Quote:
Originally Posted by nickerjones
Can I ask a question that comes from a good place? It's a place of wanting to understand mental health issues.
Backstory:
When I was 22 I was in an auto accident and lost my first wife. I was obviously sad and upset. I remember family, friend, and tons of doctors asking about my mental state and If I has suicidal thoughts. I just never had any of those thoughts.
Fast Forward to now. I have some friends attempt suicide and some friend commit suicide.
I find it extremely hard to empathize with them because I never had these thoughts. Even in , what I perceive as, the hardest part of my life I never suffered depression or suicidal thoughts.
I feel ####ty because I think I might have downplayed other's issues because I can't understand the place their struggle came from. I know mental health issues are real. Is there anything I can do to become more educated on the issues?
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Suicide specifically, is almost always impulsive and due to severe psychological pain. It's often patients suffering from depression, but also schizophrenia, bipolar, post traumatic stress disorder and others.
The reason it's hard to empathize, is that it's not the result of logical thought. It's similar to finding it hard to empathize with an addict who chooses to get drugs/alcohol etc while sober. We cannot understand it logically because it doesn't make sense logically.
To many, it's an impulse arising from severe acute psychological pain. Think of it like someone plunging from a burning building from the top floor. There's no chance of being saved if you jump, but you cannot handle the current environment.