is suicide ever the answer
Ok - I've created a seperate account to my normal account just to ask this question (I didn't want it associated with my usual account in case people thought the person I'm talking about is myself).
I have a very close friend who has asked me to be with her for her final hours. However, she isn't dying from a conventional illness, she plans to take her own life. My friend has suffered from crippling depression and anxiety for over 20 years and has been on many anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers with none offering any help - infact she has been given the diagnosis of treatment-resistant depression due to this. She also suffers with PTSD from severe childhood abuse. Then in the last couple of years she received the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and is also struggling to find treatments to help this and as a result is in constant chronic pain. She now feels 'broken' and most of her days are spent in her house suffering from chronic physical pain and chronic mental pain. She has attempted suicide before but this was before the fibromyalgia and before she had tried different psychiatric medications. This meant people made every effort to save her life and she has been admitted under a section to a pyschiatric hospital four previous times and spent a long while in hospital. However, you now can tell she is tired and worn out and there is no one offering any solutions. So I now have a dilemma, do I spend the last moments with her or do I try to save her.
:-(
:-(
I guess I still have some of the thoughts I used to have, my opinions haven't changed much (thoughts about how messed up this world is, how pointless stuff is) but I've "come to terms" with them. There are a lot of little things that I enjoy. I'm ok with the person I am.
Being depressed can sometimes make it feel like everything is being smothered is sadness or apathy, but sometimes there are still little things that can be enjoyable (sitting on a bench in the Sun, drinking a beer). Maybe try to help them find those things, or encourage them to find them. You only get one life, you might as well live it, even if some of it is sh*t.
Here's a link to a worldwide list of suicide helplines - please ring one asap to talk this through and get some professional advice and help:
www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
Also be aware that in many places, not helping save someone who has e.g. taken an overdose, is illegal and you could be prosecuted if you are there and do nothing.
Wishing you the very best.
Hope your friend finds the help she needs, one way or the other.