I don't doubt people of faith can overcome feelings of suicide, but oddly enough everyone that I knew personally who had committed suicide were individuals of strong faith. One of the youngest I knew was a guy I went to high school with who intentionally overdosed on Heroin, and the church community was his life, he was 24 years old. Another was less than a month shy of his 19th birthday when he hung himself, and about two years prior to that I can recall having a good time with him at a church lock-in (like a sleepover except at a church instead of at home) in which he had helped organize. About a year and a half ago a neighbor who is also a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer for a third time, attempted suicide and was rushed to the hospital as a result, thankfully she survived.

@SpikeTalon You may be right, although my own experience has been quite different. What are your thoughts about the possible cultural changes that might be leading to an apparently higher number of suicides among younger generations than in the past? Just wondering. No agenda.

@KeithThroop The politically correct fueled far left progressive movement started to gain traction shortly after the new millennium, and over the last twenty or so years now I've observed that more people are being diagnosed with depression and acts of violence are on the rise. Knowing the collectivist attitude of the progressive left that absolutely disdains individual liberties, I theorize that even though people may pretend to go along with and believe such politics are beneficial to all, deep down inside the divisiveness that is produced from such policies can and do put a strain on individuals, making one feeling without worth and wondering if there ever will be an end to such feelings. In other words... some policies have shifted our society away from individualism which I think by nature human beings are individualist, in favor of collectivism which does not acknowledge individual achievements and contributions, and that in turn has led to more cases of depression and by extension criminal acts. Shortly after the Revolutionary War society remained largely individualist for a long period of time, and the citizens were fairly content. So I blame a growing collectivist mentality for such ills in society. The left is no longer genuinely liberal, they have become progressive control freaks determined to control every aspect of our personal lives, and the US was at its best when the focus was on individual liberties and less manipulation of our personal lives.

@SpikeTalon Somehow I knew you would have some interesting food for thought.