How to Communicate Suicidal Feelings

Unfortunately, I know this subject all too well. When I was 19 years old I my dad died by suicide, and I have had an almost fatal attempt myself in my early 20s, along with very regular ideations of wanting to end my life. One thing I have learned through the years, is that if you are suicidal is incredibly important to reach out for help in a way that is supportive for all involved. It is not easy for anyone, and there is a very big difference between using suicide as a means to manipulate people in an abusive way, versus a means to ask for support to get the help you need. As I said, I know this issue well and unfortunately I didn’t learn really how to communicate suicidal feelings in a way that was healthy for both myself and others. And unfortunately I learned this from my dad. As he didn’t know how to do it in a healthy way either, and all around him really didn’t know how to get him help. At a young age, my dad threatened suicide as a means to punish us for not being happy around him and for his feelings of guilt for being unhappy with his anger. And as a family, we were terrified of losing him and of course we wanted him alive — yet we wanted him healthy. So when he would have uncontrolled anger, and then later regret it, he would feel so bad he would threaten suicide. So instead of setting boundaries and getting him into treatment, there was a long cycle of untreated mental health problems. I remember him telling me when I was a senior in high school that ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Communication Depression Marriage and Divorce Peer Support Personal Recovery Self-Help Suicide Depressive Episode Emotional Dysregulation Emotional Regulation Hopelessness Mood Swings Self Harm Shame suicidal gestures Source Type: blogs