Discussion Do you think a person has to entirely deny suicide as an option in order to recover?

[Forever Sleep]

Obviously- this thread discusses suicidal thoughts. Please ignore it if that's triggering for you.

Just to clarify- I'm not attempting to recover personally. However, this is something I think about. Do you think it's more likely a person will recover if they no longer consider suicide is a choice they are free to make? Does it make focussing on recovery easier or harder when a person decides suicide is no longer an option for them?

I think that's partly why I don't want to consider recovery now. Because I'm so attached to my suicidal thoughts. That said- when I was younger, I made steps to recover on several attempts, all the while- not ruling suicide out as an eventual possibility.

How do you see it? Is it sort of like alchoholics in recovery? A friend said they always considered themselves to be in recovery- rather than recovered. Maybe the knowledge that they could slip back is what kept them preventing it.

Can a fully recovered person still have ideation from time to time? What do you think? How do you approach your recovery? Do you still permit yourself to think about suicide as an option or, is it simply off the cards for you now? I'm just curious really. I imagine it must be difficult too- if you are choosing to try to banish those thoughts. I've had ideation for 36 years. It's difficult to imagine my perspective without them.

 

[NameOfAction]

I don't think you'll find genuinely recovered people on this forum. Recovery might not include fully removing suicide as an option, but it would surely include no longer reading this.

I don't know. I don't think so, but I'm not recovered. Even in my most sunny and peaceful moods I'm still firm on at least self-deliverance in my old age.

I've seen people die naturally and it's never, ever peaceful. Peaceful, natural death is a fairytale on par with the angels of heaven taking you up to see your maker. Natural death is brutal and takes decades of pitiful suffering. Both my great-grandmothers died in their 90s, I would never allow myself such pain

Does it count as suicidal? Hell if I know, but I will always go on my own terms. Thus, it is always an option

 

[Jadeith]

As pro-lifers love to preach: "suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problem". No matter how infuriating this is, i believe this statement contains answer to your question. Suicide is a "solution", not a problem. To recover, one must deal with the problem. People aren't suicidal just for being suicidal. They are suicidal because of something. Be it health problems (mental or otherwise), emotions, financial troubles etc.
So, if one wants to recover from suicidal tendencies, problem causing them must be solved first. I'm not here to argue that "other" solution is always possible because it isn't. I'm just saying that those who claim to have recovered or are recovering, in fact found a solution or otherwise learned how to deal with the problem that made them suicidal in the first place.

 

[Forever Sleep]

As pro-lifers love to preach: "suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problem". No matter how infuriating this is, i believe this statement contains answer to your question. Suicide is a "solution", not a problem. To recover, one must deal with the problem. People aren't suicidal just for being suicidal. They are suicidal because of something. Be it health problems (mental or otherwise), emotions, financial troubles etc.
So, if one wants to recover from suicidal tendencies, problem causing them must be solved first. I'm not here to argue that "other" solution is always possible because it isn't. I'm just saying that those who claim to have recovered or are recovering, in fact found a solution or otherwise learned how to deal with the problem that made them suicidal in the first place.

I definitely agree although- I wonder if closing off that choice is beneficial to recovery. We can tell ourselves that- even though we want to perform a certain action- we won't. Or, as NameofAction was describing- they will now try limiting considering it only to escape old age and illness.

For me- I intend it to be off the cards until my Dad goes first. So- I have certain conditions that will eventually make it permissible. It's not really about not having suicidal thoughts. It's saying- I have them but, I won't act on them. Do many people in recovery do that?

It's more that I'm curious how people go about recovery I suppose. In fighting my tendency to develop limerent crushes on people- I have to literally be aware of my thoughts and stop them- if I start fixating on someone. I just wonder if people do this regarding suicidal thoughts.