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Thread: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

  1. #101
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=James12 link=topic=6444.msg485906#msg485906 date=1186412081]
    You only have to motivate one. Congrats.
    [/quote]
    I'm sorry, but this attitude right here is what is wrong with this country.  You sit there and say MDS motivates people to commit suicide, and you are completely ignoring the real problem.  That is, whatever is making someone feel suicidal in the first place.  Ignoring the problem isn't going to make it go away.  Blaming society for an individual's actions is lame.  We are simply posting information that is widely available and discussing deaths.  We aren't raising your children and ignoring their problems.  We're bringing attention to a growing problem.  If anything, the comments we post should discourage someone from committing suicide, but we aren't ignorant enough to actually think that people are so heavily influenced by what we say.  You can't be serious. 

  2. #102
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=James12 link=topic=6444.msg485901#msg485901 date=1186411343]
    Touch a nerve, there, Neal?

    Did you ever wonder about your actual Karma?

    Moderating something that might actually be quite harmful to vulnerable people?

    Just a thought.
    [/quote]

    Since I was calling you Neal, I take it you're talking to yourself... again.

    Pity that your attempt at caustic barbs are lost on those of us with an IQ above that of burnt toast.

    Bye bye now.

  3. #103
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=daybreaksdisdain link=topic=6444.msg485961#msg485961 date=1186415947]
    Pity that your attempt at caustic barbs are lost on those of us with an IQ above that of burnt toast.[/quote]

    Awww, thanks for the compliment.  :oops:
    A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.

  4. #104
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=James12 link=topic=6444.msg485906#msg485906 date=1186412081]
    You only have to motivate one. Congrats.
    [/quote]

    Have we motivated you?

    <br />&quot;If you aren&#039;t going to use the head on your shoulders, I will remove it by any means necessary .&quot; <br />

  5. #105
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=turtlenads link=topic=6444.msg485964#msg485964 date=1186416062]
    Awww, thanks for the compliment.&nbsp; :oops:
    [/quote]

    I include myself in that grouping....most days&nbsp; :lol:

  6. #106
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    Note to all MDS members: the Suicide thread is not to be used for site critiquing or arguments. James12 is no more. Please direct your rage to more appropriate threads.

  7. #107
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    Before this thread became active this morning I was reading about this death:

    http://mydeathspace.com/article/2007...hod_is_unknown

    I realize he is far from a &quot;garden-angsty teen,&quot; but read his girfriend's blogs after he died and tell me if you think suicide seems glamorous. This poor woman seems devestated. Such a clear example that suicide should be talked about and exposed.

  8. #108
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=Neal link=topic=6444.msg485980#msg485980 date=1186418012]
    James has nothing to do with me, but your entitled to your opinion as we all are.&nbsp; &nbsp;

    I watched a close friend die of cancer, it was a long painfull illness as many cases are, she never tried to hide the fact that she contemplated suicide, she used to volunteer for various suicide phone lines,
    she just wanted to provide people who felt like they were alone in the world with someone to listen to, she did not want to preach to people about her situation she just wanted to listen.

    People take their own lives everyday for many different reasons. You will be surprised how many people will listen if you ask them. If you can not face talking to friends or relatives phone people like Samaritans.
    http://www.samaritans.org/

    When I was younger I would not talk to anyone friends, samaritians, psychiatrists. However when I was in one ward I encountered a psychiatrist who encouraged me to write letters about how I felt and to post them to made up addresses. In so I was addressing the underlying problems............. I always used to wonder if anyone ever read them.

    this is an interesting article on suicide:

    http://www.seattleweekly.com/2004-01-14/news/one-suicide-too-many.php

    these are not my words I have just taken some quotes&nbsp; from the article

    &quot;
    Well, fuck this silence. Someone has to speak the plain truth: Accepting suicide is wrong. And that's precisely what societal silence amounts to?acceptance.

    I've had plenty of opportunities to accept it. I have wrestled with mental illness much of my life, had scores of what some call nervous breakdowns. I take medications that work intermittently and have taken many others that simply turn you into a zombie. I know what it's like to completely lose your self?id, ego, and superego, too?to the point where you are going to do the wicked deed. I know what it's like to lose years of life to this shit. And, like many, I am well practiced at the art of keeping it secret and letting the shame poison my heart.&quot;

    &quot;
    The Portland cop was right, of course. People don't want to hear about suicide. It's an inexplicable tragedy and social taboo rolled into one. It's emotionally messy. And it is tough to make sense of it. Learning that someone jumped from a parking garage and hit the pavement doesn't get at the death of soul that goes hand in glove with mental illness. But acknowledged or not, suicide is all around us. There's one every 18 minutes in this country. In King County, there's one for almost every business day.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

    [/quote]

    Your emails are very similar, hence I thought it was your evil twin returning to torment us.

