Suicide

For today's post, I thought I'd discuss a topic that goes beyond the scope of OCD, but still applies to it: suicide. It is obviously a huge problem in America-  suicide is the U.S.'s 10th most common cause of death (CDC) However, the reasons for suicide are not monocausal- each suicide is a unique story, and can be due to a variety of factors.

As I feel I do in every post, I'd like to make a disclaimer before I go on further: I've never attempted suicide and have absolutely no intention of doing so in the future. However, this doesn't mean that I've never had any thoughts about it. While I've never seriously considered suicide, I have let my mind wonder about what it would feel like, or what would happen if I decided to commit it. 

For me, what caused my mind to have suicidal thoughts was feeling stuck and hopeless. Since I had tried many different options to cure my OCD to no avail, I felt that nothing would ever work. So, the devil on my shoulder decided to play his suicide "card," thus putting the idea of it in my head. I immediately dismissed the possibility of doing it as irrational and not something I would ever do, but the fact that the thoughts showed up raised an interesting point. 

I am fairly confident that my feeling of hopelessness is not unique, and I'm guessing that those who have made the unfortunate decision to take their own life have felt helpless as well. Perhaps it is the incorrect conviction that one is unable to control their emotions that drives many people to that point. In my opinion, this means that our society should teach its citizens from a young age that there is ALWAYS a way to make your life better, regardless of the situation you're currently in. By giving that idea to people at a young age, we can perhaps give those who feel hopeless the knowledge that recovery takes time, and that a better life will eventually come. 

Interestingly enough, there is actually a form of OCD where victims are afraid that they want to kill themselves. This can be  particularly frustrating, considering the paradox that the victims will inevitably realize they're in: if they're afraid of killing themselves purposefully, then why would they kill themselves? Even though recognizing this fact, those suffering will see no improvement in their symptoms. Virtually 0% of those with this form of OCD will end up committing suicide, but those who DO don't do it because they wanted to kill themselves; rather, they do it because they are trying to escape the exhausting thought processes. 

Suicide is an extremely complex topic. Considering that, it must be dealt primarily from a bottom-up perspective, where each potential case is treated differently. However, there is also benefit to top-down prevention (i.e suicide hotlines). Either way, let me know if you have any thoughts!