Suicide sucks.  Really, and truly. Since my Mom died I've been doing some research, and recently I learned about something called The Suicidal Trance. There are some major components that come into play as the descent of depression causes someone to become suicidal. The first is that pain and suffering remain unaddressed, the person  withdraws behind a façade designed to protect him/ herself from further hurt and to cloak the suffering underneath.  However, the façade only intensifies the slide toward a suicidal trance.  Ultimately the trance narrows the person’s perspective until the only inner voices that they can hear are those that  convince him/her that ending their life is the best decision, ultimately, the only decision they can make.  Changes in brain chemistry, PTSD,  mental issues, and the constant availability and societal suggestion to medicate often work in a frightening waltz, becoming a violent vortex when the underlying issues of that pain and suffering are not dealt with effectively.  As the person distances themselves from the outside world they may make a pretty strong argument that their solution is the most viable as their strength to fight it, to hide it, becomes diminished.  The  world they perceive, the one devoid of hope and choice and joy,  is a dark and frightening-but vivid reality, and all the "cheer up!"s and messages of motivation & empowerment in the world will not change their thinking. They are already carrying the stigma and shame of their depression, and need to be reminded, perhaps constantly, that participation and conversation, and working towards a solution is the only one the rest of will accept.  This trance becomes a state of mind and body that receives only the kind of thinking that reinforces their pain and reinforces the person’s conviction that the only escape is through death.  The suicidal and the deeply depressed can be sneaky, and manipulative, and as they become more comfortable with their decision may exhibit indicators that may not mean much to the rest of us, but they are there. They may become resigned, not seeming to care much about their life at all. This can be pretty scary to family and friends who can't comprehend why they no longer take an active role in their own lives.  Their decision may be beckoning them with a pretty strong voice, and its important that other voices, of love and caring and possibility, pump up the volume as well.  Since the end result that they envision looks pretty good; no more pain, no more suffering, no more despair, they may try to convince you their solution is the easiest one, the right one, its important that you remind them, over and over if need be, that this is NOT the end result at all for all the people that love them. The pain, suffering, and despair are magnified ten-fold, and completely and without question farther reaching.  So, please, pay attention to each other.    Keep asking, keep questioning, keep listening, keep reminding anyone who needs to hear it that you are refusing to give up engaging with them. And if you can't, you have resources. Please find someone who can.  Peace...