@Brendan1969 - mental health issues are not a choice. Depression is not a choice. People who feel like suicide is the only way out... to them... it's very real. Those people should feel free to ask for help or talk about their issues without having people telling them to just do it already.
How would you feel if someone asked for help, and you gave that response, and they ended their life based on your response?
Some people say to me "can't believe such and such took their life, how selfish, what about their kids, families, etc".
Well, when you are in that position, you genuinely believe that the world will be a better place without you. You believe that your kids would be better off if you were not there to influence their lives. You believe that your family and friends would be better off without you. You understand that these people love you and would miss you, and would be sad to have to say goodbye. But if in your head you have a genuine belied that aside from those people missing you, they would be better off without you... then there is no coming back from that without help and support from others.
Until you have suffered with, or helped someone dealing with depression, anxiety, severe phobias and other mental health issues... you have no idea how hard they are to talk about.
Anxiety for me is a big one. I cannot go into a room full of strangers and feel comfortable. I went to an exam yesterday, and I was shaking when I walked into the room because I knew no one... and yet I didn't have to speak to any of them, and the exam was held in silence. So what's the issue? Fuck knows. I have no idea. I don't know why I panic the way I do or what could possibly happen for me to worry about... but it's there, and it doesn't go away.
Anxiety is never something I have had to worry about within EOC, when it comes to meeting new people, going to meets, organising events etc. Because I know that 99% of the members here are genuinely nice people. People you can talk to about anything and know that they will try and help in any way they can.
There is a big problem though with attention seekers. These are the people who aren't depressed or suffer with mental health issues. But they are bored, and crave attention. They say things like "might as well end it all" because they want people to come to them to make them feel better. But don't let the few who do it for personal gain detract from the fact that there are genuinely a LOT of people out there who suffer badly from mental health issues. And there are members of this club who are currently dealing with the loss of loved ones due to mental health issues.
You may be ex-forces. You may have seen and done things that most of us can't even contemplate. But that does NOT give you the right to dismiss the very real problem of mental health issues. Just because you see it as a sign of weakness. I just hope that no one you know ever has to go through it, because they obviously couldn't count on you for support.