Reply #16: I attempted suicide as a teenager

[qb]

I felt such incredible shame over something I had done I couldn't bear the thought of facing anyone after they found out. I felt trapped in a well of despair and thought suicide was the only way out. It never occurred to me that my family would be utterly devastated.

What had I done? I was a straight A student who got caught forging notes so I could skip my morning classes and sleep in. Big deal, huh?

When I was depressed, little things seemed insurmountable. My mind focused on them to the exclusion of everything else.

I'm not trying to excuse my actions - they were incredibly selfish. It just didn't occur to me at the time.

Luckily, I got a month of very good in-patient treatment along with a lot of follow-up outpatient sessions and am doing fine now.