefly think about wanting to take their own life. It's a passing feeling and normal, so long as those feelings don't last too long or become too intrusive. When they start taking control of what you're thinking, then it can be dangerous and you should talk to someone about how you're feeling. Don't just sit there and let your mind run wild. Talk it through.

It's hard to generalise, but many people who think about taking their own lives:

  • Are very sensitive to failure or criticism.
  • Feel like they have no friends.
  • Set themselves targets which are difficult to achieve.
  • Find it hard to cope with disappointment.
  • Find it difficult to admit to having problems they don't know how to solve.
  • Find it hard to tell others how they are feeling.

Most suicidal people don't actually want to die, they want an answer to their problems. It's a decision made when other decisions seem impossible. While suicide can seem like the only way to deal with the pain, there's ALWAYS another way - it's just finding it that can sometimes be tricky. So don't try and find it on your own. Two heads are better than one. Talk it over with someone. Tell them what you're thinking and why.

If you're feeling worthless, hopeless about the future or believe that no one cares about you - or even that the world would be a better place without you - talk to CALM.

CALM's advisors are there to listen, not to judge, have links with other helpful organisations and could offer you the support you need to stop feeling sad and suicidal.

Other places you can get help