Depression please don't judge me before you know me

Sometimes I get annoyed at people who comment on depression or suicide when they are making judgement calls on situations they havn't experienced themselves or base their findings on one person they know. Why proclaim a view often prejudiced by generalizations or your take on a extremely complicated subject

Personally I tryed to hide my problems until eventually being forced to seek help. Finding it hard to accept others who expressed their problems publicly and as for the "cutters" how could I even begin to understand someone who expressed their pain in such a way.

But that is just it. We can only judge what we know, what right or knowledge I had is of my own experiences
is just that....... my own. I've had two close friends and a workmate all take their own lives. The methods they chose were as different to the problems they had.

So don't judge me or others on preconceived ideas you have. And please care and take the time to listen. Years ago to my shame I ignored a workmate because I wasn't brave enough to intervine. Four hours later he shot himself. When I fell apart I was lucky enough to get help from others. I'm still here

Yet are you not judging others now?

I agree with you one hundred percent. People are too quick to judge, and that is my biggest pet peeve, however I am a bit of a hypocrite in that sense because I judge others sometimes as well. But when I judge them, it is different, it is for my own knowledge of who they are and what they did or didn't do, not because someone told me something and yadda yadda yadda. I judge them for myself, I don't fall too quickly into gossip. However, there are those, who do not even know someone, and right away they automatically say "Wh*ore" or "Bit*h" or "A**hole". I hear them all too often, and many times said about me. I do not happen to think I am that bad of a person if you actually take the time to get to know me. But, people are who they are, and if that's how they work, then so be it, right? It is hard to change another person, it takes time.

-Jenna.

You assume too much in your statement.

Do not think to know about people whom you have never met, as they do not presume to know about you.

We know what you tell us and from that form our opinions. You say we do not know people, yet our judgements can only come from their comments.

If you ask for advice, you will get honesty, not just what you want to hear.

People with depression are not the only ones with problems, there are people going through much worse mental illnesses, However, it is serious, and upsetting. Most of the advice people give that sounds hurtful, is merely truth. Because if nobody tells people the truth, just what they want to hear, how can anybody get better..

And as Kim said you judge people as well.

^ Exactly.

I'll elaborate a little so you comprehend what I was trying to say, firstly I didn't say I don't judge people, everyone does its a human trait. What I said was I don't go further andmake an expert comments like some on site, yes for some the comments are probably true but when you start talking about mental illness everyone situation is different. They have different pressures, ways of thinking and backgrounds.

I read some comments on attention seeking and for some this probably is true, BUT NOT FOR ALL PEOPLE. The only attention seeking my friends did who killed themselves was to jump off a building, to gas themselves in a car and to shoot himself.

My plea was for people to consider the full effect of their statements before making a blanket (all encompassing) call.

Please feel free to comment negatively but please include an example to back up your comments as otherwise it looks like a knee jerk reaction.

Elisha, I'm completely with you...

When someone you love dies...nobody should come up to you and say..."He's dead, get over it, what is crying going to do? It's life!"

^^^Although very very true! He is dead, you should get over it, crying isn't going to help, death is a part of life...It's not very polite is it? Nor is it helpful...

There is a way to talk, to act in every situation...We're human, not robots...

Very well put you two.

-Jenna.