Opinions on "Altruism" highly appreciated...what are your thoughts?

Question

Altruism-is selfless concern for the welfare of others. Altruism focuses on a motivation to help others or a want to do good without reward.

I'm working on a psychology paper on the topic of Altruism and I just need a few thoughts and ideas from anyone who is interested and knows any little thing about the subject. Your help is greatly appreciated and I am willing to choose the best answer so you can get 10 points. Here are some questions given by the professor to help us out with it. I'm not asking for anyone to do my report for me, it is just that outside opinions are going to really help, thank you again.

How have altruistic acts played a role in your life?
Describe when you have been helped in an altruistic way by another
person or helped someone yourself in this way.
How do you think we can encourage others to be helpful members of
society?
What factors have played a role in why you have chosen not to help
someone? How might you have changed the situation?

Answer 1

I haunt the mental health and psychology categories of Yahoo! answers because I am concerned by the seeming epidemic of teen depression and suicide in the USA. Having been suicidally depressed in my life time I can empathize with those many questioners who deal with depression and threats of suicide. I know the despair and helplessness these sufferers are experiencing and believe that it is vital for any person's happiness that they know for a certainty that they are loved and have someone to love in return. Since I have successfully recovered from such suicidal depression due mainly to the TLC of the mental health community and family I can reach out to others with compassion and encouragement. There are many others answering in these categories who do the same.

I encourage those answerer's who belittle so called "emo's," "Cutters," "suiciders" and other people with mental disorders to try to understand them thru studying the symptoms and remedies for such disorders and not put the sufferers down. It is important for our country and the people afflicted to recognize this phenomena, try to understand its causes and do what they can to give TLC to those people suffering.

I have have been unable to help some on here just because of the physical reality of the Internet and my own ignorance of psychology. I just keep trying to understand and reach out.

Good luck with your essay, good mental health, peace and Love!