In March of 1942 Virginia Woolf put stones in her coat pockets and walked into a river near her home to die. After her death, the media took it upon themselves to pass judgement and diminish the experiences and mental illness Woolf suffered. Journalists mistreated her death and wrote about how she should have had a better attitude; that others who had it harder than she were surviving and trying; that it was a selfish act for Woolf to drown herself.
This kind of language and these conversations still happen frequently. It is easy to tell someone who is suffering to be more optimistic. It is easy to tell someone to count their blessings. It is easy to say that suicide is a selfish act, rather than a side-effect of an illness. These are the easy, and wrong responses. Instead, have empathy and understanding, and don’t assume you know the weight of things carried by others.