TeenHealthFX - Answers - Give Me One Reason Why Life Is Worth Living

Suicide / Question
Published: September 24, 2007

Dear TeenHealthFX,

Please respond....I'm 17, ive been looking at all of the answers you've provided and they're pretty much all the same....get professional help. I have been visiting a psychiatrist for well over two years. I have taken about 4 different kinds of medicine for depression/ADD/anxiety and the medicine has only been slightly effective for ADD. Have thought about suicide many times, tried once but gave up shortly after. I rarely go out anymore and haven't been with a friend besides school in about 4 years. Don't give me the same bull**** answer that you give everyone b/c it doesn't work for some. Tried many different smaller solutions such as breathing exercises, running in the morning b/f school, all fruits and vegetables, etc...None have worked. I want you to give me one reason why life is worth living for. Disease, war, poverty, rape, murder, there is no god, so what's the point anymore. don't give me that "tomorrow is another day" crap. been told that countless times and the nxt day has always been as bad as the day before. Please respond before i kill myself.

Signed: Give Me One Reason Why Life Is Worth Living

Dear Give Me One Reason Why Life Is Worth Living,

TeenHealthFX has two responses to your wanting us to give you at least one good reason for you to go on living despite the personal pain and the terrible things that can happen in the world. First, because we are all different, each person has his/her own unique reason(s) to live. These reasons might include being a spouse, being a parent, feeling passionate about a career, wanting to make a difference with some of the terrible things that do occur in this world, loving to paint, loving to write or perform music, wanting to travel, spending free time with friends, or having certain religious or spiritual beliefs. There are so many different things in this life to get connected to, to value and to make life worth living – but, again, what they are will be different for different people. So all we can tell you is that there are plenty of things out there worth living for. But we cannot tell you what you should live for – only you can know what that specific thing is.

Second, there are many horrible things that go on in this world like disease, war, poverty, rape, and murder. But there are also people who are not willing to stand for it and who choose to do something about it. Rather than throw their hands up and give up in the face of difficulties, they find ways to make a difference and help the situations improve. There are people who work in homeless shelters and soup kitchens to help the poor, prosecutors who go to court to bring justice for rape victims, researchers who have developed medicines and vaccines that have saved countless lives, researchers that continue to work on developing cures for diseases like cancer and AIDS – we could go on and on with how people can successfully work to make a difference in this world. And if you are so disgusted with what can go on in this world, we think you can definitely channel that energy into doing something positive about it.

If you want a truly inspiring story of what one man did with his anger about a terrible thing happening to the environment, go to the following link: http://www.livinglandsandwaters.org. You’ll read the story of Chad Pregracke who was motivated on his own in 1997 to start cleaning up the Mississippi because of all the garbage and debris he noticed building up, and how one year later formed a non-profit organization of people dedicated to cleaning up several of the major rivers in America. Here is man who saw a terrible thing being done, got angry about, and then did something positive to make a difference – and what a difference he’s made considering his organization has collected hundreds of thousands of pounds of garbage from American rivers over the past 10 years.

Anger, like with the case of Chad Pregracke, can be a helpful motivator to do good in the world. His anger with what was happening to American rivers is what motivated him to do something about it in a constructive way. But for others anger can end up getting in the way of moving through life in a positive way. It sounds like it is hard for you to find the one thing (or several things) that you would want to live for, or to feel like you have the power or desire to help right many of the wrongs in the world. And it is very possible that you are too angry right now to be able to really see and embrace all the wonderful possibilities that are out there.

You mentioned seeing a psychiatrist because you have been taking various psychotropic medications over the years. However, FX is unsure as to whether you have met with this person, or another therapist, for ongoing individual therapy. While the medication may certainly be a helpful route for you, FX thinks that this needs to occur in conjunction with your being in therapy to work through your anger. FX thinks that it is possible for people to feel less angry if they want to – and believes that once they are less angry there is more room for connecting to the possibilities in life and the many reasons there are to keep on living. So if you can work on your anger and work towards becoming less angry, FX feels very hopeful that there will be more room for developing positive feelings towards things and people that will make you want to live.

If you live in northern New Jersey and need help finding a therapist you can call the Access Center from Atlantic Behavioral Health at 973-247-1400. Outside of this area you can log onto the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website for referrals in your area. You could also get a referral for a therapist from your psychiatrist, primary care physician, school counselor, or health insurance.

If you get to the point that you are seriously considering suicide or are afraid of your impulses then you need to seek help immediately. You can call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room. In northern New Jersey you can also call the crisis hotline from Morristown Memorial hospital at 973-540-0100. Outside this area call the Suicide & Crisis Hotline, 1-800-999-9999, 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Signed: TeenHealthFX