Why people commit suicide – if you feel that way get help

MY OPINION is that so many of us are walking around daily with issues that make us feel helpless, hopeless and in many instances unable to express ourselves fully about what is bugging us.

For families and loved ones left behind, it is often difficult to imagine what led a family member, a friend or even a celebrity to commit suicide.

There are many factors that can influence a person’s decision to commit suicide, the most common of which is severe depression. Mental illnesses that can increase the risk of suicide include, among others, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

Another factor that often manifest itself, sometimes years later, is in the form of traumatic stress as a result of childhood sexual abuse, rape, physical abuse, or even war trauma.

There are, of course, many other contributing factors, like in the case of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes’ fiancée Anele “Nellie” Tembe, who plunged to her death on Sunday morning, April 11, 2021.

No-one will ever know why a person committed suicide.

“It can be a cry for help, which takes much strength to ask for when your mind does not want you to. It is so much more than a mere escape from suffering, and it is sometimes the only conclusion our brains with illnesses can make for ourselves when we don’t know what else to do.”

With that said, I would like to encourage you with the words below. Never forget how far you’ve come. Everything you have gotten through. All the times you have pushed on even when you felt you couldn’t.

All the mornings you got out of bed no matter how hard it was.

All the times you wanted to give up but you got through another day.

Never forget how much strength you have developed along the way.

If you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts and need support and/or assistance from a trained counsellor, please access the following Link: Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in South Africa (therapyroute.com).

¡ For more mental health resources, please access the following link: Government call centres and help lines | South African Government (www.gov.za).