Suicide
...sed and see no other way out of it. Myth: People who talk about suicide just want attention. Those who really want to die never talk about it. Fact: This is probably the most unfortunate myth of them all. 8 out of 10 people who commit suicide give definite warning signs of their intentions. The other 2 tend to give verbal warnings. Almost no one who commits suicide does without telling someone of their intentions. Myth: A person who is suicidal will always be suicidal. Fact: Actually, people are usually only suicidal for a limited ammount of time. The best result is with people who have thought about committing suicide, but haven't actually tried. Myth: If a person survives a suicide attempt, they will never try again. Fact: 4 out of 5 people who succeed at committing suicide have tried at least once before. Estimates say that half of those who try and live will try again. Myth: People who commit suicide always leave a note. Fact: Another unfortunate myth. Only a small percentage of people leave notes. Many suicides are labeled as accidents because no notes were found. Myth: If you can just pull someone out of their depression, then they won't try to commit suicide. Fact: Most suicides occur within 3 months of an apparent "improvement." People who are severely depressed lack the energy to go through with their plans. But as they "improve", they get the strength back and actually try. There was a girl on the debate team. Her parents were worried when she quit, but dismissed it as just a phase. They were so relieved when she started getting better. One night, she enthusiastically asked if she could cook dinner. She made a wonderful meatloaf, a great pasta salad, the whole works. Then she went upstairs into her room and shot herself. Myth: The most common form of suicide is drug overdose. Fact: The leading cause of death in suicides is gunshot wounds. Those who take drugs are often less successful because they are given time to be found and helped. Myth: If someone decides to commit suicide, you can't stop them. Fact: The majority of suicides can be stopped. Even those who are severely depressed are usually torn between wanting to live and wanting to die. They want to die, yet they want to live. There was a guy who jumped off of his building on the 11th story wanting to die. As onlookers and the ambulence came around, he was screaming out how he didn't want to die. **Danger Signs: Look out for these signs and others. 1. Taking risks and becoming self-destructive 2. Sudden changes in eating, sleeping, hygiene, or other daily patterns of behavior 3. Difficulty concentrating, decline in sc...