Suicide isn't painless

It can be great fun making and keeping in touch with friends on the internet, but it's not the same as face to face communication,

It can all be a bit unreal, you can safely pretend to be someone you're not or say things you don't really mean.

You can also discuss taboo subjects, but what happens when you become part of discussion group where no-one wants to be ridiculed or alienated and so everybody's input steers the topic in an ever more extreme direction?

We know from the war on terror that seemingly ordinary, intelligent people are capable of becoming so spellbound by extremism that they will even kill themselves in an act of mass murder, so couldn't a similar sort of thing happen amongst teenagers who had a fascination just with death?

The tragic case of a recent spate of teen suicides in Bridgend suggests it could.

I know what it's like feel so depressed that you don't care anymore, or feel so hurt that you want to punish somebody, I'm sure everybody feels like that at some point in their life, perhaps especially as teenagers when emotions are all over the place, but I think that suicide is a big mistake.

Life is all about ups and downs, nothing stays the same for very long.

How could you be happy without knowing how to be sad?

It's a learning process, but if you cut it short, you're not the only one who gets hurt.

You might have copped out quickly, but everyone who loved you is left behind to bear the burden of grief forever.

Amongst the paranormal community, there is also a suggestion that the sprits of suicide victims suffer a terrible sense of regret because they realise too late that they've broken their karmic destiny.

Stuck in a state of limbo between the physical and spiritual worlds, longing to get back, but unable to do so or communicate with anyone, they are able to see what might have been and why their life's pain was necessary.

They also understand with a terrible sense of guilt the harm they've done to others and to themselves.

It's a frightening scenario and whether you believe in it or not, it's enough to make you wonder.

So, I guess I would advise anyone who uses networks where negative topics are popular, to be very careful and not to lose sight of reality.

The first step in changing your life for the better could be as simple as the one you make when you switch off your PC and go look for something better to do.

• Rhian is the Shropshire Star’s Teen Blogger, commenting on a wide range of issues from a teenager’s point of view.