Help Is it possible to get rid of long term suicidal thoughts ?

[bittersweetly]

I've had suicidal thoughts since childhood, I've never seen a future for myself my whole life.
Even when i try now i can't
I can't imagine that I will live in the end after all these attempts
How can i live really??
I don't have any big dreams because i thought i was going to die all my life
I can't put my effort into anything for the future, and with every small problem I face, I get suicidal once again.

How do people who have recovered move on?

 

[LittleJem]

The only thing that ever helps me is a drug or medication, these can get rid of the thoughts. Im guessing youve tried those. In that case, big hugs. It really sucks.

 

[fedup1982]

It's taken 20 years but the thoughts have mostly faded

 

[bittersweetly]

The only thing that ever helps me is a drug or medication, these can get rid of the thoughts. Im guessing youve tried those. In that case, big hugs. It really sucks.

I haven't tried them, I didn't think they might really help or change anything
What medication did you take? What was your experience like?

 

[Eriktf]

Depends on your situation but yes

Definition on insanity is to do the same thing twice and expect different results.

Hard truth is you need to change whatever makes you suicidal in the first place if not then you probably stay suicidal. If its your brain chemistry then maybe meds, if your unhealthy then try getting healthier, etc. Not saying its easy or even possible in all cases.

 

[M3lancholia]

I've never got rid of them but there's been periods where the thoughts are pushed further back in my mind and I can detach from them - my energy returns and I can do things that I want to do like travel and socialise. Having something to look forward to helps - it's not easy but knowing that you can leave this life whenever you want actually makes it easier to stay.
Big hugs

 

[emotion]

I think with the right (after/follow up) care and treatment it can be possible. But it might take a while before you find what works for you. Which, if you are receiving therapy, I'd try to stay open for everything at least for the first few sessions. And, like LittleJem mentioned, the right type of medication if applicable for your symptoms.

I've been suicidal for nearly 3 decades and nowadays it's mostly just background noise, and I've learned to manage it as best as I can. I really don't know how, but I think therapy that focused on becoming more in tune on how I feel and what I want/need in the moment helped in that.

When things get intense I basically cancel as much as I can and I rest and recuperate until I start to get interested in hobbies/regain my appetite etc. again. That's literally the only thing that works for me. I also try to plan things so I'll have to stick around (e.g. order something that'll take another week to arrive, plan to go to my favourite shop/museum etc.).
It's not ideal, but I've come a long way and I'm still hopeful it can improve.

 

[Hvergelmir]

Definition on insanity is to do the same thing twice and expect different results.

It is not. Few things in life are achieved on the first try. Many things are probabilistic.
Reality is not a sterile environment where we're in perfect control of all the parameters. Most experiments are run several times, because we do expect variance in the results.

We also change over time - both ourselves and our surrounding. Experiments ought to be repeated occasionally, to ensure persistent validity.

 

[thelostautistic]

I suppose it depends on your circumstances and why the thoughts came about for you. I've also had them since childhood and now realise they are related to my autism. I don't think that they'll ever fully go away for me ( and I'm ok with that ) but there are lots of people out there that have moved past them. It's definitely possible

 

[trying ungracefully]

I haven't tried them, I didn't think they might really help or change anything
What medication did you take? What was your experience like?

I know lamotrigine helped with my suicidal thoughts a lot. They are back because of situational depression and I don't think situational suicidal thoughts can go away with medication sadly.

I'm bipolar with psychotic features and also anxiety though so I am on lamotrigine, paliperidone, gabapentin, seroquel, paliperidone, and Wellbutrin (that one I'm adjusting). They have helped a shit ton with my anxiety and depression and also managing mania and psychosis. When I didn't take my gabapentin for a week I was an anxious mess who could barely function, once I got back on it I was fine.

The depression is sometimes hard and medication needs to be adjusted every now and then but for the most part I am doing good, I am just struggling with motivation which is what the Wellbutrin is for and that did make me feel happier and more engaged with people too.

Medication is hard because there is so many pills and combinations and sometimes you can get a misdiagnosis even. But the long road is worth it in my opinion as long as the side effects aren't impacting your life. If I wasn't on medication I think I would end up in inpatient and not even from mania, suicidal thoughts and actions.

I notice the difference from before the right meds and now and it is good to me. They aren't a magic thing that will solve all your issues but they can help.

 

[bunnyandthebear]

The only thing that has helped me is being medicated. Having been off medication for a while and starting back up because of how severe the thoughts were, I was surprised how the medicine made them just stop. The thoughts still pop up sometimes but they're easy to dismiss and aren't all-consuming. I also don't immediately jump to that when faced with difficulties. If your goal is recovery I would definitely recommend checking into medication and regular therapy.

 

[vitbar]

Medication and therapy is what helped mine. They haven't completely gone for me because it's an ingrained habit, but it happens far less often and the intensity is greatly diminished. I presume with time I can improve further too.