It’s hard for suicidal people to understand that their suffering can stop and hope exists. The main goal for anyone concerned about a suicidal individual is to keep them alive until the suffering has stopped and/or the person understands hope exists. The finality and pain of suicide is incomprehensible.

If you believe you are close to committing suicide - particularly if you have a plan - get assistance immediately. If necessary call 911. Never make any major decisions when you feel awful, and this is no exception. Get help and re-evaluate the situation after you’ve had the chance to look at things from different perspectives.

The Internet has a wealth of resources regarding suicide, and help is available all over the world. As of October 1999 the best sites I’ve visited are:

http://www.navicom.com/~patty/eng/73.htm (Borderline Personality Disorder Sanctuary)

http://www.afsp.org (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)