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"time heals all wounds"
What is suicide if not an act of closure?
Closure
Increasingly nowadays the word ‘closure’ is being used to
identify the experience of drawing an emotionally difficult life event to an end. The most common examples include the breakdown
of a close interpersonal relationship and the death of loved one.
Closure is
often achieved in a wide range of almost ritualistic behaviour. In many other cases, closure may only come about through the
passage of time
FEAR = Fear Everything And Run or Face Everything And Recover.
Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.
dorothy parker
2) Get Busy. Get Inspired.
You'll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you are too busy to notice it.
Live a life full of inspired activities.
Do
the things you love. If you're a little short on cash, you could engage in simple stuffs like taking a leisurely stroll in
the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue.
Set a goal - a meaningful purpose in life. No matter how difficult
or discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire.
With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.
3) Take a Break.
I mean it.
Listen to soothing music.
Soak in a nice warm bath. Ask one of your close friends to massage you. Take a break from your stressful workload and spend
the day just goofing around. In other words, have fun.
4) Eat Right and Stay Fit.
Avoid foods
with lots of sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy; but they would later bring
about anxiety , tension, and internal problems. Alcohol is a depressant. Many people would drink alcohol to "forget their
problems." They're just aggravating their conditions in the process.
Exercising regularly is a vital depression buster because it allows your body to produce more endorphins than usual.
Endorphins are sometimes called "the happy chemicals" because of their stress-reducing and happiness-inducing properties.
5) Get a Social Life.
No man is an island. Your circle of friends are there to give you moral support. Spending time
and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling. Nothing feels better than having
group support.
Never underestimate the power
of touch. Doesn't it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during your most
challenging times? Hug or embrace someone today. You'll never know when you have saved another life.
Get intimate. Establish close ties with your family and friends. The love and care expressed
by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses. Best of all, you'll live a more secured and
happy life.
Video sparks copy-cat hangings
By staff writers and wires
05jan07
THREE children have
hanged themselves after seeing footage of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's execution on television.
10-year-old Sergio Pelico, who hanged himself in Texas,
had seen the video of Saddam's execution and had asked about it before his death, police said today.
"We're theorising he tried to experiment or mimic the behaviour and it got out of control," said police
captain Thomas Claunch.
Police said the boy apparently went to his room, attached
a piece of clothing to a bunk bed and tied it around his neck.
Adults and other children were in the house at the time.
"There was nothing to indicate any criminal wrongdoing,"
Mr Claunch said.
"It appears to be a tragic accident."
A similar incident involving a nine-year-old boy occurred
in Pakistan, the Press Association (PA) reported.
Mubashar Ali, who died after hanging himself, was said
to have been helped by his 10-year-old sister to tie a rope to a ceiling fan and around his neck.
The children's father said they had seen Saddam's execution
on TV, PA reported.
Earlier in the week in India, a 15-year-old girl killed
herself in an apparent direct response to Saddam's hanging.
The girl, Moon Moon, had become extremely depressed after
watching Saddam's execution on television, her father said.
"She said they had hanged a patriot," said Manmohan Karmakar
from the town of Kharda.
"We didn't take her seriously when she told us that she
wanted to feel the pain Saddam did during the execution.
"She kept watching the scene over and again and didn't
take food on Saturday and Sunday to protest against the hanging," he said.
Police superintendent Pravin Kumar confirmed the suicide,
saying the girl had strung herself up from a ceiling fan and was found dead early on Wednesday.
With Reuters and AFP © Northern
Territory News
Coping With Childhood Grief
Here are some
suicide facts you should be aware of:
- A teen that has lost a friend to suicide is
at higher risk for depression, delinquency and drug abuse. (Estimates by the American Association of Suicidology place this
risk at three times that of the average teen.)
- Studies reveal that a family member of a loved
one who has committed suicide is at up to 5 times the risk for suicide themselves.
- Worldwide hundreds of thousands of children
and adolescents must be being affected by a suicide each year.
- Emotional distress of child survivors of suicide
may go unnoticed if they do not have a chance to share their pain.
- We can all help in suicide prevention by learning
about statistics, suicide rates and teen suicide.
- There is no timetable for recovery, suicide survivors are forever changed by the tragedy.
