Posted by emmanuel98 on September 15, 2010, at 20:34:33
In reply to Re: suicidality exhaustion... » floatingbridge, posted by Maxime on September 15, 2010, at 19:43:37
There are people who frequently make suicidal "gestures" -- slit thier wrist with razor blades, take overdoses of antidepressants or of ibuprofen or tylenol -- things that aren't going to be fatal and the person knows this. there are also people who make more serious suicidal gestures -- taking an overdose within minutes of thier husband arriving home, threatening to hang themselves with other people present to find them and stop them. There are also people who threaten suicide constantly as a way to manipulate others and express unhappiness. My mother-in-law did this and terrified her children. I see this as an example of histrionic behavior, self-dramatizing and manipulative, even if the person doesn't have the self-awareness to realize it's manipulative, other people experience it that way.
This is very different from people who become severely depressed and obsessed by intrusive thoughts of suicide, who actually research what works and what doesn't, who seriously attempt suicide and either fail or get scared at the last moment. These are not gestures. These are genuine expressions of despair. I have had this problem and never threatened or talked about suicide to my family or therapists. I just went directly to the emergency room after two failed attempts. It is not shameful to attempt and fail. It is not shameful to pull back at the last minute. It is some healthy part of your mind reasserting itself and remembering that you have loved ones and responsibilities.
poster:emmanuel98
thread:962166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100908/msgs/962527.html