For those dealing with depression and suicdal thoughts.

This is not at all like my other threads. This is meant to be taken seriously and isn’t a story about Ariana Grande like usual. If you are experiencing depression or suicdal thoughts, I recommend you read this thread. This is my brutally honest advice for all of you. DISCLAIMER: This is not targeting members of the community, and not meant for a debate. This is simply giving my best advice on this topic. No arguing, please.

For starters, there’s the fact that threads are being made about these topics in the first place. They’re all the same, really. They say they’re depressed or that they’re going to K*** themselves, and they wish that the community could help them in some way or find a solution to their problems. Believe it or not, we are not the best people to talk to or vent to about these topics or issues. There are some very kind people here who are happy to talk to you in DMs and cheer you up, but in reality, it’s just a kid who realistically has no idea how you’re feeling or what you’re dealing with. None of us have a psychology degree that we studied four years for, and none of us are qualified enough to give advice to you regarding depression. It’s the truth.

So what does this mean? Well, for starters, I would advise each and every one of you dealing with depression to have a long and honest conversation with your parents or another adult that you trust. Everything that you’ve said to your friends online and the things you say on your threads should be said directly to them. It may be awkward, but it is incredibly necessary.  From there, they can make the best decision regarding your mental health, and they will hopefully help you find the best solution to everything along the way. Ideally, you should talk to a therapist or a counselor about things, and they would be an amazing help to you. If you go to public school, you can find a counselor in your free time, or set up a time to talk to one during the school day. If you are homeschooled or cannot find a counselor at your school, again, let your parents or someone else you trust know. They can help you better than any of us ever will. True story.

Now, as for suicdal thoughts, you can do a few things. I would absolutely still recommend talking to an adult you trust, and not delay doing so. You may be able to find a therapist for yourself, and they will go to deep measures to help you. But, there are also some helpful links that you can use. These links have been copied and pasted from Trash’s post on a thread.

Help is available.
Speak with someone today.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

https://988lifeline.org/

Just call or text 988.

or

"YouthLine is a free teen-to-teen crisis support and helpline. YouthLine is confidential to a point- while we will never share conversations had on the lines, we are mandatory reporters. If a young person is unable to agree to safety for themselves or another person or if someone has experienced abuse or assault, YouthLine may contact other agencies to ensure the best support and safety for the young person in crisis." - .theyouthline.org

https://www.theyouthline.org/

In conclusion, you aren’t alone. You can seek help from adults you trust in your lives. By talking to a parent or someone else you trust in real life, I’m sure they would be willing to do whatever it took to help you. You can talk to a counselor, or therapist, or use one of the links I posted for help and guidance.  I am here to tell you that you will not receive good enough help by making a thread or venting to strangers on the internet. We are not qualified to help you, and we really cannot do much to help you, even if we say we can. I hope that this advice is taken into heavy consideration by everyone and that it can be used to help people on OTF or anywhere else. If you know of someone dealing with depression or suicdal thoughts, please tell somebody, or ask them to contact someone about their depression. Remember, don’t complain about your life if you’re not willing to take the proper steps to get help.

👍

Here’s the link to the chess.com website, so that you can see the post fully: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/off-topic/for-those-dealing-with-depression-and-suicdal-thoughts?alert=content

Good on you basix. Cheers for making this thread even if it doesn't directly help me 😁👏🏽

Ty <3

Thank you so much for this! <3 <3 <3

Yes, you guys are welcome. I hope everyone is having a great weekend today.

Cheers basix mines going just fine. Wbu? How long you got left of school before the holidays?

Just a week of exams next week and I have three weeks off! I'm super excited!

no thank you basix

have u considered that otf might be the only place some of us can talk abt these things? no, u haven't.

A lot of people who say they are depressed are also over exaggerating it. Some may even lie about it for attention. You can tell the difference between somebody with actual depression and somebody who is just upset about one little thing. Depression is a mental illness. Not a emotion.

Ima make a thread about this soon. Just gotta plan it. I have an idea...

I agree, please call a hotline.

He kind of did, by giving us links and numbers we can talk to about these things.

Hopefully nobody here got a psych degree.