Five-point suicide prevention plan
1. Savouring love. The social support system
of the person with suicidal thoughts must let the people concerned know about the emotional condition of that suicidal person.
A suicidal individual may feel that he is alone amidst many problems that he is facing.
He may need reassurance of
the love and support of his loved ones; and these people must know that they are there to help the person feel the warmth,
appreciation, assistance, and encouragement that he felt he had lost.
Under this step, the person and his family and/or
social circles may organize bonding activities, such as eating meals together. Such activities will help reestablish links
to empower the personal feeling of that suicidal person. Furthermore, the family or the social circle from which the person
experiences alienation may undergo counseling sessions that will determine communication gaps needed to be filled in.
2.
Uncovering underlying causes. It must be understood that suicide may only be the so-called tip of the iceberg. Thus, it is
extremely important to determine the underlying causes for the person's suicidal thoughts. For example, the person may be
suffering from treatable mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, or borderline personality disorder.
If such is the case, you must help the person avail of services from duly authorized therapists or physicians who will be
able to give immediate relief to counter the suffering of that person.
3. Problem-solving. For cases that may not involve
other psychological illnesses such as depression, it may be helpful to take note of Shneidman's approach in preventing suicide.
Following his ten commandments, it becomes ultimately necessary to help the person seek a solution, which is outside the person's
realm of thinking.
As what Gerald Davidson, John Neale and Ana Kring explained in the article found in Abnormal Psychology:
"Some Myths about Suicide," suicidal people do not necessarily want to die. Instead, they only want to escape the negative
life events they are facing. Hence, an effective suicide prevention program must help the person understand that killing himself
is not the solution. Instead, the person must be taught of a problem-solving mechanism through which he can determine various
options in dealing with the problem and assess the consequences of each action that he takes. It may consist of a flowchart
of things to do, with elaborations for each step so that he can take note of the fact that each decision he makes must really
be a carefully thought decision.
4. Establishing contacts. It will be wise to give the person numbers of suicide service
centers such as 24-hour hotlines of psychological therapy clinics that he can get in touch with whenever he feels very down
or depressed.
5. Rediscovering the joy of living. Suicidal persons may have forgotten the joy of living that they would
most certainly miss if they choose to die. Therefore, "rediscovery" trips will be effective in making them realize that committing
suicide will deprive them of so many wonders of the world, especially those activities that the person are very interested
in.
Spectacularly unsuccessful individuals
People often say they have no choice when
faced with a dead end. They say they have no choice but to take the one direction available, which is often a wrong one.
When
they say that remark, they must understand that they have to take the blame for the consequences of what they will do.
However,
truth is far from the often-circulated concept that man has no choice.
We do have choices. As long as you have rights
to protect, you have a choice. When rights are denied, then so are options. When you let your rights be denied, this too is
an option.
Just look at slaves. Most of them obey not out of willingness, but because they have no rights; and thus,
they have no choice but to obey. Yet, in another light, it is really their choice that they are slaves. Even not having a
choice is still a choice.
Some are willing slaves. They voluntarily throw their rights away because they believe the
person to whom they render service to is worthy of treating them as such.
Some simply accept their lot as slaves, and
that is their choice. Some refuse to be slaves and choose to assert their rights. All these are choices.
The kind of
life you have is the life you choose. You cannot blame anyone for how your life ends up.
For instance, you can choose
to live happily or miserably. It all depends on you. If you live a hectic life, that's because you choose to be busy. No one
can force a kind of life upon you, not even a superior who points a gun to your head. Every choice has its consequence.
Thus,
if you choose to be healthy, live up to that choice. Be healthy. The choice will have to be followed by a decision to be disciplined.
Being
disciplined means that you must exert effort to attain and maintain a healthy body. Eat right, exercise right, sleep right,
and live right.
Don't blame anyone else if you get sick. Getting sick is a choice. Some people cannot afford to be
healthy because they choose not to afford it.
They can spend for something else but not for good health. To be able
to prioritise good health in your budget, you have to live a simple life. Every choice entails a consequence, so you have
to live up to your choices.
Sadly enough... Loneliness
Unfortunately, life is not all
beer and skittles. There are some negative aspects which we need to accept about life as a human being. We need to accept
being lonely, this unfortunately is a very normal part of our everyday lives here on planet Earth.
