We Need to Talk About Passive Suicidal Ideation

Suicide. The word alone brings fear and dread to the minds of many. People often think it’s uncomfortable to think or talk about. In recent years, this has changed. With high rates, suicide needs to be discussed.

The idea is to prevent or treat suicidal thoughts and actions. To get rid of them. But for some people, this is not realistic or possible.

I have borderline personality disorder (BPD) and I often think about suicide. I’m not in crisis and I’m not going to hurt myself, but I do think about dying a lot. What a lot of people don’t know is that there are two types of suicidal behavior. Passive and active.

Active suicidal behavior is dangerous and may lead to serious harm. Passive suicidal thoughts are just thoughts with no real intent to harm behind them.

On a daily basis, I am passively suicidal. I think about it when I’ve been inconvenienced or someone has hurt my feelings. But there’s no plan in place.

It’s uncomfortable to think about, but this is my reality. This is where my thoughts go when a problem arises. It may seems strange to those that don’t understand. And to those that experience it, I get how you’re feeling.

Luckily there are plenty of happy days, and my errant thoughts don’t get in the way of that.