A Response to the Suicide Joke That Sent Shivers Down My Spine

I read a post online that translated to: “The more suicidal people there are, the less suicidal people there are.” It had around  5,000 likes. So to those 5,000 people, I have a few words for you:

I’ve been suicidal — more than once actually. Less than a year ago I was so close to ending my life. So I cannot figure out why 5,000 people could find a post like that “funny” or “cool” or “likable.”

When I saw that post, a shiver went down my spine. I was brought back to that horrid night when I was on the verge of putting an end to my never-ending misery.

For anyone who thinks it’s OK to make a joke about suicide, why don’t you try living with a mental illness, living with depression, anxiety, borderline, bipolar — I could go on. Why don’t you try living in my shoes for a day? You can read my other posts if you want to find out what it’s like to live in my shoes, but right now I’m here to talk about something else.

Every 40 seconds someone somewhere in the world dies by suicide, and for every one, there are 20 others who attempted suicide but survived. That means roughly every 2 seconds, someone tries to kill themselves. How many seconds have ticked by since you started reading this? How many people have died by something you think funny? How many?

Many people in this world feel miserable — so miserable that they think the world will be better without them. I thought that too. And I can tell you there’s no worse feeling in the world than wanting to die. And it makes me feel sick to think there’s people out there who find this a laughing matter.

If you’re one of those people who think suicide is a joke, think twice. Think past the little joke you saw on Facebook, and think about what happens in the real world, past your screen.

Think of all of those battling with an illness you can’t see. The people around you, your friends and family, could easily be contemplating suicide without you noticing.

So before you make a joke and count “likes” think, “I this really something to laugh about?”

If you or someone you know needs help, visit our suicide prevention resources page.
If you need support right now, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.