“Why we choose suicide”

Suicide is a sensitive topic but a necessary one as well. As a therapist working with children and adolescents, the topic of suicide comes up often and I find myself struggling with how to explain away a client’s emotions and thoughts. From an existential perspective, suicide is natural condition often triggered by life’s difficulties and disappointments. It’s something many people have had to grapple with in their own lives and in their own minds. It is not an “abnormal” thing. One of the first things I tell my suicidal teens who are mature enough to understand is that suicidal thoughts are not abnormal. Having these thoughts do not make you abnormal or make you “strange.” It is a natural human “symptom” to a bigger problem. Acting on suicidal thoughts and choosing the means to end it all is what we ALL want to prevent. But how do we do this without encouraging kids to take their own lives or pushing them over the edge? I say we prevent suicide with education and the right amount of compassion.

The following videos provide just the right amount of both.

“Why we choose suicide”:

Suicide Prevention: