Threats of suicide and suicide attempts are not a game.
Much mainstream information about suicide is flat wrong.
People don’t talk about or attempt suicide simply because they want attention.
These beliefs are short sighted and uninformed, not to mention cold and cruel.
Suicidal thoughts come from such deep pain and they don’t happen easily. Be grateful if you have never had a suicidal thought.
If someone talks about suicide then it means they are thinking about it. If they are thinking about it then they are at higher risk of making an attempt.
If someone plans and/or attempts suicide then they are in enormous pain and they can’t see another way out. Usually the primary goal is actually just pain relief but no other options seem like they will ease the pain. My experience with people who are suicidal has been that they have tried countless other means of easing their pain, such as alcohol and drugs, working excessively, sleeping excessively, meditation, prayer, exercise, medications, nutrition, and many other things.
Think about the worst pain you’ve ever felt, now multiply it by 10 and multiply that by 10, and just keep going. At some point you would probably think that dying is the only way out.
You may know the person well and still not know or understand what could be so bad in their life, however, just because you don’t know or understand the reason doesn’t mean the reason isn’t legitimate. If someone is suicidal they have a solid reason, even if they don’t understand it yet.
It isn’t logical for someone to want to die unless they are experiencing intolerable pain. There are plenty of other ways to get attention if that is the only goal.
Please stop saying that suicide is selfish and that suicidal people are just seeking attention. These things are nowhere near the truth and that narrative in our society is harming countless people who likely want and need support from others.