Suicide is tough. Those of us left behind often want to assign blame anywhere other than on the person who made the decision to end their life. I have known two people who committed suicide. One person had acted in a way that raised some red flags (primarily after the fact) and the other came as a total surprise to everyone who knew them and still does. There was a lot of guilt and finger pointing in both cases, which didn’t help anyone to get closure.
I do wish it was easier and more affordable to get the help you need, as well as wishing there wasn’t any stigma attached to needing the help. I worked with a young man who had serious mental health issues that none of us knew about because he was on medication that worked. Unfortunately, he gained a little weight as a side effect and went off his meds without telling anyone, because he thought if he lost the weight his social life would improve. He stopped coming to work and was in bad shape when his family found him. Last I heard from his mom (who I was casual friends with) they were still trying to find a med that would work. I wish he would have felt comfortable enough to address the side effects with his doctor instead of taking things into his own hands trying to avoid embarrassment. At least he wasn’t one of the suicides, thank goodness.
