4 ms·

Posts like these are dangerous. If someone feels horrible, seeing "You may feel like you are alone and nobody is as bad a person as you are" just makes the per

by seiji 15y ago

Posts like these are dangerous. If someone feels horrible, seeing "You may feel like you are alone and nobody is as bad a person as you are" just makes the person feel worse. You can't shove detached, inexperienced logic in the face of someone with temporarily broken brain chemistry. For a more thorough understanding see http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4345/is_7_32/ai_n29111781/ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4345/is_7_32/ai_n291...

raganwald 15y ago
Thank you. What do you suggest?
- seiji 15y ago
  I've never been entirely sure. A while ago I made http://suicidescale.com/ http://suicidescale.com/ but the wording still feels awkward to me. You have to strike a balance between explaining and understanding without sounding condescending. Explaining the temporary condition can help so people know they aren't alone (knowing you are one of millions who have had the same exact thought processes is a wake up call). Mentioning the processes can be caused by certain foods and medications in some people seems like a good idea too. ("Feeling suicidal? Did you just eat twelve pancakes with half a gallon of syrup? All the sugars have screwed you up for a while. Sleep it off. Did you just start a new antibiotic and now you want to jump off a bridge? Sleep it off. Call your doctor to get different meds. Your brain will reset.")
  - ollerac 15y ago
    Thank you so much for making that site. I've never come across such an accurate description of the symptoms of depression. I can relate to a lot of what's written there and it really helps put things into perspective. Meditating, exercising, and spending time with friends has helped me feel a lot better.
  - csomar 15y ago
    I just checked your website. I'm in the step 5. And, yes, I now feel this post is very dangerous because I never thought of suicide. Worse. I have recently dropped of colleague and don't have any friends right now. (didn't talk with a human for something like 15-20 days). Any quick remedies? I'm feeling more anxious.
    - vtail 15y ago
      I've being in your shoes. One of the _most_ effective thing for me was to talk to a mental health professional - it was by far the best investment I've made in myself in the last several years. After 5 sessions I was able to resolve many anxiety, guilt, worries and other issues. My biggest mistake was postponing the decision to talk to somebody for several months out of false pride, thinking I'm able to handle it myself.
      - jacques_chester 15y ago
        False pride nearly damned killed me.
    - seiji 15y ago
      As vtail said, professional help is the long term treatment. If you need a quick fix, shrink your mind down to simple tasks using internet drugs: cuteoverload, reddit, hulu, tvtropes, HN, plan a trip to japan (doesn't matter if you even go), http://symphonyofscience.com/videos.html http://symphonyofscience.com/videos.html , ... For me, two things help: reminding myself nothing matters as much as I think it matters and setting a medium-term goal. Our decisions can be anything and it's fine. The world--universe--is a big place. Take risks. Nothing worthwhile is judging you. So, build something new. Meet people. If you make a fool of yourself, it doesn't matter at all. Let other people wonder why you're impervious to their hostility. You've seen the truth. In the grand scheme of things, we can't even be seen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Deep_Field http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Deep_Field The world is yours to do with as you please. Take advantage of it.
      - ikirill 15y ago
- rdl 15y ago
  Probably better to write for friends of a potentially suicidal person, but in a way that a suicidal person reading it gets the right takeaway.
- babakian 15y ago
  Hi raganwald. Your post might be dangerous. I am not an expert. It is worth further research. You can start with the following sections on Wikipedia to give you a gist of why it might be dangerous and then research further: - Journalism codes for reporting on matters related to suicide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Journalism_codes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Journalism_code... - Social proof model for explaining copycat suicides: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Social_proof_model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Social_proof_mo... - Cialdini's book, Influence: the psychology of persuasion, references some scientific studies on this subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#cite_note-isbn0-688-12816-5-20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#cite_note-isbn0...
  - raganwald 15y ago
    Thanks for the feedback, I'm choosing to leave it up for now.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
mleonhard 15y ago
Yes, suicidal thoughts are the result of an unhealthy brain. Many creative people are a little bit bipolar, experiencing alternating periods of extreme productivity (hypomania) and low productivity (mild depression). Prolonged stress can make the lows much worse than normal. Bottom line: If you have suicidal thoughts, you should consult a psychologist. They have experience helping professionals fix their own brain chemistry.

