Whenever the topic of suicide came up, I used to think:
Since he wasn’t afraid of death, I wish he had pushed the boundaries of life.
If he had traveled the world, ventured into the unknown, and lived life to the fullest.
I realize now that this line of thinking misses the point.
The real issue is this: When a person loses their sense of direction, they can’t hold on to life.
Adventure requires a sense of direction toward tomorrow. In depression, however, tomorrow is hazy. Life ceases to be a realm to be explored; it becomes a time to be endured. People don’t stop because they shy away from risk, but because they feel that risk no longer holds any meaning.
That is why it is misleading to interpret suicide as “not fearing death.” In most cases, death is not the goal. It is not a desire for death, but a severing of the bond with life. People do not choose death; they lose their reason for living.
The significant rise in suicide cases in Turkey over the past twenty years should also be viewed in the context of this disconnect. The numbers have nearly doubled. The highest-risk groups are striking: young people and the elderly. Those seeking direction at the beginning of life, and those who can no longer bear the burden at the end. The higher rates among men suggest the weight of loneliness and role-related pressures.
The most fundamental thing that has changed in this country is the sense of the future. Education no longer points the way forward. Work no longer fosters a sense of progress. The link between effort and reward has weakened. People are growing weary but cannot move forward. If a large number of people are experiencing similar feelings of hopelessness and burnout under the same conditions, we cannot attribute depression solely to individual vulnerability. This is not a personal issue, but a societal and systemic burden.
This picture is compounded by a sense of insecurity. More than poverty itself, it is the uncertainty of tomorrow that wears people down. Living in a constant state of alert takes a toll on the mind. Prolonged uncertainty does not sap hope; it saps one’s capacity to endure.
The erosion of the sense of justice completes this process. In a place where the same rules are not applied equally to everyone, the following sentiment takes hold:
“No matter what I do, I don’t determine the outcome.”
When the sense of control crumbles, depression deepens.
That is why the issue is clear: “directionlessness.”.
Suicide is not a choice of death; it emerges where the compass breaks.
And those who have reached this point are not a sign of individual weakness, but of societal disintegration.
Without seeing this, neither the numbers will come down nor will the mood of this country be understood.