Local news reported about a teenager who committed suicide & interviewed a counselor who urged troubled teens not to “take the easy way out” but to seek help. After struggling with depression & being plagued by personal & social conflicts, overcoming the instinct for survival is not “the easy way out” but what many come to feel is the only way out of profound suffering.

I remember once being smug about suicide, thinking it an act of aggression. Experiencing suicide in my family taught me not to talk through my hat about things I know nothing about–& to understand how vulnerable even strong human beings can be.

Suicide is not an act of aggression nor “the easy way out” but an act of profound grief, loneliness, loss, sadness, & hopelessness. If anyone is considering it they should certainly seek help but often that is insufficient to deter because the pain is so debilitating.

I found help as a survivor from the Samaritans support group.