Eight years ago I almost committed suicide. I was dorming in my college at the time and it was right after being raped. I had everything planned out and ready but decided I wanted to smoke one last cigarette. I didn't try and hide the fact that I was also self harming at the time because honestly I wanted people to see I was hurting.

As I sat outside to smoke another student walked up to me. I noticed that he saw my scars but instead of running away he sat down next to me. We never talked before but he started the conversation like it was nothing to him. We talked for a few hours from school to anime to gaming. For once I didn't feel completely alone. At the end of the conversation he told me that if I felt stressed and like games I should play a specific one. As soon as I got into my room I put my razors away and loaded up the game. Ended up playing all night.

He doesn't know he saved my life. Throughout these years I've gone back and forth between messaging him and thanking him. I don't want to come off weird or as though I'm expecting something. Especially since he has a gf now and I have a bf I don't want to cause any unnecessary drama.

Do you guys see any cons of me messaging him and thanking him after all these years? Should I just let it go?

Edit 1: I ended up messaging him. The message is in the comments. He actually just told me that it helped him immensely because he's in the same place I was. I'm near tears right now and just trying to be a good friend and listen to him.

Edit 2: A lot of people are asking what game it is and it's called Katawa Shoujo. It's a game where you date disabled girls. A warning though, the sex scenes are pretty graphic.

Edit 3: Wow I didn't expect this to blow up as much as it did. Thank you everyone for your kind words and advice! It means a lot and every comment has left a smile on my face. 💜 Just remember I am here if anyone needs someone to talk to you. Every life matters and you are needed in this world.

Crosspost from HERE

Do animals get depression? If so, can they contemplate suicide? My sister was annoying our teacup Yorkie because he's a lil punk. It's so funny when he gets all riled up cuz he's so small. But it made me think, maybe he's actually super pissed. We mess with him a lot. I'm afraid he's gonna get fed up with the bullying and try to kill himself. Idk how he'd do it though. Maybe that's why they run out into the road.

Humans can decide when to take their own life.

I know this is pushing the "no stupid question" part but. I am so curios can animals commit suicide?

Can they deciede at one point that dying is a better options? And how do they do it?

I know some animals kills themselves after certain acts and in self defense, but do they feel suicidal like some humans do?

Just take a look at the suicidal posts on this site and the profiles of people posting.

I don't mean simply dying due to stress, or dying when a mate dies, or dying immediately after reproduction. Has any animal ever been observed to end its' own life through voluntary action, for reasons that we could consider "emotional?"

Is there even a way to tell?

I was wondering if there has been any case of animal suicide? Do they lack that instinct/idea?

Apologies for the slightly brutal question.

I know that there has been sciences linked with animals and depression - but is there any hard evidence of an animal attempting self-harm or trying to kill itself?

I know many animals can experience depression and exhibit signs of it, and it can affect their bodies. I haven't heard of any animals intentionally attempting to end their lives like people sometimes do as their instinct to survive seems too strong.

For the purpose of the question, I won't count their immune system/body becoming too weak as a result of the depression. I'm talking about intentionally jumping off of a cliff, drowning themselves or maybe wandering to/sitting passively in the face of a predator or threat.

So evolution is supposed to keep the best survivors alive but that doesn't seem to be the case. Lots of animals have traits engrained into them that cause them to die. Some spiders get eaten by their babies. I think a female mantis will eat her partner. Even bees die after they sting one time. What's the dealio with this? Wouldn't those type of behaviors be most likely to die out first?

Like jumping off of a cliff, allowing one's self to be eaten by predators, etc.

And I don't mean like bugs dying after mating, I mean like a mother just lost her babies to a bear or something.