Can suicide be cured? Well, that probably depends on how you define “cure.”  If you’re looking for a pill or a shot that will make someone’s thoughts of suicide go away, that option doesn’t exist. Anti-depressants alone are not enough to cure someone.  However, it is possible to stop having suicidal thoughts.  We can leave the “Valley of Suicide,” but it takes time to learn how to cope, to develop different emotional tools, and learn new strategies for dealing with stress, anger, or loss.

For some, thoughts of suicide are triggered because of an event or series of events in their life that they do not know how to deal with. A “cure” for suicide, in that example, may come in the form of learning how to process these changes and move past them.  For others, thoughts of suicide can be ongoing. Commonly, those with a mental illness may struggle with suicidal ideation throughout their lifetime. However, most people with a mental illness will NOT die by suicide. If someone has ongoing thoughts of suicide, they need continued care, and their feelings need to be taken seriously.