I am pretty stingy when it comes to guest posts on here. I probably get three to five offers each week from people who want me to publish a post here. And it goes without saying, most of the proposals are either unoriginal or just downright bad. A few weeks ago a reader named Dave emailed me offering to write an article about suicide and his attempt when he was in university. A number of articles have been published recently about how suicide rates in men have been rising over the past couple decades and that they now outpace women by more than three male suicides for every female suicide.

This has been a pretty fucking horrible week. Unfortunately, when suicides occur, there are some people who blame the victim. There are many who lash out in anger at the one who caused others pain by taking their own life. I just know how depression manifests and how destructive thoughts can flit through the brain and how depression is able to justify them. They know it well. The fucked up part is that their brain is telling them that not being here is the better option to that horrific outcome — that living without them is helping their family live a better life than living with them. How could they do this?

The following suicide note was written by Steven, a year-old high school student who happens to be gay. After he wrote this note he attempted suicide by taking an overdose of medication. He was hospitalized, treated, and not long after his suicide attempt, moved with his family to another state.

Error: This is required. Error: Not a valid value. A person who is thinking about suicide will usually give some clues or signs to people around them. The best way to prevent suicide is to recognise these warning signs, take them seriously and act on them.