  9. #109
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=Neal link=topic=6444.msg486010#msg486010 date=1186420006]
    I did notice his email was james and a yahoo account. I disagree completely with jame's statement when my ex girl friends little brother attempted suicide
    I made him sit down on MDS and went through the myspace pages, not to scare him but just to make him aware that people do care about him.................

    &nbsp;
    [/quote]

    that and yahoo.uk as well.

    I prefer this Neal btw, seriously.&nbsp; The other one blew.

  10. #110
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    Modified.

    I forgot I hadn't read to the end of the thread yet, didn't realize James was gone.

  11. #111

    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    Hi, all.&nbsp; This is my first post, so be gentle, please.

    I have an opinion about suicidal people.

    1.&nbsp; They don't need the Internet to help them complete the task.
    2.&nbsp; Other than the individuals who do it for the attention, it seems to me that the others are individuals who feel very deeply.&nbsp; They feel very deeply guilt, sense of failure, hurt, etc.&nbsp; Sometimes they are people who are even very empathetic and feel what others around them feel.
    3.&nbsp; Many of them have a physical manifestation of pain that they want to stop.&nbsp; I'm not talking about a diagnosed illness like cancer, I'm talking about a genuine, non-stop pain.&nbsp; Sometimes it's a head pain although I'm thinking chest pain is probably also common.
    4. When people ask, &quot;Why didn't they just stick around and see life get better?&quot; they don't understand that that's not how the suicidal person is even capable of thinking.&nbsp; The suicidal type thinks, &quot;This pain is so unbearable, what failure/hurt/pain does tomorrow hold?&quot;&nbsp; &quot;What does tomorrow/the future hold but more pain?&quot;&nbsp; Usually this is the suicidal person looking at those around them and seeing/empathizing all the pain and sorrow that exists.
    5.&nbsp; Many people say it's selfish to commit suicide.&nbsp; I can understand that, but I also see it from the other p.o.v.&nbsp; It's a bit selfish to insist that someone who is in a lot of pain stay in this world just because of my happiness.&nbsp;

    Yes, I've thought about this a lot, and while I don't want anyone to commit suicide, I can understand them.&nbsp; I can empathize.

    Have I thought about it myself?&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; Have I gotten help? Yes.&nbsp; Does it still get me when bad stuff piles up in my life and laughter and happiness are in short supply?&nbsp; Definitely.

    I've been a lurker for awhile and my life is hitting a really hard point right now so I thought I'd share.&nbsp; I hope I made some sense and didn't offend anyone.

  12. #112
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=freakunique link=topic=6444.msg489861#msg489861 date=1186590216]
    Hi, all.&nbsp; This is my first post, so be gentle, please.

    I have an opinion about suicidal people.

    1.&nbsp; They don't need the Internet to help them complete the task.
    2.&nbsp; Other than the individuals who do it for the attention, it seems to me that the others are individuals who feel very deeply.&nbsp; They feel very deeply guilt, sense of failure, hurt, etc.&nbsp; Sometimes they are people who are even very empathetic and feel what others around them feel.
    3.&nbsp; Many of them have a physical manifestation of pain that they want to stop.&nbsp; I'm not talking about a diagnosed illness like cancer, I'm talking about a genuine, non-stop pain.&nbsp; Sometimes it's a head pain although I'm thinking chest pain is probably also common.
    4. When people ask, &quot;Why didn't they just stick around and see life get better?&quot; they don't understand that that's not how the suicidal person is even capable of thinking.&nbsp; The suicidal type thinks, &quot;This pain is so unbearable, what failure/hurt/pain does tomorrow hold?&quot;&nbsp; &quot;What does tomorrow/the future hold but more pain?&quot;&nbsp; Usually this is the suicidal person looking at those around them and seeing/empathizing all the pain and sorrow that exists.
    5.&nbsp; Many people say it's selfish to commit suicide.&nbsp; I can understand that, but I also see it from the other p.o.v.&nbsp; It's a bit selfish to insist that someone who is in a lot of pain stay in this world just because of my happiness.&nbsp;

    Yes, I've thought about this a lot, and while I don't want anyone to commit suicide, I can understand them.&nbsp; I can empathize.

