suicide Archives - Bipolar Burble Blog

Do Antidepressants Increase Suicidality? Does The Black Box Warning Help or Hurt People?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 29, 2023

Because of the black box warnings (also known as boxed warnings) on antidepressants, many people think that antidepressants cause suicidal thinking, suicidal behavior, and suicide. The black box warning on antidepressants is, after all, the strongest warning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can place on a medication. However, the black box warning on antidepressants was authored almost 20 years ago, and we have learned a lot and have synthesized a lot of data since then. Does this more recent data indicate that antidepressants increase suicidality or cause suicides, and what can we learn from this new information? Should we be scared of the risk of suicidality with antidepressants? (TL;DR here.)

10 Truths About Suicide and Suicide Attempts

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 7, 2023

There are many truths about suicide that are important to understand. If you or a loved one have attempted suicide, you are concerned for a loved one about suicide, or have had a loved one die of suicide, there’s a lot to be said, and people are often scared about saying it. This fear leads to silence, and silence on this topic is painful and can be deadly. But suicide is not a dirty word; there is nothing wrong with talking about it. To that end, join me for 10 truths about suicide that we need to talk about.

Don’t Kill Yourself — My Daily To-Do List

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 8, 2023

Do the laundry, wash the dishes, and don’t kill yourself — those are on my to-do list. That last one is on my daily to-do list. (Yes, I realize it’s more like a to-don’t item, but allow me some latitude, if you would.) Yes, I have to remind myself every day not to die. I put it on lists. I remind myself of it in blog posts, and I say the words to myself almost as a mantra — “no kill, no die.” Let’s talk about why I need to do that and how I can not kill myself every day in spite of the desire to do so.

For When I’m Suicidal; For When You’re Suicidal

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 5, 2022

Dear Suicidal Friend,

This sucks. Okay, it doesn’t just suck. It’s horrendous. It’s horrific. It’s soul-sucking. It’s suicidality at its finest. It’s lonely, and the pain is unbearable. I know what that feels like. I have been there many times before. I know how impossible just one more moment in the muck and mire feels. I have written about suicide over and over and over, and yet it doesn’t stop me from feeling suicidal again. It doesn’t stop me from wanting to kill myself. No amount of knowledge takes away the suffering.

Thoughts of Suicide Every Day

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 23, 2022

Some people live with thoughts of suicide every day. I have lived this way. It’s hell. Persistent suicidality can happen in depression, although it’s not talked about very much. There is a notion that people think about suicide, and they either get help, which rids them of the thoughts, or act on the thoughts. And while I have no doubt some people have had that experience, for many, this just isn’t reality. Even the best treatment can’t always rid a person of constant thoughts of suicide.

How to Help Someone Who Is Suicidal

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 24, 2021

Helping someone who is suicidal is daunting. In fact, even for me, someone who works in mental health, helping someone who is suicidal can be tough. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done, however. If you’re here and looking for how to help a suicidal person, you’re already doing the right thing. Thank you for caring for another person so much. Read on for tips on how to help someone who is suicidal.

The Difference Between Being Suicidal and Wanting to Die

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Mar 1, 2016

I believe that being suicidal is not the same thing as simply wanting to die. Of course, if you’re suicidal, you do want to die (or, more specifically, to end your pain through death) but, if you simply want to die, you may not be actively suicidal. Please understand that wanting to die and being suicidal are both serious and dangerous, but I would suggest they are not the same.

Suicide – I Want to Die by Accident

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 11, 2015

I have heard from many people who are suicidal and want to die by accident. I guess “wanting to die by accident” may sound weird to some people but I totally get it. I have been one of these people myself. I envisioned myself dying in service to another – doing something incredibly brave that would end my life so that another could live. At least then people would view my death in a positive light and didn’t other people deserve to live more than me anyway?

What it comes down to is that these suicidal people don’t want to take their own lives (for many reasons such as family and friends) but they do feel they want to die and they feel an accident is the way to do that.

I’m a Coward for Not Killing Myself?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 9, 2015

I’ve written about suicide a lot and on those threads I hear it all the time: “I’m too much of a coward to kill myself,” or, “I wish I were braver so I could commit suicide.”

I understand these thoughts and I think they’re very common and normal. When you’re in unbearable pain, it feels like suicide is necessary. And if you’re not achieving a necessary thing, you feel like a failure. And because of the nature of suicide – because it is scary – people feel like the reason they are “failing” is because they are a coward.

This is not true, however. Cowardice has nothing to do with killing yourself or living. You are not a coward for not killing yourself.