My heart aches for the profound misinformation and ignorance swirling around social media regarding both major depressive disorder (DSM-5) as well as the complex array of circumstances that can result in the taking of ones own life. I realize this isnt the best platform (if Facebook is a platform at all), but wish to express the knowledge (and, I believe, wisdom) that I have acquired simply by acknowledging that I do not know much at all about any one persons battle. I have studied neuropsychology, lost my father to suicide, and spent many late nights on the crisis helpline speaking to those who are contemplating taking their lives. The most clear conclusion I have come to is that humans want to survive, and are wired to do so, unless something has gone terribly wrong biochemically. We must focus on opening our hearts in an attempt to understand in order to help those in need. A political or religious stance on suicide only builds boundaries from one needy heart to the next. A recent peer-reviewed article that I read in grad school spoke about the adaptive nature of depression in its more benign forms (and how this differs from the major depressive episodes that usually precede suicidal ideation & attempts). When one is ruminating during a more mild depressive experience, one might actually get better at solving the problem at hand. However, this changes when severe depression strikes. Further, when serotonin is low, the brain also becomes less able to achieve neuro genesis (the brain stops producing new neurons). This is just a slice of the story. Further, an individual is more likely to commit suicide with a bipolar diagnosis than with a unipolar one (during a manic episode, which makes a person feel invincible, etc.). Irregardless of all this detailed information concerning the neuropsychobiological aspect of mental illness, this is also a community issue. The simple fact that community interventions can dramatically reduce rates of suicide point to the conclusion that this is a problem at the systemic level more than the individual. Ive learned that humans to their best. When people know better, they do better. Ive never come across an exception. More than anything, I feel that those who no longer have a voice deserve to be honored in some way - and this rant is my way of saying, A lifetime of experience with suicide could not provide enough information to warrant a judgement of anothers path. Hold love in your heart for human suffering, quiet the mind for a moment, and notice if you come to a different conclusion. I also express gratitude daily for my fathers struggles and his suicide, as I believe deep in my soul that this was part of my spiritual contract. Hence, I could never have grown and learned about love at such a profound level had he not died in such a tragic way.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:29:18 +0000
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