5 Things To Know About Passive Suicidal Ideation

Have you ever wanted to go to sleep and just never wake up?

Do you wish something would happen to you today to put you out of your misery?

Do you want to die, but don't want to be the one to make it happen?

These are all forms of something we call passive suicidal ideation or passive SI. Millions of people experience this, yet almost nobody talks about it and even many mental health professionals don't really understand it.

In today's episode, I discuss how passive SI differs from intrusive thoughts about death, how it's not a reliable indicator of the severity of depression, why it should always be taken seriously, how it can be treated, and where it comes from. I also have a very important question for you to answer if you experience passive SI.

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Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

[The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

Excessive sleeping is my only relief. My dreaming life is SO much better than my waking life.

[bellapicciano]

It feels like staying alive for other people is just another form of people pleasing

[CheeseKransky]

People must think I'm selfish for wanting to end things but I kinda think everyone else is selfish for expecting me to continue living like this for another 30-40 years

[netrimos]

My wife, best friend, my muse passed from cancer. She was ny best friend since middle school. Parents both died from covid. I have become a drone. I no longer do any art, I have a hard time working. I am living off of retirement savings which is dwindling. I keep the kids very happy and healthy, but my face is a facade. Waiting for them to go off to college, I have stage 2 hypertension and take no meds and don’t plan to.

I am not depressed. I just exist and waiting to not exist. Thank you for this video. It helped me understand a bit of whats going on in my head.

[sealstorm]

Sleep for me is more than just rest, it's an escape.

[deniseelsworth]

On the flip side I can now travel all around the world because I lost my lifelong phobia of flying because I no longer cared if the plane crashed 😊

[susanvanpelt]

I've had it since I was in my 39's. I am now 71. Thought I was the only one.
Other than forgiveness, this is my most constant prayer. That I go to sleep and just never wake up.

[andinelson]

Look how many people clicked on this. We are all so mentally exhausted and treading water day after day.

[yesmaybe]

There’s something comforting in the idea that I’m not the only one feeling this way

[suzymoroka]

“I don’t wanna die, but I’m not keen on living either”- Robbie Williams. This is me to a tee 🥺😢😭😭

[marilynbowe]

I feel that life is wasted on me. I am empty and numb inside. My pets make me function throughout each day, and they are my guardian angels.

[sarahhale-pearson]

The end point really was crucial. Sometimes this ‘illness’ is not an illness. It’s a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances. We have to stop medicalization of the human condition. If you have damn good reasons to be miserable, you ain’t sick. You need change, but you know you’re trapped.

[zhaw]

2, 500 years ago, Greek writer Aeschylus wrote: The luckiest are the ones that were never born

[orangeorangeness]

Those few seconds that I'm drifting into sleep are so comforting and temporarily take away the pain of being alive.

[liberalliberty]

I've been having these types of feelings for a long time and going to sleep is one of the ways to escape my misery.

[JHiggins]

I've had these thoughts for four decades, nearly every day, since I was a teen. Through the years, I've discovered that suicidal fantasies relax me; they give me reassurance that I am in control -- that if I chose, I could make this all stop.

[seanwoods]

As someone who was tormented by this for around two decades, I agree with everything you say. After about a year of therapy I realised this was my body's way of telling me my life had to change. I started by ending my relationship. Then, a few years later (after more therapy), I moved continents and started an entirely new profession. I'm now 59, and have been living a satisfying, meaningful life for around 15 years. Take my word for it, it's never too late to embark on the life you deserve - it just feels that way when you're trapped in this seemingly endless depressive cycle.

[Stacey_Reborn]

I've spent nearly 40 years wanting to go to sleep and not wake up. If I got cancer or a fatal illness I'd refuse treatment. It would be a relief and a release from a lifetime of misery.

[OzarkGiGi]

Amen. I'm old. Depressed most of my life and extremely lonely. Won't touch myself with harm but I do ask God to take me home when I go to bed.

[JazzGaming]

This describes me 100%. Not going out of my way to end my life but if someone were to hold a gun to my head I probably won't plead for my life.