In order to recommend the appropriate treatment and intervention, we would need to identify the basic or fundamental problem or diagnosis. There are four possible situations that may cause someone to have lingering suicidal thoughts.
First, the person could have an underlying depressive disorder. When a person is down, he would tend to look at things in a negative way. Some depressed individuals will go on to have thoughts about worthlessness, uselessness and constantly ponder over the meaning of life. A depressed individual oftentimes also has doubts over his ability to solve life's problems.
Second, the person may have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In OCD, the person would have recurring intrusive thoughts that keep coming into his mind, causing him distress and affecting his ability to work, attend school or interact with others. These thoughts are hard to suppress and when the person tries to resist them, he ends up feeling more anxious.
Thirds, the person may have post traumatic stress disorder. This means that the symptoms occur following a traumatic event like a road traffic accident. Sometimes the person may have survivor guilt as well and he wonders why he is alive while others have gone.
Fourth, the person could just be someone who has setbacks in his life and now and then would wonder why he has to suffer so much.
In terms of treatment, medications like SSRIs (serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) would be useful in suppressing suicidal thoughts. Ultimately, we need to pinpoint the underlying psychopathology first and treatment would then follow accordingly.
Talk therapy would be useful too, with the emphasis on the possible meanings that one can derive from our continuing existence on this planet called earth. So may I urge you to pick up the phone and book an appointment with a mental health professional soon.
