Recently, I heard about the Sea of Trees which exists at the northwest base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. This particular forest is 14 square miles. It's been likened to viewing a literal ocean of trees. The forest floor consists primarily of volcanic rock and it is so dense, it is very easy to get lost in it. It is a popular attraction for thousands of people who go into the forest to hike, tour the forest, and to commit suicide each year. As some go into the forest making sure to mark their path with plastic tape so as not to get lost...others enter so as not to come back out again. Depending on one's own perspective, the Sea of Trees can be viewed as one of the most beautiful places on earth to visit and enjoy; to others, it is a place of death and yurei (angry spirits).
It is not easy or comfortable to talk openly about suicide. Even though we are supposed to be so enlightened these days about so many topics....suicide isn't one of them. Just the other day, I heard about another young man overdosing in a neighboring community and dying as a result. Word on the street is that his mother "hopes" his friends who did drugs with him will learn their lesson(s) as a result of their friend's unexpected death. Well...not really. If nobody talks about what happened and why it happened and how this particular young man could be so blind to his own high-risk behaviors...then nothing will be realized. That's just the way it is. After all, suicide can occur by inches as well. If we have difficulty paying attention to the day-to-day details of our own self-destructive choices in the general sense, let alone the details associated with what we are drinking, smoking, snorting, injecting, and/or swallowing within any given 24 hour period....what's there to be shocked about when "it" actually happens...and we die by "accident"?
I have often been asked "How can you tell if someone is serious about committing suicide or not?" The truth is, we can't. We have to take all verbal and/or written threats seriously in the present moment. After the threat is communicated, you would want to know how the person plans to carry out his or her threat. Some people have a plan as to how they would do it, others do not. When there is a plan...and the person involved has the means to carry out his or her plan, it is time to call 911 immediately and/or to take that person to the nearest hospital emergency room. There are no other options.
What about the person who may often threaten to commit suicide or tells you they want to die and can't stand being here more than three, five, or ten times in the past six months? I know. It can be very frustrating like the story of the boy who cried "Wolf!". Yet anyone who can actually say out loud to someone else "I want to die.." or "I can't stand living anymore.." or "I think about suicide all the time.." ---you realize they really do have a mental health problem, correct? Let's face it, nobody in their right mind would say they want to die unless they have issues with their mind being not quite "right". Depression is the obvious cause of such proclamations...but then so is untreated mania...or a pre-existing personality disorder that the individual has no clue how to effectively manage....or brain damage to the pre-frontal cortex...or the use and abuse of alcohol and/or drugs.... or all of the above. As there are many factors that can contribute to a person's thinking about suicide, talking about it to someone else, developing a plan, and/or acting on that plan either successfully or unsuccessfully---we can't just blow it off as another attempt at getting attention.
In the final analysis, we all need to realize that the mention of suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or actual attempts at self-harm requires immediate professional help and intervention. It's that simple. We don't ignore it and we don't minimize it because "She talks about it all the time and wouldn't ever do it really.." There are millions of cases to date where "He really didn't mean to kill himself...it was just an accident." No, it wasn't. It's just that we feel better for putting it that way.
Until next time....
If you or someone you care about needs to speak to someone immediately about a desire to die, please contact 1-800-273-8255 (National Suicide Prevention Hotline). In Michigan, residents may also call 1-800-231-1127 (Common Ground).
What about the person who may often threaten to commit suicide or tells you they want to die and can't stand being here more than three, five, or ten times in the past six months? I know. It can be very frustrating like the story of the boy who cried "Wolf!". Yet anyone who can actually say out loud to someone else "I want to die.." or "I can't stand living anymore.." or "I think about suicide all the time.." ---you realize they really do have a mental health problem, correct? Let's face it, nobody in their right mind would say they want to die unless they have issues with their mind being not quite "right". Depression is the obvious cause of such proclamations...but then so is untreated mania...or a pre-existing personality disorder that the individual has no clue how to effectively manage....or brain damage to the pre-frontal cortex...or the use and abuse of alcohol and/or drugs.... or all of the above. As there are many factors that can contribute to a person's thinking about suicide, talking about it to someone else, developing a plan, and/or acting on that plan either successfully or unsuccessfully---we can't just blow it off as another attempt at getting attention.
In the final analysis, we all need to realize that the mention of suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or actual attempts at self-harm requires immediate professional help and intervention. It's that simple. We don't ignore it and we don't minimize it because "She talks about it all the time and wouldn't ever do it really.." There are millions of cases to date where "He really didn't mean to kill himself...it was just an accident." No, it wasn't. It's just that we feel better for putting it that way.
Until next time....
If you or someone you care about needs to speak to someone immediately about a desire to die, please contact 1-800-273-8255 (National Suicide Prevention Hotline). In Michigan, residents may also call 1-800-231-1127 (Common Ground).