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Why do I want to end my life?

Are you finding yourself thinking about suicide? Having these thoughts can be a response to feeling like your life is out of your control; that it will never get better.

Your thoughts might involve wishing you were dead or you may have thought about how you would kill yourself.

You might also think that your family and friends would be better off without you.

Although you might feel painfully alone right now, it is important for you to know that other people have felt like ending their lives too. Other people thinking about suicide might have even had similar thoughts to your own.

There are many reasons why people think of killing themselves. Some common experiences include:

• Alcohol or drug use (this can increase feelings of hopelessness and impulsive actions)
• Being abused or bullied (sexual, physical, and/or emotional)
• Feeling like no one cares or understands
• Financial insecurity
• Legal problems
• Loss and grief (including the suicide of someone close to you)
• Major relationship stresses, including breaking up
• Mental illness, including depression
• Unemployment

It is common that people who think about killing themselves are facing more than one of these situations, as well as others. You may be feeling like your ability to cope with the situations and experiences you are facing is being overwhelmed. You may find that you can’t sleep, eat, or enjoy anything. You may have tried to kill yourself before.

If you’re reading this website, though, it is likely that you're not 100% sure whether you do want to end your life. Most people who think about killing themselves can identify a part of them that wants to live as well as a part that wants to die. This is known as ambivalence.

Take a few moments to think of a time when life was just a little bit easier than it is now. By doing this you may see that ending your life isn’t the answer, as things can change. The next thing to do is to find someone to talk to about how you’re feeling.