bawanajim

Some so much more than others.

LBR

Thank you Tundra. That's the way I see it. The real victims, in my opinion, are the loved ones that are left behind wondering what went wrong and trying to explain it to everyone else.

Good to have input from someone who has had to deal with it up close and personal.

Actual experience is a lot different than viewing from the outside.

Champlain Islander

This is the second one in the past 2 weeks that has caught my attention. We had a local female law professor who was married with 2 kids. She was 42 years old and beautiful. She taught at Vermont Law School and was constantly on TV as a subject matter expert on law as it pertained to any of the larger criminal cases or legislative issues. There couldn't have been many in our state that didn't know her name and face since she had that much media exposure. 2 weeks ago the area was shocked that she took her own life with a hand gun. According to what her husband said sudden depression had settled in for the past 4 months and she was getting help coping and understanding what was happening but that it wasn't enough. Ironically she appeared on the 6 o’clock TV news just a couple of days before her suicide talking about a pending criminal case. She appeared normal thus the shock when I read about her death in the paper. I have never been depressed and it is hard for me to understand how it could be so compelling to make someone take their own life. Apparently once a person gets to that state of mind it is very hard to change. 750,000 attempt it every year in the US and 30,000 succeed. They say the leading cause is untreated depression.

LBR

I have a hard time believing those numbers. Well, no...I don't believe them at all.

The reason is, if you are serious about wanting to kill yourself, it's not that hard to do. Lots of proven techniques that are quick, relatively painless, irreversible, and don't require any special knowledge or equipment.

That, and I can think of at least two different (and unrelated) people who "attempted" suicide multiple times. One of them is still alive, the other died several years ago from an unrelated illness. Both of them were doing it for attention. The one that's still alive almost succeeded the last attempt I heard about. Talk about irony...they screwed up and took too many of an over-the-counter medication that they evidently didn't think would do the damage it did.

My bet is people like them were included in those "stats".

Champlain Islander

I think you touched on the reason why the attempts are so high with a smaller percentage successful. I took the raw numbers off the internet and can't verify them but suspect they are accurate since I got the same numbers from a couple of different places. I would say the people who use a gun are almost always successful but many try the pill route and are saved...maybe as planned. The multiple attempts are probably all listed thus the high number. A sad thing when it happens. Years ago when I was a kid one of my friends father did himself in. I remember that was the first time I ever heard the term suicide. It did place a stigma on the family.

LBR

Same here. Seems like one of his sons followed suit years later--couldn't get past what his dad did. I don't think he ever married or had kids though.

Made me think of a story I read. Never did confirm whether it was true or not. It came from one of the tons of "fact books" I used to read--loved those when I was a kid.

The guy was...Italian, I think. Anyway, he decided to commit suicide, and he intended to be thorough. He drank poison, set himself on fire, tried to hang himself over the side of a cliff overlooking the sea, and tried to shoot himself while hanging.

As the story goes, the gun shot missed and cut the rope. The salt water extinguished the flames, made him vomit up the poison, and waves washed him ashore before he could drown. He later died from exposure.

bawanajim

Where the quality of you theory comes apart starts with the very fact that Frank is looking at this phenomenon through the eyes of a sane and intelligent mind. You have no idea the pain or torture take takes place in the mind of those stricken with mental disorders.
I will also say the numbers are no more than a guess as we have no way of knowing just how many auto mobile accidents are not accidents at all but very carefully planned exits by people that simply don't care to cope with the hidden pain that they suffer each and every day.

LBR

What theory? My opinions on this topic are based on experience. I thought I made that clear.

Actually I have a very good idea, but as I said before--I don't care to discuss such with strangers on a message board.

Do you have any idea? What are you basing your assessment on?

This thread reminds me of a statement made on the political board. One black kid is killed by a cop and the whole city goes into an uproar because a cop was involved. All the while, black kids are killed all over the country every day and there's not a peep about it, because other black kids killed them.

What made Robin William's suicide more tragic than any other? Why is he being made out to be some kind of hero or deserving of special attention when the same thing happens every day all over the world? Because he was a famous actor and comedian?

bawanajim

I have a couple questions for those you with minds open enough to actually give some thought.
Do you believe if given the choice, would Albert Einstein want to be born a genius, or would he choose a normal life, with the simple every day joys, how about you, would you like to have been born with Albert's mind?
How about Jules Vern, where did "Twenty Thousand leagues under the sea" come from? A sound mind, really?
Why do our bodies break down with age and abuse, yet we question when our minds do the same?
Just a few questions for those who I know are capable of thought.

Chuck7

I believe for the most part...not always but mostly...they are demons in one's own mind that have not been dealt with. The Word says our spiritual battle/ war is in one's mind. The spirits are mostly thoughts...Judas had a demonic thought enter his mind..about 5 verses later AFTER he agreed with the suggestion "Satan entered into Judas heart." After Judas got the money...he hung himself...Satan's ultimate goal for all of us..self distruction...

If any of you would dare watch the youtube video I downloaded on my first post here ..you can easily see that Robin was an instrument of Satan. Christ gives us hope..when there is no hope...what is left.

Should be a warning for all of us...Jesus said,"A man's life does not consist of the abundance of things that he posesses. "

Folks don't want God in the nation and yet stand surprized when crap like this happens. Like running your car on kool aid and shocked that it won't start. We were created for God...