Thoughts of Suicide

. . . ... .... ........... . LEAR NIN G TO OL . . . . .. ... ............ . . . R E S O U R C E There may be times when thoughts about death or suicide seem reasonable or perhaps comforting. Severe depression can darken your thinking to such a degree that you might be able to convince yourself that dying is your only option. These are scary thoughts that often lead to hurtful acts against yourself in an attempt to take your own life. Suicidal ideas can take many forms (including thoughts and images) and range in severity. When suicidal thoughts are most severe, a person might hear voices instructing them to kill themselves. These are auditory hallucinations, triggered by biological changes in the brain. They are not real thoughts. Milder thoughts might include vague ideas about dying, much like a desire to disappear. In the middle range, a suicidal thought might be feeling okay about dying, but not necessarily doing anything to bring it about. For instance, wishing to fall asleep peacefully and not wake up. Thoughts about death or suicide are usually the result of feeling hopeless about the future and helpless to make anything change. When you can’t think of any other solutions to your problems and can see no reason to hold on, death may begin to seem like an acceptable option.