No one likes talking about suicide. It's a dark, depressing topic that people would just all together like to avoid. But it is for that very reason that suicide can be overlooked. No one wants to find out that someone, especially someone close to them, is suicidal. It's akin to a bucket of ice cold water being poured over your body and can open a can of anxiety and paranoia for both parties. For the person feeling suicidal, many do not want to admit it, as they might believe it is their burden to carry and no one else's. They do not want to plague others with the demons they carry on their backs, so they bottle it up until eventually they can no longer take the pressure.
So how can you truly know when someone is suicidal? In most cases, it's very difficult to tell.
On Friday, September 18, Daniel Kyre of the popular YouTube channel Cyndago passed away after being found in critical condition following an apparent suicide attempt.
For those who knew Kyre or watched any of Cyndago's videos, no one could have guessed that he would attempt suicide. He always appeared happy, overjoyed even, whenever he was present with his friends. He didn't seem like "the type" to have suicidal thoughts, let alone depression.
But that's the thing. Depression and suicidal thoughts don't have a "type." They are not all physical symptoms that we can see with the naked eye. More often than not, depression is a demon within the mind, one that plagues the individual and hides behind the walls of our deepest insecurities.
Sometimes depression isn't something that can be cured by the simple means of friendship, family and love. That can be hard to understand, I know, but depression itself is hard to understand. Depression and the way it progresses can be solely dependent on the person. God forbid that it gets to the point in which suicidal thoughts intrude, but for many it does, and at that point, all one can try to do is be there as a constant reminder; a reminder that they have something to hold onto, that they have something or someone that they would have to say goodbye to should they decide to leave.
You can't always succeed. But you can always try.
Suicide is so complicated, but so incredibly simple for so many reasons. All it takes is one step to end it all, but there are so many things to consider before one does so. There are so many Hells they have to have walked through, be it mentally or physically, to consider death a better alternative.
For people like Kyre - or even more prominently so, for people like Robin Williams - it may not have been the lack of support. In fact, I highly doubt that was the case. They both had (and still have) many friends, family, and fans to keep them going. Unfortunately, the hands that held them, as many as there were, must not have been enough to keep the weight of their depression from keeping them down.
Appreciate those you love. Remind them every day how much you love and care for them. And if you can't bring yourself to say it aloud, hug them or hold their hand just a little tighter than you did before. Don't ask them to "get over it" but instead guide them through it. Depression is a war within the mind, and it's hard to fight it alone. So hold your loved ones close and be the strength they believe themselves to lack.
Don't give up on them, and they won't give up on you.
“I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.” - Robin Williams (1951-2014)
For more information about Daniel Kyre, read here .
If you or anyone else you know is dealing with thoughts of suicide, you can always call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1 (800) 273-8255. For international hotlines, click here. For other U.S. hotlines, click here.