    Have I thought about it myself?&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; Have I gotten help? Yes.&nbsp; Does it still get me when bad stuff piles up in my life and laughter and happiness are in short supply?&nbsp; Definitely.

    I've been a lurker for awhile and my life is hitting a really hard point right now so I thought I'd share.&nbsp; I hope I made some sense and didn't offend anyone.
    [/quote]


    I don't see your post as offensive at all. Thank you for sharing. I hope (and I know) things will get better.&nbsp;
    A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.

  13. #113

    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=turtlenads link=topic=6444.msg489894#msg489894 date=1186593052]

    I don't see your post as offensive at all. Thank you for sharing. I hope (and I know) things will get better.&nbsp;
    [/quote]

    Thanks for the sweet words.&nbsp; Life is pretty rough right now.&nbsp; I know lots of peeps have it worse--but sometimes it's hard to see. Thank you for the nice welcome.

  14. #114
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=freakunique link=topic=6444.msg492546#msg492546 date=1186704498]
    Thanks for the sweet words.&nbsp; Life is pretty rough right now. I know lots of peeps have it worse--but sometimes it's hard to see. Thank you for the nice welcome.
    [/quote]


    I hear you. and I mean that.

    A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.

  15. #115
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=freakunique link=topic=6444.msg489861#msg489861 date=1186590216]
    Hi, all.&nbsp; This is my first post, so be gentle, please.

    I have an opinion about suicidal people.

    1.&nbsp; They don't need the Internet to help them complete the task.
    2.&nbsp; Other than the individuals who do it for the attention, it seems to me that the others are individuals who feel very deeply.&nbsp; They feel very deeply guilt, sense of failure, hurt, etc.&nbsp; Sometimes they are people who are even very empathetic and feel what others around them feel.

    4. When people ask, &quot;Why didn't they just stick around and see life get better?&quot; they don't understand that that's not how the suicidal person is even capable of thinking.&nbsp; The suicidal type thinks, &quot;This pain is so unbearable, what failure/hurt/pain does tomorrow hold?&quot;&nbsp; &quot;What does tomorrow/the future hold but more pain?&quot;&nbsp; Usually this is the suicidal person looking at those around them and seeing/empathizing all the pain and sorrow that exists.
    5.&nbsp; Many people say it's selfish to commit suicide.&nbsp; I can understand that, but I also see it from the other p.o.v.&nbsp; It's a bit selfish to insist that someone who is in a lot of pain stay in this world just because of my happiness.&nbsp;

    Yes, I've thought about this a lot, and while I don't want anyone to commit suicide, I can understand them.&nbsp; I can empathize.

    I've been a lurker for awhile and my life is hitting a really hard point right now so I thought I'd share.&nbsp; I hope I made some sense and didn't offend anyone.
    [/quote]

    I'm not going to blast you or anything, but I'm not sure what you mean about people who attempt suicide for attention.&nbsp; A suicide attempt should always be taken seriously.&nbsp; Maybe you're speaking of the emo kids that think cutting is cool.&nbsp; I'm not sure.&nbsp;

    3.&nbsp; Many of them have a physical manifestation of pain that they want to stop.&nbsp; I'm not talking about a diagnosed illness like cancer, I'm talking about a genuine, non-stop pain.&nbsp; Sometimes it's a head pain although I'm thinking chest pain is probably also common.

    There are certainly many people living in non-stop pain that would rather die.&nbsp; I know this for a fact.&nbsp; You are completely correct about that one.&nbsp; Even cancer patients, when they get to a point, hit the morphine switch as much as they can.&nbsp; I believe more common causes of non-stop pain would be fibromyalgia and back pain.&nbsp; That is the type of pain that you can't get away from.&nbsp; It haunts you day and night.&nbsp; And, in many cases, there's not much that can be done except prescribe painkillers.&nbsp; There are many diagnosed diseases that cause non-stop pain.&nbsp; They have no cures, only drugs to throw at the patients (often the drugs don't do the job and cause other issues.)&nbsp; And, frankly, I've wanted to off myself many more times than I would care to say.&nbsp; Some just wanted, some attempted.&nbsp; The other factor to consider, is that some diagnosed diseases come with CNS symptoms, including messing with the hardwiring in the brain.

