Prevention of suicide is one of the major reasons that counseling centers exist on college campuses. The death of a person whose adult life is just beginning is a terrible waste. A life ended at age 20 or 25, even a life that has been troubled so far, represents an enormous loss of potential. Suicide also devastates the families and friends left behind.
Suicidal feelings are a common part of severe depression for many people.
Not all people who commit suicide are depressed. Most people attempt suicide as a way as a way to get rid of unbearable emotional pain. Some kill themselves as a bid for love and attention they feel they cannot otherwise get. Other kill themselves because they have not been able to accept things about their own lives. Others kill themselves as a way to escape from overwhelming stress.