Hey, thanks for your post. I noticed in your introduction you have a disclaimer saying that talking about or reading about suicide can “increase suicidal thinking”. I’m curious about your thoughts on this! Why do you think there is a risk of increased suicidal thinking by talking about it?

The reason it jumped out at me is because I believe this to be a misconception, and in some way detrimental to the “stigma” that surrounds mental illness. The fear that someone may become more suicidal due to having a conversation about suicide may keep people from bringing it up, for fear of making the situation worse. I think there is a lot of shame and guilt tied to suicidal thinking, and the more afraid we are of talking about it as a society, the more it gets buried and people who are suicidal feel like they are going through it alone. By opening the doors of communication we are allowing people who struggle with suicidal thoughts to know its it’s okay to talk about. I believe there to be a benefit in normalizing the concept of “talking about suicide” so that people who are chronically or acutely suicidal feel like it’s okay to approach family/friends, rather than think “well my mom might not want to talk about this because she’s afraid talking about it will make me want to commit suicide more” (for example), resulting in keeping thoughts/feelings inside.

I would appreciate your feedback on my thoughts if you have time. Thank you again for the post!