Trigger Warning – Suicide
Suicide is a consequence of mental or physical illness. According to the World Health Organisation, one out of every hundred deaths occurs by suicide. Suicidal ideation includes an array of thoughts, behaviours and emotions all related to wanting to take one’s own life. As we discuss this topic it has to be done with great care, sensitivity and empathy. Life is precious and everyone knows that but sometimes even in the face of all the value, loss of hope ends life. We believe that by reading this article we can share with you a side of hope, strength and recovery that you can pass on to your close one’s and so on, creating a chain of hope and awareness that can help us choose life no matter how hard it gets.
In 2010 Noelle felt a wave of hopelessness crippling her down to her knees. Exhaustion made her come to a point in her life where she could no longer lie to her mother about throwing up after dinner. It did not take Noelle’s mother much time to put the pieces together regarding her daughter’s unhealthy behaviours such as missing dinners, obsessive running, lying about already eating and her declining grades.
Noelle said and I quote, “I did the closest thing I could manage to ask for help, and at that time, asking meant not denying.”
She mustered up the last ounce of strength she thought she had and tried to take the next step towards healing. Noelle’s journey of healing was nothing short of hell. With Prozac and talk therapy, her eating disorder was brought to light. She felt humiliation and frustration from the close monitoring of every aspect of her life. The label of ‘Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified’, made her feel that even in Mental Illness she had fallen short. Noelle showed no signs of healing for months.
The turning point in Noelle’s life came when her therapist asked her a simple yet loaded question – “Do you want to live?” While reflecting upon this question Noelle told herself that she wanted to live, but as skinny, beautiful and in control.
The thoughts directed towards her therapist included – “She’s jealous because she’s not as skinny. She wants me to stop so she can win. I’m not going to die. I’m seventeen. Seventeen-year-olds don’t just die.”
While she went through her life, trying to convince herself that she wanted to live, she pondered upon her actions. Noelle packed her lunch in the morning just to throw it all away later in the day. She forced herself to go running while suffering from a bad upper respiratory infection. She spent hours searching for weight loss tips and diet plans instead of resting or studying. As the loaded question played on her mind for months, she finally declared to her therapist that she wanted to live and she needed help.
The toxic conditions that she had unwittingly established for herself pushed her to take a step away from death and choose life. As she began the tough journey of recovery she felt as if it was trying to start a fire on a windy day with wet matches. With every breakthrough she had to fight her hardest to protect the spark and not let it blow out. It was not constant. Noelle clawed her way back to recovery for months with the determination of wanting to live. In 2017, her therapy sessions ended when she showed signs of hope and fight for a healthy life. For 7 years she struggled with her illness and as a 17 year old she had to ask herself if she wanted to live or die. But in the end, her therapist, family and friends kept her anchored in her will to live.
Noelle’s journey as a survivor began with hopelessness and till date progresses, as she fights for recovery which is an everyday commitment, even after treatment ends. Noelle’s therapy helped her realize she had the strength to overcome her own personal battles.
Noelle’s experience is remarkable in many ways, but the most crucial one is the step she took to seek treatment through therapy. People frequently dismiss the idea of getting assistance, which exacerbates the problem. It is critical for an individual to recognise that they require medical and/or psychological assistance from therapists. When someone decides to seek help, they will learn that there are a variety of treatments available to help them work through suicidal thoughts.
Tarrier et al. looked at 28 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) that included adults and adolescents in 2008. The researchers concluded that therapies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) were successful in reducing suicidal behaviour. Treatment that specifically targets suicidal thoughts and conduct is more effective than treatment that is aimed to address mental illness with the idea that the benefits would also affect suicidal behaviour.
- Another short-term intervention meant to precise target suicidal behaviour that shows significant results in preventing future suicide attempts is cognitive behavioural therapy for suicide prevention. It is divided into three phases: an initial phase that encourages treatment participation, an intermediate phase that focuses on cognitive and behavioural strategies to combat suicidal thoughts and mobilise reasons to live, and a final phase that focuses on relapse prevention and consolidates the ability to use strategies effectively in the event of future suicidal crises.
- Psychotherapy: often known as psychological counselling or talk therapy, is a type of counselling in which you address the factors that make you feel suicidal and learn strategies to better regulate your emotions. Together, you and your therapist can create a treatment plan and set goals.
- Medications: Suicidal ideation can be relieved with a variety of psychotropic drugs that work to balance neurotransmitters/brain chemicals that may be contributing to the symptoms. Antidepressants, Antipsychotic drugs, Anti-Anxiety medications and other mental illness medications can help by reducing symptoms.
- Treatment for addiction: Detoxification, addiction treatment programmes, and self-help group sessions are among the options for treating drug or alcohol addiction.
- Family support and Education: Your family members can be both a source of comfort and a source of contention. Involving them in treatment can help them understand what you’re going through, strengthen family communication and connections, and provide them with better-coping skills.
Hopelessness is the largest contributing factor to suicidal ideation, according to the psychotherapy model. A substantial part of crisis intervention and post-crisis counselling seeks to restore hope. Once the crisis has passed, a person who continues in therapy will likely look into ways to resist the urge to self-harm (if self-harming behaviour was involved), address the factors that led to suicidal thoughts, and develop a plan that includes coping strategies and methods to address suicidal thoughts if they recur.
Noelle’s tale is just one of many inspiring ones in which people were fortunate enough to receive the right amount of aid at the right moment to reclaim their will to live.
“Hope is a necessity for normal life and the major weapon against the suicide impulse.” – Karl A. Menninger (American Psychiatrist)
– Urveez Kakalia, Aakriti Mathur and Ferangiz Hozdar.