    I do thank you for sharing in your post.&nbsp; And suicide is not glamorous in any way, shape or form.
    I don&#039;t enter into mental warfare with morons.&nbsp; It&#039;s immoral and unethical.&nbsp; They have no ammunition.&nbsp; AIDA convention regulations, article VII, Paragraph XII&nbsp;&nbsp;

  16. #116

    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=blunt.force.trauma link=topic=6444.msg494456#msg494456 date=1186813297]
    I'm not going to blast you or anything, but I'm not sure what you mean about people who attempt suicide for attention.&nbsp; A suicide attempt should always be taken seriously.&nbsp; Maybe you're speaking of the emo kids that think cutting is cool.&nbsp; I'm not sure.&nbsp;



    I do thank you for sharing in your post.&nbsp; And suicide is not glamorous in any way, shape or form.
    [/quote]

    Yes, I agree--any attempt should be taken seriously.&nbsp; I agree wholeheartedly.&nbsp; I meant more the type of suicide attempt that wants to get back at people the type who say, &quot;They'll miss me when I'm gone--this will show them!&quot;&nbsp; They should be taken seriously, but I can't speak to that.&nbsp; I was speaking more toward the people who suffer in their own world despite what's going on around them.&nbsp; Their suicide is not aimed at hurting others, but stopping their own hurt. It seems that cutting denotes some serious issues--cutting is something I can't begin to speak to.

  17. #117

    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    I meant more the type of suicide attempt that wants to get back at people the type who say, &quot;They'll miss me when I'm gone--this will show them!&quot;&nbsp; They should be taken seriously, but I can't speak to that.&nbsp; I was speaking more toward the people who suffer in their own world despite what's going on around them.&nbsp; Their suicide is not aimed at hurting others, but stopping their own hurt. It seems that cutting denotes some serious issues--cutting is something I can't begin to speak to.
    I just had to leave a small note. I have only posted once on this site and that was in the newbie section. I needed to just leave my thoughts. I am the mother of a child who took her own life at the age of 16. Regardless of WHY the suicidal person is ready to end their own life does NOT matter. ANY THREAT should be taken seriously. I could write a book about what I am trying to say but you can read all about it on the website I built to remember my daughter. It is www.myangelbrittany.piczo.com. I did not make the site to glorify how she died but to remember a talented, intelligent, beautiful and very funny young woman that the world needs to know. I built it to help STOP this silent crisis that no one wants to talk about. She took her life while on suicide watch. There are many stories on the site about her death from the local newspapers and news stories on the page titled &quot; It can Happen anywhere&quot;. There is a page titled &quot; Changes are Happening&quot; as well. There is also a page for people to get help. Phone numbers ETC....
    Brittany was a cutter from age 8 until she died. Sometimes it was under control and other times it was not. She was not trying to kill herself when she was cutting. It was her way of releasing whatever she could not talk about.
    Until you live as a survivor of suicide you cannot even begin to know what it does to us, the survivors. ANY THREAT OF ANY KIND SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY! Just remember, the life you save today may be the one that saves yours tomorrow.
    I am sorry for babbling so long....1 suicide is 1 to many.
    Thanks for listening!
    Brittany's mommy forever-
    Lynette

    Brittany N. Kish
    11/29/88 - 4/11/05
    www.myangelbrittany.piczo.com

  18. #118

    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=LostinVegas4Ever link=topic=6444.msg503219#msg503219 date=1187392428]
    I just had to leave a small note. I have only posted once on this site and that was in the newbie section. I needed to just leave my thoughts. I am the mother of a child who took her own life at the age of 16. Regardless of WHY the suicidal person is ready to end their own life does NOT matter. ANY THREAT should be taken seriously. I could write a book about what I am trying to say but you can read all about it on the website I built to remember my daughter. It is www.myangelbrittany.piczo.com. I did not make the site to glorify how she died but to remember a talented, intelligent, beautiful and very funny young woman that the world needs to know. I built it to help STOP this silent crisis that no one wants to talk about. She took her life while on suicide watch. There are many stories on the site about her death from the local newspapers and news stories on the page titled &quot; It can Happen anywhere&quot;. There is a page titled &quot; Changes are Happening&quot; as well. There is also a page for people to get help. Phone numbers ETC....
    Brittany was a cutter from age 8 until she died. Sometimes it was under control and other times it was not. She was not trying to kill herself when she was cutting. It was her way of releasing whatever she could not talk about.
    Until you live as a survivor of suicide you cannot even begin to know what it does to us, the survivors. ANY THREAT OF ANY KIND SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY! Just remember, the life you save today may be the one that saves yours tomorrow.
    I am sorry for babbling so long....1 suicide is 1 to many.
    Thanks for listening!
    Brittany's mommy forever-
    Lynette

    Brittany N. Kish
    11/29/88 - 4/11/05
    www.myangelbrittany.piczo.com

    [/quote]I am very sorry for your loss.&nbsp; There are not enough words.

