Suicide: Surviving a social problem
There must be so many times we hear news about students being bullied, gay teens being ostracized and pressure from workplace. As not receiving enough care and attention they deserve, some people instead decide to choose the pain and permanence of dying over the pain and possibilities of living.
Suicide is a social problem, leading to the cause of death in many countries, results in a larger number of citizens than combat deaths.
In Japan, there is even a site, where Japanese often call it “suicide forest” (Aokigahara). In 2010, the police recorded more than 200 people having attempted suicide, and the figure has continued to rise over later years. In 2011, the executive director of a suicide prevention hotline told Japan Times, “Callers most frequently cite mental health and family problems as the reason for contemplating suicide. But behind that are other issues, such as financial problems or losing their job.”
Actually, there are also many very personal reasons why some people choose to take their own lives, which experts divide into three major categories: clinical, situational and rational. Clinical suicide is often related to feelings of depression, a severe negative perception of one’s life situation. Situational suicide is related to loss such as a lost job or broken relationships. Rational suicide is often related to being terminally ill with imminent expectation of death as well as suicide for political purposes.
There are some ways we can do to prevent ourselves from suicide.
1. Get help
Talk to people. Make conversations. You should find a counselor, therapist, doctor or mentor. If you are shy, try to text them or talk via phone. For instance, DatEat provides everyone with our mentor services. By using the app, you can chat with our psychologists secretly. It is unnecessary to have a face-to-face meeting, unless you do want to. You can use video chat and offline calls as well. Our mentor will help you solve your problem, as a sincere friend.
2. Travel somewhere
Let yourself enjoy a private time. Stay away from all the distractions, worries and relationships. Allow yourself being deep in nature and think about the bright future. Try to keep thinking of positive things, places and experiences that you would miss if you weren’t around to experience them. Love is always there, great things are always to be seen, why to die?
3. Take up an activity
I mean activities that give you meaning, pleasure and enjoyment. You can do some voluntary works, like helping the disabled, farming or working in the forest. By doing things, you will soon realize that being given a life is the luckiest thing and it is better to treasure every moment.
Here is the video we want to share with you. Over Mark’s talk, a deep and resonant silence slowly descended over the room, culminating in an audience brought to tears — and a standing ovation. Listen and broaden the perceptions on the subject of suicide. His talk helps us to understand not only the point of someone who has made the decision to die by suicide, but also how we must re-frame our conversations around the subject in order to make change in the world.
Lastly, we just want you to know that you are not alone. Never. People care about you, and there is always help out there. While it won’t be easy to fight against, there are steps you can take to feel better and get better over time. Don’t give up, we believe in you.
