Life Is Worth Living

You Can Find Help

'FORTY-NINE sleeping pills in a cup. Shall I swallow them or not?' a 28-year-old man in Switzerland asked himself. His wife and children had left him, and deep depression had set in. After swallowing the potion, though, he said to himself: 'No. I don't want to die!' Fortunately, he lived to tell the story. Suicidal impulses do not always lead to death.

Alex Crosby of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said regarding teenage suicide attempts: "If you can restrict it for even just a few hours, you can stop it. With intervention, there are a good number you can prevent from going to a completed suicide. You can save their lives."

While working at the Lifesaving and Emergency Center at Japan Medical College, Professor Hisashi Kurosawa helped hundreds of suicidal people to regain their will to live. Yes, with some kind of intervention, lives can be saved. What help is needed?

Facing Underlying Problems

As noted in the preceding article, researchers say that 90 percent of those who committed suicide had psychiatric disorders or substance-abuse problems. Hence, Eve K. Moscicki, of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, says: "The greatest hope for preventing suicide in all age groups is the prevention of mental and addictive disorders."

Sadly, many who suffer such disorders are not inclined to seek help. Why not? "Because there is strong prejudice in society," comments Yoshitomo Takahashi of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Psychiatry. He adds that as a result, even people who are vaguely aware that they are unwell hesitate to seek immediate treatment.

Some, though, do not let shame stop them. Hiroshi Ogawa, a well-known television announcer who has hosted his own show in Japan for 17 years, acknowledged publicly that he suffers from depression and has even been on the verge of suicide. "Depression is likened to a common cold of the mind," Ogawa said. Anyone can come down with it, he explained, but recovery is possible.

Talk to Somebody

"When someone is alone with his problem, then he usually sees it as disproportionately large and as unsolvable," says Béla Buda, the Hungarian health official quoted earlier. This observation underscores the wisdom of the ancient proverb in the Bible: "One isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth."—Proverbs 18:1.

Listen to those wise words. Do not allow yourself to flounder alone in a sea of overwhelming personal problems. Seek out someone you can trust and in whom you can confide. 'But,' you may say, 'I don't have anybody to confide in.' According to mental-health professional Dr. Naoki Sato, many feel that way. Sato noted that patients may avoid confiding in others because they do not want to reveal their weaknesses.

Where can a person turn for a hearing ear? (See box "How Can You Help Someone Who Seems Suicidal?") In many places he or she can enlist the help of a suicide prevention center or a crisis hot line or find a reputable medical doctor who deals with emotional problems. But some experts also recognize another source of help—religion. How can that help?

Finding Needed Help

Marin, an invalid in Bulgaria, had developed a strong desire to kill himself. One day he came upon the religious journal The Watchtower, a publication of Jehovah's Witnesses. He responded to the invitation in the magazine to have a personal visit by Jehovah's Witnesses. Marin explains what resulted: "I learned from them that life is a gift from our heavenly Father and that we do not have the right to harm ourselves or end our life willfully. Thus, I reversed my former desire to commit suicide and came to love life again!" Marin also received loving support from the Christian congregation. Although still an invalid, he says: "My days are now joyful and tranquil, and they are filled with pleasant things to do—even more than I have time for! All of this I owe to Jehovah and to his Witnesses."

The young Swiss man mentioned at the outset also received help from Jehovah's Witnesses. Today he remarks on "the kindness of a Christian family" who took him into their home. He adds: "Later, the members of the congregation [of Jehovah's Witnesses] took turns inviting me to meals day after day. What helped was not only being treated hospitably but also being able to talk to someone."

Regarding God's promise of a new world, the Swiss man said: "This has helped considerably to lighten the weight of my frustration." This hope, which is described as "an anchor for the soul," involves the promise of everlasting life in Paradise on earth.—Hebrews 6:19; Psalm 37:10, 11, 29.

Your Life Is Important to Others

True, you may face situations that make you feel that you are completely alone and that your death would matter to no one. Remember, though: There is a big difference between feeling alone and being alone. In Bible times the prophet Elijah reached a low point in his life. He said to Jehovah: "Your prophets they have killed with the sword, so that I only am left." Yes, Elijah felt totally alone—and not without reason. A great many of his fellow prophets had been killed. A death threat was hanging over his own head, and he was on the run for his life. But was he truly alone? No. Jehovah let him know that there were some 7,000 loyal people who, like him, were faithfully trying to serve the true God in those dark times. (1 Kings 19:1-18) What, though, about you? (See box "Will God Forgive Me for Feeling This Way?") Is it possible that you are not as alone as you feel?

There are people who care about you. You might think of your parents, your mate, your children, and your friends. But there are more. In the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, you can find mature Christians who are interested in you, who will hear you out, and who will pray with you and for you. (James 5:14, 15) And even if every imperfect human were to fail you, there is One who will never leave you. King David of old said: "In case my own father and my own mother did leave me, even Jehovah himself would take me up." (Psalm 27:10) Yes, Jehovah "cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7) Never forget that you are precious in Jehovah's eyes.

Life is a gift from God. Granted, at times life may feel more like a burden than a gift. Can you imagine, though, how you would feel if you were to bestow a valuable gift on someone who then threw it away before really putting it to use? We imperfect humans have barely begun to use the gift of life. In fact, the Bible indicates that the life we live right now is not even "the real life" in God's eyes. (1 Timothy 6:19) Yes, in the near future our life will be far fuller, richer, and happier. How so?

The Bible says: "[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:3, 4) Try to picture what your life will be like when those words are fulfilled. Take your time. Try to create a full, colorful mental picture. That picture is no empty fantasy. As you meditate on how Jehovah has dealt with his people in the past, your confidence in him will grow and that picture can become all the more real to you.—Psalm 136:1-26.

It may take some time before you fully recover your desire to live. Continue praying to "the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation." (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4; Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17) Jehovah will give you the strength you need. He will teach you that life is worth living.—Isaiah 40:29.

Have you lost a loved one to suicide? Please consider the following page.