    You are right--every threat, attempt, or even hint should be taken seriously.


  19. #119
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    this is a dumb idea......the UK in all its wisdom decided a few years ago to cut the amount of paracetamol/asprin you get in a pack in a bid to reduce suicides and overdoses, I mean srsly if your gonna kill yourself your not gonna be worried about shelling out a few moar quid for another box of pills

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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=SOAD link=topic=6444.msg508243#msg508243 date=1187727236]
    this is a dumb idea......the UK in all its wisdom decided a few years ago to cut the amount of paracetamol/asprin you get in a pack in a bid to reduce suicides and overdoses, I mean srsly if your gonna kill yourself your not gonna be worried about shelling out a few moar quid for another box of pills
    [/quote]

    Aspirin overdose was a popular means of suicide at the psychiatric facility for which I worked.&nbsp;

    One patient actually &quot;eloped&quot; (the politically correct term for &quot;escaped&quot;), went to the drug store and bought a bottle of 500 aspirin, checked into a local hotel, poured the aspirin into a small paper bag, and ate them like popcorn.&nbsp; They found her and what was left in the bag two days later.&nbsp; I never took aspirin overdose seriously until my employment at that facility.&nbsp;

    After working there for five years, I think I saw it all.&nbsp; &nbsp;:|

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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    I LOVE YOUR WM3 BANNER ^^^^. they get a lot of my money, those boys do. i adore them.

    ANYWAY i didn't read this whole thread but i've worked in mental health for a while, learned a lot about suicide, and the one story that stuck out the most to me was this one: (sorry if it got posted already)

    there was a guy in i think san fran, who killed himself, and when police found his identity they went to his house to look for clues about why, and there was a note. and it said, when i go to work every morning, no one cares. no one says hi, no one talks to each other, everyone is so self-absorbed and apathetic and this is why i want to die. today when i go to work, if ONE person smiles, or says hello to me, i will not kill myself.

    obviously nobody did.

    this was first told to me in a seminar about suicide. a whole bunch of us started crying, in fact i am crying as i am writing this, and it's stuck with me for a few years. so now i always make an effort, no matter how shitty i feel, so make eye contact with people, to smile, to acknowledge people. because who knows. you could be saving a life.

    i lost an old friend to suicide in april, and when we were closer i used to talk to him on the phone for hours, listening to his pain and just trying to make him feel better. we hadn't talked in a long time before re-connecting, and were just getting to be somewhat close again when he did it. i will never stop wondering what would have happened if we'd been closer, if i'd talked to him more... but now everyday, when someone says something about killing themselves i take it extremely seriously, i tell them the good things i see in them and won't leave them alone until they appear to be better.

    because i don't know if i can stand to lose another one. :(

  22. #122
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    Elderly at highest risk for suicide

    Not long after 72-year-old Anne Beale Golsan had retired on disability from her job as a librarian, she put a stack of paid bills out for the mail, hung up a freshly pressed outfit and taped a note to the front of the house. &quot;Don't come in by yourself. Get somebody to come with you. Sorry, Love Beale.&quot;

    Her niece arrived at the house they shared in Baton Rouge, La., to find police already there. Golsan had killed herself with a gunshot to the head.

    &quot;Every single day it makes me feel like I wish I could have done something,&quot; Jane Golsan Ray said, recalling her aunt's death eight years ago. &quot;I wish I could turn back the clock and prevent it. It doesn't get any better, it hurts every day.&quot;

    The elderly are the highest risk population in the country for suicide. But few suicide-prevention programs target them — a result, advocates say, of scarce funding and lack of concern for older Americans.

    And mental heath experts say the number of elderly suicides is likely to climb as baby boomers enter their twilight years.

    The overall U.S. suicide rate is 11 per 100,000 people. But for those 65 and older, that figure rises to 14 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which based its findings on 2004 data, the most recent available.

    Older adults are less likely to seek help and are more lethal in their suicide attempts. So experts say special care is needed to reach out.

    Dale Smith, 67, said he might not be alive if not for a suicide-prevention program in Spokane, Wash.

    Two years ago, he attended a meeting at his retirement complex where everyone filled out a screening form for depression, a key risk factor for suicide.

