By Paul Schellenberg, LLC
Suicide is a topic most people do not enjoy discussing. A death of a loved one, or the thoughts of suicide, can be a crippling event. Most people will have suicidal thoughts at one time or another in their life. This is normal, and if the thoughts are short lived and no plan to commit suicide is developed, then most likely the person is going to be fine. To give you and your loved ones a greater chance to avoid the horrible outcome of suicide, it is important alcohol and marijuana be avoided and discontinued immediately.
The main mental health diagnoses that people assume lead to suicide are PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, and Personality Disorder. These illnesses do carry a higher rate of suicide than other diagnoses, but the good news is the rate is roughly three to five percent. People suffering from PTSD or Major Depressive Disorder commit suicide at a rate of five percent of all people who commit suicide. When either alcohol or marijuana is brought into the mix, the five-percent rate of suicide jumps to an alarming and terrifying 95 percent! To put that into perspective, if you take a sample of 100 people who suffer from severe PTSD and this sample does not consume alcohol or smoke marijuana, maybe three to five of them will attempt suicide. In a sample of 100 people with the same diagnosis who do consume alcohol or smoke cannabis, the chances are 95 of them will attempt suicide. It doesn’t have to be both marijuana and alcohol, it could be one or the other.
The question then turns to why does this happen? Marijuana and alcohol break down the emotional defense mechanisms in your brain.
The two substances take away inhibitions that your sober self would have. Also, marijuana and alcohol make what feels unnatural, natural. Since suicide is the most unnatural act a person can commit, and it goes against every survival instinct we have, marijuana and alcohol are a direct threat to our survival. Sometimes, a person can be depressed on a low level and their defense mechanisms are holding that depression down, but when alcohol comes into the system and breaks down that defense mechanism, bad things can happen. It’s possible for someone to become intoxicated and commit suicide without even knowing that they are depressed.
Once again, alcohol and marijuana force the brain to drop inhibitions and survival skills. I encourage anyone who may have the slightest form of depression or anxiety to immediately stop consuming these substances. If you are currently having any suicidal thoughts, I beg of you to discontinue both of these substances immediately. These substances are not the cure for uncomfortable emotions and could potentially produce uncontrolled, life-altering catastrophic events.
Thoughts of suicide, although urgent and painful, are temporary.
If you or someone you care for is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
1-800-273-TALK (8255). The call is confidential and free, and you will be put into immediate contact with a trained, professional counselor who can guide you through this difficult time safely. There is help available, and there is hope.
Please visit www.pschellenberg.com or call 309-696-0267 for more information.
Sources upon request
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