Countless IC articles/studies confirm what most of us with IC already know.  The secret thoughts locked up inside the depths of our being: thoughts of suicide.  An IC patient is 3-4 times more likely to commit suicide than a non-IC sufferer.  And those with severe pain and symptoms rank their quality of life below that of people undergoing kidney dialysis, or people with cancer. 

The statistics might seem high for anyone fortunate enough to not have to experience the extreme pain, discomfort, and complete change in quality of life that IC patients experience.  Before I had IC I had experienced migraine headaches and irritable bowel syndrome and I had always considered myself to be a positive person.  It was shocking to me how much IC hurt.  My bladder hurt.  My vagina hurt.  Sitting, walking, standing was excruciating.  During times of ovulation I would extreme pain and swelling of my labia which made wearing clothing unbearable.  Yet, in spite of all of the pain and swelling I still had a job to go to, grocery shopping to do, and a household to clean.  My quality of life suffered when I could no longer eat whatever I wanted.  My social life became non-existant.  Thoughts of suicide began to creep into my thoughts. 

If you are having these thoughts as an IC patient, know that these feelings are valid, and that you are not the only one to feel this way.  If you are a woman with IC, you might have experienced condescension from your male doctor about having IC, and he might have prescribed anti-depression medication to you before you were officially diagnosed with IC.  (Yes, I experienced this as well).  Please work with a pastor, spiritual advisor, and/or a doctor or licensed psychologist that you are comfortable with in order to have a support group that you can turn to whenever your thoughts turn to suicide.  Know that your severe pain and lowered quality of life are not your fault.  My thoughts and my heart go out to you if you are severely depressed or even suicidal. 

http://health.learninginfo.org/interstitial-cystitis-symptoms.htm