    Based on his answers, a caseworker and psychiatrist later visited Smith at his home, where they discussed what turned out to be a lifetime of depression. They developed a plan of medication and therapy that Smith says probably saved his life.

    &quot;I'm not unique. I think there's a lot of individuals out there who do suffer from depression and they have no clue,&quot; he said. &quot;They just know they're not happy. They are tired, they want to pull the covers over their heads and not look at the world, and they don't know what it is.&quot;

    But many older Americans have fewer options for treatment than younger people.

    &quot;It's a not-so-subtle social-political assignment of resources,&quot; said Donna Cohen, a professor in the Department of Aging and Mental Health at the University of South Florida.

    Ten states passed laws last year intended to curb suicide among children and young adults. But only two — New Jersey and New Mexico — passed laws addressing suicide among the elderly, according to Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, a national advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

    Depression is underdetected at all ages, mental health groups say. But much more funding is available for treating younger people, including $82 million in federal money approved in 2004.

    The situation prompted Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who lost his father to suicide, to propose funding more suicide-prevention programs for the elderly and changing a Medicare coverage rule that forces seniors to pay more for outpatient mental health services than other medical care.

    Some advocates and mental health workers say they also have to battle a prevailing notion that depression is a normal part of aging.

    &quot;It is not natural and should be treated at all times,&quot; said Dr. Paula Clayton, a psychiatrist and medical director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

    Janice Hodge of Sandy, Ore. said she didn't realize until after her 91-year old father, Anthony Liberto, died that he had been depressed.

    He was struggling to care for his 85-year-old wife, who suffered from Parkinson's disease. He did not work and he could no longer play golf, his favorite pastime. Friends and family still visited, but they say he spent much of his time lying on the couch and growing frustrated with suggestions that he place his wife of 62 years in a nursing home.

    Eventually, he shot his wife and killed himself, leaving a note that read: &quot;Sorry we had to leave this way, forgive me. Love, your Dad.&quot;

    Experts say there need to be services tailored to the elderly because they handle depression differently than younger patients.

    In Spokane, the program that helped Smith, called Elder Services, trains people who come in contact with the elderly — from bank tellers to postal carriers — to notice signs of trouble, such as mail piling up or bills going unpaid. Those people can then notify social workers.

    In San Francisco, Patrick Arbore founded the Friendship Line in San Francisco in 1973 after seeing the lack of understanding some suicide hot line workers displayed for older people.

    The line, which lets people call just to talk or get support, now handles more than 3,000 calls a month. About one-quarter of the callers have suicidal thoughts, a staffer said. But most just want a compassionate listener.

    &quot;It's about reminding people that they are still a part of their community,&quot; Arbore said. &quot;Those connections bind us to life.&quot;

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070919/ap_on_he_me/elderly_suicide;_ylt=AosWzKKQcc6R4DAlJziLQ5JvzwcF

  23. #123
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=MorbidlyLovely link=topic=6444.msg508911#msg508911 date=1187752969]
    Aspirin overdose was a popular means of suicide at the psychiatric facility for which I worked.&nbsp;

    One patient actually &quot;eloped&quot; (the politically correct term for &quot;escaped&quot;), went to the drug store and bought a bottle of 500 aspirin, checked into a local hotel, poured the aspirin into a small paper bag, and ate them like popcorn.&nbsp; They found her and what was left in the bag two days later.&nbsp; I never took aspirin overdose seriously until my employment at that facility.&nbsp;

    After working there for five years, I think I saw it all.&nbsp; &nbsp;:|
    [/quote]

    My first overdose attempt was with tylenol, i took over 500...i fell asleep, woke up around 5 pm, and kept throwing up....imagine the WORST flu you've ever had times 1,000.&nbsp; i guess it can really mess up your liver... i had tests run about a year later... everything was completely fine.&nbsp; i am so fortunate.
    &quot;you know what my kids always say...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;you&#39;re not my real father??&quot;

  24. #124
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=daybreaksdisdain link=topic=6444.msg542302#msg542302 date=1190211849]
    Elderly at highest risk for suicide
    ...
    [/quote]

    That is a really sad article. I can totally see that happening, too.
    A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.

  25. #125
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    Re: Suicide Prevention / Suicide Survivors Thread

    [quote author=turtlenads link=topic=6444.msg542340#msg542340 date=1190213167]
    That is a really sad article. I can totally see that happening, too.
    [/quote]

    Same here.&nbsp; We tend to focus on the youth and forget about how difficult it can be to grow old.&nbsp; :-(

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