When Your Depression Makes You a Suicide Risk
When suicide becomes a possibility in your mind, you’re at a place where you need immediate help.
Depression separates you from others. It can drive you to despair and keep you from feeling the very things that make life worth living.
Where do you find help when you feel like no one cares and nothing matters -- but literally everything is at stake for you?
If you have a family member or friend who is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, read How to Support a Loved One with Depression.
How Do I Get Help When I’m Feeling Suicidal?
If you believe you are in immediate danger of taking your own life, the first thing you need to do is call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255). You can also go to their website and use their chat feature.
If you’re in San Diego, you can also dial 911 and ask for PERT - the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team.
A person on the other end will listen to you and help you access emergency resources here in San Diego or wherever you are.
Is Being Suicidal a Sign that I Don’t Have Enough Faith?
None of us have perfect faith so none of us have enough faith. But even through that, God is taking care of us and giving us His gifts. Jesus died on the cross and rose again for you -- for times like this.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us… For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. -- Romans 5:8,10 ESV
Depression works like a sci-fi perception filter -- it keeps us from seeing all the good that surrounds us even though it’s right there -- and depression makes us lose hope.
Sometimes, we fall into the trap of thinking if we’re good Christians, we should be happy and we shouldn’t be struggling. We blame ourselves and think there must be something wrong with us... or we blame God. We think “If God loves us, our lives would be better.”
God promises there are going to be hard times in our lives, but He also promises that He’s taking care of us through those hard times.
Often, He’s there through other people -- like doctors and therapists. He uses them to reach into the darkness and pull you out.
Isn’t needing antidepressants or counseling a sin?
When you’re suicidal, you’re in despair. This isn’t a faith issue. It may very well be a medical issue -- a mood disorder like major depression or bipolar disorder.
The brain is an organ just like your stomach or your heart. Very few people would tell you that having an ulcer or a heart attack means you lack faith.
1 person in 5 will struggle with a mental health condition this year -- that’s 20% of us. No matter how alone you feel, you’re not alone. (source: stillirun.org)
When the brain isn’t working right -- producing the right neurotransmitters, you need medical help. Psychiatrists and other physicians might have the help you need.
But the brain is also the seat of emotions and thought. A counselor sits with you through your pain and helps you find new ways to process and think about your emotions and experiences so you can heal.
How do I even know that mental health therapy works?
Many counseling methods have been studied repeatedly, and their measurable results are published in peer-reviewed journals -- this is called evidence-based therapy.
Licensed therapists have tools in their arsenal that can help you change how you’re thinking, restore your sense of self-worth, and reconnect you to life. Therapists and counselors are trained in methods that have been empirically shown to improve depression over time.
Therapy doesn’t replace your church or your pastor
While therapy is proven to make a huge difference in your life when you’re depressed or suicidal, this doesn’t replace the role your faith has in your life. When you’re depressed or suicidal, you need to hear that God loves you. Whatever is weighing on your heart -- Jesus died for that on the cross.
So a good Christian therapist doesn’t try to work outside of your faith or replace your church. You need your church and your pastor at this time. Talk to your pastor and let them know what you’re feeling. Let them give you the comfort of the gospel and show you how much Jesus loves you -- especially now when God’s love might seem so far away.
If you want your therapist to talk to your pastor so they can be on the same page, you can ask your therapist for a waiver that will give them permission to talk together.
If You’re Feeling Suicidal -- Get Help
Put aside the questions about whether people care and whether you’re worth it… because you are.
Take these three steps:
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255). You can also go to their website and use their chat feature.
When things are stabilized, look for a mental health provider who will listen and use their training to help you walk through the healing process.
Talk with your pastor or spiritual care provider so you’re getting treated as a whole person and you’re hearing God’s promises.
If you’re in San Diego, you can call us at Integrity Counseling Group (760)283-7000.
Our counselors work via telehealth or in person in three different locations in the San Diego and North County areas. We’ll provide compassionate, professional, evidence-based care to help you work through your depression and suicide issues while respecting your individual beliefs.
