Christian Response to the Current Increased Risks of Suicide

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PetraG

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Reasons:
Fear of having the infection and spreading it to family members
Despair over the prospect of living in lockdown.
Loss of social connections.
PTSD/Compassion fatigue among health care workers witnessing suffering and death of victims, as well as fears of contracting such a terrifying disease themselves
Fears of being unequal to economic consequences, leadership demands or other uncertainties resulting from the pandemic

The piece looks at how suicide has risen in pandemics historically. The reasons are many and aren’t associated with a single aspect of how a pandemic affects a society or its members.

It concludes:
Above all, we must take care of one another now more than ever. In the conclusion of The Plague, Camus questions, through his main character, physician Bernard Rieux, whether in the aftermath of so much suffering, humanity can find a peace of mind. Offering a glimpse of hope, Camus concludes that we can, as “if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.”

THREAD TOPIC: As Christians, it is important to both ask for the grace of hope for ourselves as well as for the grace to do what we can mitigate the risk of despair in others around us. We, after all, believe not just in human love and mercy, but the divine love and mercy that is its ultimate source.
Do we have examples that might inspire others? Sometimes, bringing to mind all the ways that we’re not helpless is itself a source of hope and a remedy to despair and the tendency to pessimism or depression.
 
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Because I’m not working as many hours now, I’ve been using this time to reach out to people I know and have been strengthening some relationships that had drifted away.

I’m also keeping a close eye on my own family members, looking for signs of distress or trouble.
A good thing is I have more time to nurture these relationships.

At the same time, for various reasons, people aren’t always forthcoming when they’re in a dark place, don’t always reach out for help.
 
0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
At the same time, for various reasons, people aren’t always forthcoming when they’re in a dark place, don’t always reach out for help.
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This is a great point! Initiating contact can let people know they matter and that hope is reasonable, but we can’t always know who needs to hear that, since despair can make reaching out seem pointless.

I think reaching out makes me feel better, too, and less powerless. There is an economy to grace, that way.
 
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0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
At the same time, for various reasons, people aren’t always forthcoming when they’re in a dark place, don’t always reach out for help.
Click to expand...
As someone who has at times suffered from suicidal ideation, I can confirm this. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is tell someone.
 
And sometimes a person just feels better while they’re around other people, but when they’re alone is when the darkness comes rushing back.
 
StudentMI said:
As someone who has at times suffered from suicidal ideation, I can confirm this. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is tell someone.
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Exactly, because it feels like what you see as the truth and you know they’ll just argue with you, which just takes energy. That’s what the colored glasses can do. If you have some conversations or do things that change your outlook on life, the color can sometimes change.
 
0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
At the same time, for various reasons, people aren’t always forthcoming when they’re in a dark place, don’t always reach out for help
Click to expand...
I suffered from extreme depression all throughout my teenage years that culminated in a botched suicide attempt at age 16. I never told anybody, but I did seek and begin treatment with a counsellor (after years of resistance). Looking back, I think it would have been easier if I told someone early on and didn’t allow it to develop to the point that it did, which is why I always inform a close friend or family member if I’m feeling down now. It helps now, and it would have helped then.
 
Salibi said:
Looking back, I think it would have been easier if I told someone early on and didn’t allow it to develop to the point that it did, which is why I always inform a close friend or family member if I’m feeling down now.
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I myself only tell my doctor if bad thoughts return. He’s helped a lot.
 
I will also add, from very frustrating experience attempting to get help and have people believe a family member, please also listen to and believe those who are expressing thoughts of suicide.
 
OurLadyofSorrows said:
I will also add, from very frustrating experience attempting to get help and have people believe a family member, please also listen to and believe those who are expressing thoughts of suicide.
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Even if they take it back themselves the next second, take it seriously, yes. That is not something that anyone says when things are OK with them.
 
  1. We pray.
  2. With love, we watch those who may be affected.
  3. We proffer faith hope and love as best we can.
 
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