Mr. Chan, a first-year university student, was sent to a psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt. He suffered from severe depression and was in a very low mood. He tried to convince the doctor that suicide was a rational decision: “Point one, life is harrowing and boring, now and always. Point 2: Death is the end of everything, including pain and joy. Leaving the world is like sleeping, but you will never wake up, no longer suffer, and enjoy peace. So the conclusion is: to pass away as soon as possible.”
Suicide is indeed tempting for those who are suffering. Living in pain, driven by physical and psychological instincts, leads to the desire for peace. When you search and find nothing, you will feel despair and panic under the pain and suffering. Death gives people an illusion, thinking that they can obtain eternal comfort by jumping into it. Many people around the suicidal person will lament that even though they provide a lot of care and help, the suicidal person still blindly rushes toward death without hesitation.
Research has found that more than 90% of those who committed suicide had suffered from mental illness during their lifetime, the most common being depression. Depression is a brain disorder caused by damage to parts of the brain that govern emotions, behavioral motivation, thinking and memory, sleep, and appetite. Not only do depressed people have persistently low moods, they also lose the ability to feel happiness. Therefore, they are unable to feel any meaning and fun in life.
Human thoughts are greatly affected by emotions. The state of “no happiness, only pain” causes patients to have a negative view of everything. Coupled with the loss of rational thinking ability, patients can easily fall into cognitive fallacies, such as thinking that they can predict the future, making rash judgments, and believing that the current pain will last forever, thus feeling hopeless.
After treatment for Mr. Chan’s depression, he recovered. His brain function returned to normal. He no longer regarded suicide as “the most rational choice.” During the follow-up consultation, he talked about his views on life: “Life has both suffering and happiness. Although there is more suffering than happiness right now, no one knows what the future holds. Overall, life turns for the better.”
(Details of the story have been modified to protect patient privacy)
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
