The reasons for suicide can be complex depending on the person. From personal experience, I can say that it has to do with someone feeling a lot of pain coupled with the desire to escape that pain.
Of course, your thinking, as Dr. David Burns points out in his “Feel Good Handbook” (which I highly recommend to anyone suffering from depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts or plans) is often distorted at those moments. Your thoughts of hopelessness, sadness, guilt, etc. can overwhelm you. Still, Dr. Burns through a cognitive therapy approach makes clear that our thoughts and attitudes create our feelings.
The good news is that we can control our thoughts and by them our feelings through an inventory of our thinking. Once you reexamine the cognitive distortions, then we have a chance of overcoming depression or anxiety. At times, medication, anti-depressants, is needed, particularly when you are likely to harm yourself and you have clear intentions to do so.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports 16% of the American population suffers from depression severe enough to warrant treatment i.e. not just occasionally feeling “blue,” and 13% suffer from anxiety disorders. Many people who suffer from depression also suffer from anxiety. The cognitive distortions are similar for both of them according to Dr. Burns. Of course, this is unreported cases. The actual numbers could be significantly higher.
If anyone has more information on this important topic, your thoughts would be appreciated.