I respect all of your opinions here. There are different views about suicide and I've been there myself.

One of my best friends has the opinion that suicide is completely selfish. I couldn't help but to feel distant from her when she expressed this opinion because it seemed to me that she didn't understand.

I wanted to explain to her that emotional pain is just like physical pain. Given enough, there comes a point where death looks like a better option. The pain is very real and the amount of pain involved makes death seem appealing. I take this type of emotional pain very seriously.

Having said that, I would strongly encourage anyone with this level of pain to get help right away. Although I understand this level of emotional pain, I also know that suicide would be the biggest regret a person can experience.

...And very importantly, I would also also encourage someone with this kind of pain to continue to seek solutions. If there is a cause, there is a solution. It's just a matter of finding it.

Here's an example that just happened a few minutes ago.

I have (another) friend that has been suffering with severe depression and other mercury-like symptoms for years now. I just received an email from her a few minutes ago that a supplement that she was taking for adrenals was causing the issue. She stopped the supplement 9 days ago (for some reason) and all of the symptoms "went away". She just wrote me to tell me that she "feels like a new person" and is now happily looking for a job.

I understand and respect people taking the "drill sergeant" approach to suicide, and I respect that because it means you care, and that's a very good and honorable thing (to care). I also understand that it's probably ineffective for most people, especially those who are in this type of state. The fact the you care is good and helpful, however.