Since it is
suicide prevention week, I want to share a little bit of my story.
I have been
struggling with suicidal thoughts and self-harm since I was 3 years old, that’s
really scary! I didn’t get proper help until I was 5 years old, because no one believed
my mom that I had these kinds of problems because I was so young. But guess
what? As a 4 year old, I had already almost committed a suicide 3 times… I got diagnosed with anxiety and depression at
age 5 and was on medication from that time till I was 9 years old. Lucky me got
in a remission from the disorders and I didn’t realise how lucky I really was.
Until two years ago.
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The last couple of years haven’t been easy, actually
the exact opposite. After almost two years of struggling with an ED (without
realising it), isolating myself, being left out and teased, I exploded. I had
been holding everything inside for so long and I regret not opening up earlier.
What I didn’t know at that time was my case was much more serious than I
thought. I had those typical disordered thoughts that I didn’t matter, that I
deserved to die and that everyone would be better off without me.
I went to the school therapist to ventilate and get everything off my chest. I
didn’t think it mattered, but I just wanted to tell someone how I was feeling.
Before I even had time to blink was he on the telephone with the local children
and youth psychiatric health station to get me an emergency appointment. Since
then (September 2011) I’ve been in therapy. But despite of that, I tried to commit
suicide 5 times that school year, and 7 times the next one (last year). I had 4
emergency appointments to evaluate if I should be admitted to a hospital to
keep me from doing anything stupid, but it was always on the edge, so they
evaluated that I could be at home. What they didn’t know was that the nights
after those appointments, I self-harmed a lot (nut by cutting, I’ve never cut,
but by punching myself, banging my head into things and kicking stuff). I felt like I wasn’t taken seriously, that I
didn’t matter, and that only made thing worse. Finally last year I was admitted
to a hospital. I say finally, because that was the turning point. I FINALLY got
proper help! After 14 years of not being taken seriously!
What I’m
most thankful for now, is that I didn’t take my own life! I can’t imagine how
my family would have felt if I had. By taking your own life you are taking away
the pain, but you are also taking away the chance of things getting better! You
haven’t lived you happiest days yet! Life isn’t over, even though you want it
to. Life goes on, even though it is without you. Very interesting, exciting,
happy things will happen and if you give up now, you won’t experience those
things.
It is so important
to take people seriously! No matter how much you don’t want to believe them,
because when it comes to suicide, NO ONE lies! You wouldn’t kid around by
saying that you wanted to kill yourself. That simply isn’t funny!
Smile to
the lonely boy sitting alone in the corner of the classroom, to the girl that
looks sad at the bus stop, to the shy girl walking in the halls looking at the
ground. Say hi to them! You never know if that smile or “hi” saves a life. It
could be the only thing that makes them survive the day. Think about it!
Smiles from
stranger on the street, from people at school and from teachers really make my
day! I remember when I was at my worst, there was this one teacher at school
that took her time to talk to me, to say hi on her way to teach another class,
to smile to me and show that she cared. I’m so thankful for that she took time
to do those things because that literally saved my life! or as I like to say: she helped me to save myself because you can't count on people to save you, the only one who can and will save you is you! They can help you realise that you can be saved, but they can't save you. You have to do the work, it is hard and takes time, but you are worth it! Talk to people, tell them how you are feeling and if you want to, see a therapist/phsycologist/phsyciatrist.
Maybe medication can help you to take the first step. They can make you strong enough mentally to be able and want to take the steps that lie ahead. But if you don't want them, that's comepletely ok as well! Everyone has their own point of view. In my case they helped me, but that doesn't mean they will help you, or that you need them. Don't take any perscription from a phsyciatrist that you've only talked to for 15 minutes, see them at least couple of times before.
You can do this! You can survive! You can save yourself! Smile whenever you go past a mirror, even though you don't like what you see. After sometime this smile actually will increase your selfesteem and you'll feel better about yourself. Try it!
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