Why Suicide?

There is no simple answer as to why people choose to kill themselves.   Usually, the emotional upset is so great that the person "just wants to stop the pain."   The psychological distress seems so unbearable that solutions other than suicide do not seem feasible.   Usually, a combination of events leads a person to believe that suicide is the only way out.   One common thread is that the person feels hopeless about life.

Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and of low self-esteem can have many causes:

• The breakup of a close relationship with a loved one or difficulties in interpersonal relationships with family or close friends.
• Worry about grades and concerns about failure or doing less well than one hoped or expected. The stress of intense competition for high achievement can be overwhelming.
• Concern over physical appearance and person attractiveness.
• Loss of "support systems" or "emotional safety."   New students often have difficulty finding friends and colleagues in their new environment; consequently, they experience a sense of loneliness and alienation.
• Pessimistic feelings about the future and meeting one's goals, together with an enormous sense of unhappiness.
• The effects of drugs and/or alcohol, which are often compounding and disorienting.
• Feeling lonely, isolated, abandoned, and alone.