When you're alive , they hear
When you're gone, they listen…..unknown
The truth is this things happen but no one really wants to talk about it, attempted suicide is good for a social media campaign on world suicide prevention day, depression is cute as a war barge when you've ove5rcoming and feel like starting yet another mental health NGO in this 21st century of social media therapy and trending theology I honestly wonder if this new wave of mental health glamorisation has done more harm than good for those who actually have to live with a mental illness for those who have to constantly remind the voices in their head that its ok to have God and a therapist. When everyone is ready with their own version of the, aspire, to inspire, to perspire before you retire speech making it seem like recovery is a sprint. Now more than ever in Nigeria and the world we are seeing an increase in the number of mental health organisations and hotlines asking people to speak up and reach out for help
#speak up
# you matter
# speak your mind
#never think of suicide
#suicide is not the answer
On almost every post, yet we've had an alarming increase in the rate of suicide and attempted suicide.
Truth is you only reach out for help if you believe there's help available to you and you can be helped.
Once you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who else is going to die
Have you ever been jealous of a person who committed suicide, while you just sat there contemplating it? I know I have. I always thought maybe they wanted it more than I did, to me they were heroes who rescued themselves by hushing the voices in their head .
Has depression ever had you feeling like Gods after thought, like Jesus is a fraud?
To me some days I believe Jesus was also depressed and possibly suicidal, I know , I know that's no way to speak about God but depression actually sounds a whole lot like Jesus on the cross , its being betrayed by friends , questioned by family, ridiculed and beaten by enemies, its showing up last to Lazarus grave, its seeing his sisters mourn it is being so s aware of how cruel life actually is that you sweat blood , it is being left to die on a cross though equal to God. A man quite fond of sorrows learnt his obedience through sufferings
Becoming a curse like depression on a cross for us. Most times telling a depressed person just to be happy is a mocking dismissal. one thing I know is that depression like law has no universal all-encompassing definition and I do not believe it has a stereotypical definition, so I get upset when I hear statements like suicidal people don't really want to die, their suicide attempt is but a cry for help, bitch please until you've lived inside my head do not generalise my struggles based on personal experience
This is in no way an attempt to take away from all the progress that has been made in the mental health space however we all need to realise one thing depression and suicide are more complicated than this glamorisation regime while raising awareness is suicide prevention, we should also remember that things such as job security, food security, a functional health care system, holding space without judgement and kindness are also suicide prevention
To the suicidal person reading this I'm not about to tell you something cliché like tomorrow needs you or suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem no matter how true it may be
I will only ask you to think about it
Why commit suicide
Are you really doing it for you or for someone else, maybe you believe that they'll be better without you here
Don't jump to your death just to prove something to anyone or fix a persons or the world's problem
In this moment even if it's possibly your last on earth I need you to be totally selfish forgetting what anybody could have done or said to you or about you it really doesn't matter take a moment and think about yourself
Do you really want to be dead?
Ignore the voices in your head
Is your greatest desire in this moment to be dead?
Whatever your answer is I need you to do it for yourself and no one else
As for the suicidal Christian don't let anyone intimidate you with theology living you even more depressed. Jesus was equal part God and man and even Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, was depressed .
Living or dying should be done for yourself, doing either with no regret.