(June 4, 2018 at 4:14 pm)MysticKnight Wrote:(June 4, 2018 at 4:11 pm)The Industrial Atheist Wrote: So, you didn't commit suicide because you were afraid of how you'd be viewed if you survived?
Maybe if you didn't feel stigma you'd be more likely to have gotten help? As stigma is one of the biggest reasons people don't get help for any mental illness.
Stigma has never made me less depressed. The times when I felt most like some kind of alien or outcast were usually the times that I felt worst. I don't think shame and self hate are productive here.
What help would I have gotten seeking it from the mental health system? Are you sure the stigma was not a stronger assister in that regard?
It would depend on what drugs or therapy you'd already tried and what was or wasn't successful. I'm still not sure how stigma helped you. What stopped me before I ever got close was thinking about how much it would physically hurt and the likely result of having more physical or mental issues upon surviving failure. Also the people who would be hurt if I succeeded. I'm fortunate that I never got anywhere near getting past the point of being able to think about consequences.
I won't lie, the thought of waking up strapped down wasn't appealing either. But that's not really stigma.
So, what do you mean when you say stigma, and how did it help you? To me stigma is basically an unfair judgement, usually concerning character, about somebody who belongs to a marginalized group.
I can't imagine how feeling like some kind of freak gets you farther from killing yourself.
