Only we can act to help end the epidemic of suicide, but will we. This is a topic that too often gets ignored until the next widely publicized tragedy of a young person taking their life. Lets be proactive from now on and actually work on doing things to address this problem.

Well usually when this is the case from my experience and knowledge is when someone hurts that bad for that long there is serious mental health issues at work and likely was a lot of pain during growing up and throughout life. The person has such a self hatred and feels so bad about themselves that they do not think their worthy of life anymore. Many have never fully accepted themselves for who they are and how they are. They compare their lives to others and feel like a loser. They do not realize how there is people who truly do care about them and realize they are worth caring about. There are always other people who have been through the same struggles you have been and some much worse ones, who if you ever are lucky enough to come in contact with can be healing to talk with.

You are worthy of life Mickey, and love and compassion as all human beings. Do not feel there are people who don't care, there are, and I am one of them. I may not know a lot of the people I care about but that fact does not mean I can not care. I have been a person those struggling have came to throughout life, I guess they felt I was compassionate enough to care. I have thus heard many stories of people who have had lives and problems that would break the backs of most people because they are so painful to deal with. I am glad to have played that role listening to people and offering them advice, comfort, and encouragement. It has greatly helped me deal with my own mental health issues and struggles in life. I found helping others helps ourselves often as much or sometimes even more then them.

The truth is Mickey some of us will struggle much more in life then most, and I am one of them. Life has never been easy for me, but I am a stronger person then I would have been because of it. I am a more compassionate and empathetic person then I would have been because of it. I am more knowledgeable then I would have been because of it. It is the same with you I am sure as it has been for others who I have known who have struggled. You would not be the person you are today without those struggles and you are a better person because of it. I know at times we all wish we had an easier life, that life is too much to deal with, that we just want to give up but that is exactly the kind of thinking that makes life even that more difficult to deal with. We can never move forward as long as were stuck looking back. Instead we need to look forward to new potentials and new possibilities.

You are an unique individual Mickey with unique circumstances as every person is. None of us are the same were all different, though we may share similarities. That is the trap many people fall into comparing themselves to others, this trap is one where one will never feel adequate. There are always those more fortunate in life, with more opportunities, with more support, with more breaks in life, with more healthy minds and bodies. However consider the opposite is true as well. We must keep in mind as well the importance of forgiveness, forgiving ourselves of our own failings and shortcomings, and forgiving those who wronged us in the past. As long as we hold a grudge against ourselves or others it will eat at us from the inside out. Same thing with our anger and frustrations we need to find someway to let it go. Lastly the sadness we have felt and still feel we need to find a way to heal that hurt without hurting ourselves or others. Sometimes when were hurting we not only cause hurt to ourselves but hurt to those around us. For example we become frustrated with people and say harsh things. We isolate ourselves to those we care about and they think we are angry with them or something. We act out negatively in some other way. It is essential to do these things to find healing.

Lastly Mickey we often need to find people to reach out to and sometimes need mental health help and intervention. We like to think, especially us men, that we can handle all our problems ourselves that we don't need or want help. However this is pride more then anything and pride can be a very damaging thing if not kept in check with humility. We are sociable creatures by nature, even us introverted people like myself, need social interaction. Actual social interaction is best but even social interaction online can be good for a person's mental health and well being. We need to form close friendships and connections with people. When we become too isolated as I canattest to we really start to go downhill mental health wise. We just feel like were all alone and just want to give up. We need as well to think more optimistically, I found cognitive therapy to be especially helpful, as when we change the way we look at things the things we look at change. Finally we need to keep in mind the idea of one step at a time, you can not expect to change over night, it may even take years. Never give up though, life is indeed worth living.

I have felt and shared the pain from events of this type. I can't add more at this time in an open format.

Many NTers had a first hand experience with suicide. First there was Randy, as he has explained below and then there was Maggie/Callie Girl. She too, must have meant it, since she used a gun. Personally I have known of three, all of them serious and all of them successful and all because families were unaware of their loss of mental health.

I am very angry at the laws that say that you can't have a family member committed unless they are a danger to someone else or themselves. Many families see this coming long before the attempt is made.

Randy, you are not a failure. I am very happy that you didn't succeed. I have lost too many people mental health problems, and I would be heart broken had competed the deed.

There isn't anything more I can add to what has been said. It's good that someone is saying it...for the benefit of all.