Status Updates From Choosing to Live: How to De...

"...suicidal people almost always have a mixture of a wish to die and a wish to go on living."

"They simply show by their behavior that they have ambivalence - the human capacity to feel two apparently contradictory feelings at the same time."

"Studies show that suicidal individuals, terminally I'll or not, are almost invariably clinically depressed. Because depression interferes significantly with rational thinking, the concept of 'rational' suicide loses meaning. Depression can be treated successfully in the vast majority of cases; and when the depression is treated, suicidal wishes fade away along with other depressive symptoms."

"I asked Randy what had caused him to return from the woods, choosing life over death.

"Because I'm a coward," he said bitterly, making eye contact at last; "I didn't have the guts to pull the trigger."

This reply reflected what was to become a major focus of therapy for Randy - his long-standing mental habit of savagely criticizing himself for his actions, good or bad."

"True, we want to do all we can to prevent suicide and suicidal behavior, but it is unlikely that laying guilt trips on depressed people will be helpful."

"Convince yourself that suicidality is no more or less than an attempt (however disadvantageous) to solve a problem - a desperate attempt, when no other viable options are apparent."