by seiji 15y ago

raganwald 15y ago

Thank you. What do you suggest?

seiji 15y ago
I've never been entirely sure. A while ago I made http://suicidescale.com/ http://suicidescale.com/ but the wording still feels awkward to me. You have to strike a balance between explaining and understanding without sounding condescending. Explaining the temporary condition can help so people know they aren't alone (knowing you are one of millions who have had the same exact thought processes is a wake up call). Mentioning the processes can be caused by certain foods and medications in some people seems like a good idea too. ("Feeling suicidal? Did you just eat twelve pancakes with half a gallon of syrup? All the sugars have screwed you up for a while. Sleep it off. Did you just start a new antibiotic and now you want to jump off a bridge? Sleep it off. Call your doctor to get different meds. Your brain will reset.")
- ollerac 15y ago
  Thank you so much for making that site. I've never come across such an accurate description of the symptoms of depression. I can relate to a lot of what's written there and it really helps put things into perspective. Meditating, exercising, and spending time with friends has helped me feel a lot better.
- csomar 15y ago
  I just checked your website. I'm in the step 5. And, yes, I now feel this post is very dangerous because I never thought of suicide. Worse. I have recently dropped of colleague and don't have any friends right now. (didn't talk with a human for something like 15-20 days). Any quick remedies? I'm feeling more anxious.
  - vtail 15y ago
    I've being in your shoes. One of the _most_ effective thing for me was to talk to a mental health professional - it was by far the best investment I've made in myself in the last several years. After 5 sessions I was able to resolve many anxiety, guilt, worries and other issues. My biggest mistake was postponing the decision to talk to somebody for several months out of false pride, thinking I'm able to handle it myself.
    - jacques_chester 15y ago
      False pride nearly damned killed me.
  - seiji 15y ago
    As vtail said, professional help is the long term treatment. If you need a quick fix, shrink your mind down to simple tasks using internet drugs: cuteoverload, reddit, hulu, tvtropes, HN, plan a trip to japan (doesn't matter if you even go), http://symphonyofscience.com/videos.html http://symphonyofscience.com/videos.html , ... For me, two things help: reminding myself nothing matters as much as I think it matters and setting a medium-term goal. Our decisions can be anything and it's fine. The world--universe--is a big place. Take risks. Nothing worthwhile is judging you. So, build something new. Meet people. If you make a fool of yourself, it doesn't matter at all. Let other people wonder why you're impervious to their hostility. You've seen the truth. In the grand scheme of things, we can't even be seen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Deep_Field http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Deep_Field The world is yours to do with as you please. Take advantage of it.
    - ikirill 15y ago
rdl 15y ago
Probably better to write for friends of a potentially suicidal person, but in a way that a suicidal person reading it gets the right takeaway.
babakian 15y ago
Hi raganwald. Your post might be dangerous. I am not an expert. It is worth further research. You can start with the following sections on Wikipedia to give you a gist of why it might be dangerous and then research further: - Journalism codes for reporting on matters related to suicide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Journalism_codes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Journalism_code... - Social proof model for explaining copycat suicides: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Social_proof_model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#Social_proof_mo... - Cialdini's book, Influence: the psychology of persuasion, references some scientific studies on this subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#cite_note-isbn0-688-12816-5-20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide#cite_note-isbn0...
- raganwald 15y ago
  Thanks for the feedback, I'm choosing to leave it up for now.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

mleonhard 15y ago

Yes, suicidal thoughts are the result of an unhealthy brain. Many creative people are a little bit bipolar, experiencing alternating periods of extreme productivity (hypomania) and low productivity (mild depression). Prolonged stress can make the lows much worse than normal. Bottom line: If you have suicidal thoughts, you should consult a psychologist. They have experience helping professionals fix their own brain chemistry.