Letter to a Suicidal Person From a Survivor

Group Beyond Blue member Rose S. posted a beautiful reflection on Group Beyond Blue called "Letter to a suicidal person from a survivor":

Dear friend,

I am writing this to you both as the survivor of an attempted suicide and as someone who lost a person they loved to suicide.

I have tried on more than one occasion to take my own life. The last time I almost succeeded in completing it, taking 20 Phenobarbital tablets prescribed for seizures downed with a fifth of Jack Daniels.

I felt I was worthless, that no one would ever care about me and that my then-toddler son would be better off without me. But by the grace of God and my son's father who performed CPR until paramedics showed up, I survived with no permanent damage.

So I got help, I signed a no-harm contract, and anytime I am so depressed I don't think life is worth living I look at that worn-out piece of paper and at the face of my now 20-year-old son and realize just how wrong I am. That in his eyes, there is a reason to live, in his face and the faces of his half-brother and his two stepbrothers that I love as if they were my own. I look in the mirror and tell myself that I am worthwhile. My children, though they are adults still need me and I AM loved.

I am telling you this because a young lady I knew, the girlfriend of my 20 year old, completed suicide at age 18. She was funny, smart and beautiful both inside and out. But beneath that exterior lied a troubled child who saw the only way to get rid of her pain was to take her own life. All too often, those we care about are hurting so badly that even we don't see and they choose death as a way of healing, without taking into consideration the effects of those they leave behind.

I am begging you as you read this, to seek help. Talk to a counselor, family member, close friend or minister. Suicide is so final, not only for the person who attempts or completes it, but for those who are left behind to grieve. Stop a minute and think hard before you do whatever it is you plan on doing. You are worthwhile, you are a good person, you are loved.

Sincerely,

A Survivor