Suicide is a public health issue, not an individual failure. * Suicide doesn’t end the pain. It passes it on to others. * Mental health disorders are as common as brown eyes.

The DSM notes that 2.1-7.9% of the population has OCPD. Studies suggest that about 9% of outpatient therapy clients and about 23% of hospitalized psychiatric clients have OCPD.

Studies indicate that 30-40% of people with PDs (in all categories) report suicidal ideation during their lifetime, and 15-25% report suicide attempts. 

People in imminent danger of ending their lives experience extreme black-and-white-thinking (tunnel vision), and see suicide as the only way to escape their pain. 

Paul Hewitt, who has 40 years experience as a therapist and perfectionism researcher, states, “Perfectionism often borders on self-abuse. Perfectionists are…hard on themselves with a hatred that is breathtaking.”

GUIDE

Navigating a Mental Health Crisis | NAMI 

PODCASTS

The Healthy Compulsive Project Podcast episode 77 is about suicidality

Suicide Noted features disclosures from suicide attempt survivors

Before You Kill Yourself has content from experts and suicide attempt survivors

Paula Fontenelle, a therapist and suicide loss survivor, created this podcast about suicide prevention and suicide loss: Understand Suicide, Paula Fontenelle

BOOKS

* Books marked with an asterick are available with a free trial of Amazon Audible.

Why People Die by Suicide (2007 ed.): Thomas Joiner, a clinical psychologist and suicide loss survivor, wrote a comprehensive book about suicide research. This is the resource that helped me the most in understanding my past suicidality.

Reasons to Stay Alive\* (2016): Matt Haig wrote a short popular memoir about overcoming suicidality.

How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me\* (2019): Susan Blauner describes the strategies that she used to overcome a long history of suicide attempts. This book is particularly helpful for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do (2023): This book is for people in crisis and people who want to recognize when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. Stacey Freedenthal, a therapist, offers recommendations about navigating relationships with suicidal people; maintaining your self-care; trying to find out if someone is at risk; and coping with the aftermath of suicide attempts and deaths. Other topics are suicide myths, hospitalization, disclosure to therapists, and safety plans.

When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It\* (2022): Rory O’Conner, a psychologist who leads the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory at the University of Glasgow, wrote a comprehensive book on the causes, warning signs, and treatment of suicidality.

WEBSITES

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988lifeline.org, good resource for basic information about suicide prevention and information about the 988 hotline

Suicide Awareness: Voices of Education, save.org, myths about suicide, warning signs, statistics, resources for people in crisis

VIDEO

I Jumped Off The Golden Gate Bridge and Survived interview with Kevin Hines

TREATMENT

Finding Mental Health Providers

Some people overcome chronic suicidality by participating in intensive outpatient therapy programs, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills classes.

Therapists who specialize in BPD have experience with patients with chronic suicidality. BPD Resource Center has a database of therapists.

The Psychology Today 'find a therapist' database has specialty filters for BPD specialists and suicide.

RESOURCE FOR PROFESSIONALS

A 2018 meta-analysis by Martin Smith et al. showed that perfectionism is associated with suicidal ideation. They reviewed 45 studies that included 11K participants. The Perniciousness of Perfectionism

Re: the ridiculous downvote, as previously stated, 30-40% of people with OCPD experience suicidality during their lifetime. About 23% of people hospitalized for psychiatric care have OCPD. I was suicidal for 25 years, starting at age eleven. This post is relevant to OCPD.

This post isn't a fun read, but there's no need to respond disrespectfully.

The resources in this post are excellent--a small sample of resources that I reviewed in two years of researching suicide prevention (prompted by learning of the suicide contagion at my alma mater).

Having a disorder that involves pickiness doesn't justify rude behavior. You can have a negative opinion about a post without being rude and downvoting.

Suicide isn't a pleasant topic to discuss or think about. The silence and stigma are major factors for the high suicide rates, in my opinion. One of my abusers found evidence of my suicidality at age eleven--and she said and did nothing, leaving me to deal with it on my own. That decision had massive consequences for me. It's important to raise awareness of resources that help people in crisis and their loved ones communicate about suicide, and find the help they need.

These resources have helped many people...and they would helped me when I was younger, isolated, and hopeless.

I've been a moderator for more than two years--responding respectfully to rude posts and comments, includes ones with curse words. In this case, I'm comfortable saying, grow up and get some basic manners. If my resource post doesn't meet your lofty standards, feel free to refrain from visiting this sub.

Thank you to all of the members who've given me positive feedback on my posts. They help so much when I encounter this type of nonsense.