Coping with Long-Term Suicidal Thoughts

Regarding Suicidal Ideation two facts for you - It's not your fault and it's not that uncommon. It's really a symptom of intense unhappiness. It can even be comforting to know you have an option to end it all. However that does not mean you have to go through with it. I have experienced Suicidal Ideation for literally decades due to chronic and acute unhappiness caused by mental health problems. I am still here and have learned to treat myself with both compassion and kindness - and this helps

Truth is I don't. It sucks to go through it but I do have a idea, instead of self harming take red paint or a red crayon and draw red marks on a paper or yourself to help ease the tension

I think it helps at least a little bit to remember that chronic/long term suicidal ideation is, more often than not, a coping mechanism and reflex learned by your brain. your brain is a muscle and is not an exception to becoming victim to learned reflexes. suicidal ideation for me has been an automatic coping mechanism, as weird as that sounds. it helps to know that, no matter what, I have a way out. the consequences of any action I take can't ever get me because I have a way to escape them, death. I haven't been able to find something that truly helps, but finding an interest or hobby or even a person that you continually want to experience and live for can be a short term motivation to live and maybe even to work on retraining your brain to not automatically go to suicide to cope. I've also heard of alternative depression treatments like ketamine being very good for stubborn and chronic suicidal ideation, but I have no experience with that myself.

By talkong about it with my therapist or family or friends cause they can help by givong us advice and make us laugh. Or you could go to the hospital. But they dont always help