One very important lesson I have learned is there is always "collateral damage." It's not what you do to yourself, it's what's left after you start the ball rolling. It doesn't necessarily have to be "it." It can be moving away without telling anyone; it can be shutting out friends with no explanation; it can be something as simple as not returning phone calls for months or years.

It's the collateral damage that does the most harm to those left behind, especially when that someone is fragile.