Earth, can be a lonely place and
Earth can be a sad place.
-
We are sad when we fail at things
we want to succeed at.
-
We are sad when we're rejected
by the person we love or want to be loved by.
-
We are sad when someone very
close to us dies.
-
We are sad when we are lonely.
As bad as SADNESS hurts, it is
better than depression which is a Hell of a lot worse than loneliness.
Depression can destroy our self-esteem,
health and well being. Depression KILLS and destroys those that it infects.
Here are some superb tips to
conquer the melancholy mood and get the most bliss out of your daily activities.
1) Get Enough Light and Sunshine.
Lack
of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and
a lethargic condition.
Melatonin is only produced in the dark. It lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish.
If you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying
in bed.
This is the reason why many people are suffering from depression much more often in winter than in the other
seasons. It's because the nights are longer.
If you can't afford to get some sunshine, you can always lighten up your
room with brighter lights. Have lunch outside the office. Take frequent walks instead of driving your car over short distances.
2)
Get Busy. Get Inspired.
You'll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you are too busy to notice it.
Live a life full of inspired activities.
Do the things you love. If you're a little short on cash, you could engage
in simple stuffs like taking a leisurely stroll in the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that
you have passion for and would love to pursue.
Set a goal - a meaningful purpose in life. No matter how difficult or
discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire. With
this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.
3) Take a Break.
I
mean it.
Listen to soothing music. Soak in a nice warm bath. Ask one of your close friends to massage you. Take a break
from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around. In other words, have fun.
4) Eat Right and Stay
Fit.
Avoid foods with lots of sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy;
but they would later bring about anxiety , tension, and internal problems. Alcohol is a depressant. Many people would drink
alcohol to "forget their problems." They're just aggravating their conditions in the process.
Exercising regularly
is a vital depression buster because it allows your body to produce more endorphins than usual. Endorphins are sometimes called
"the happy chemicals" because of their stress-reducing and happiness-inducing properties.
5) Get a Social Life.
No
man is an island. Your circle of friends are there to give you moral support. Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities
with them could give you a very satisfying feeling. Nothing feels better than having group support.
Never underestimate
the power of touch. Doesn't it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during
your most challenging times? Hug or embrace someone today. You'll never know when you have saved another life.
Get
intimate. Establish close ties with your family and friends. The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost
your immune system and fend off illnesses. Best of all, you'll live a more secured and happy life.
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If
your friend or child is suicidal |
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Suicidal thoughts or threats
should always be taken seriously and it is important to act immediately. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)
has the following recommendations:
- Three steps parents can take:
- Get your child help (medical or mental health professional)
- Support your child (listen, avoid undue criticism, remain
connected)
- Become informed (read about suicide in books or on the
internet, contact your local support group)
-
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| Suicide |
| You are in: Health24 : Mind : Suicide |
|
| If your friend or child is suicidal |
Suicidal thoughts or threats should always be taken seriously and it is important to act immediately.
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) has the following recommendations:
- Three steps parents can take:
- Get your child help (medical or mental health professional)
- Support your child (listen, avoid undue criticism, remain connected)
- Become informed (read about suicide in books or on the internet, contact your local support group)
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| Advertisement | >
- Three steps friends can take:
- Take your friend’s actions seriously
- Encourage your friend to seek professional help, accompany him/her if necessary
- Talk to an adult you trust. Don’t be alone in helping your friend.
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| Adolescents vulnerable to suicide |
| In South Africa, research has indicated that 1 in 5 teens thinks about harming themselves, with
7.8% of these youths actually attempted suicide before, while 57.7% of the sample had told someone of their intentions to
end their lives.
This is according to statistics released
by the Depression and Anxiety Support Group (DASG).
Other studies have found that 24.5% of attempted suicide cases amongst black South Africans have occurred in youths aged
17 and below. A total of 34% of black youths have considered suicide as an option in response to stressful life situations,
such as divorce of their parents, conflict and love/relationship problems.
Why are adolescents so vulnerable?
Adolescents have to deal with physical, social and academic changes and may
thus easily feel overwhelmed. At this age they need to form a separate identity from their primary family group, often resulting
in self-doubt, uncertainty and low self-esteem.
“For some adolescents returning to school is filled with potential anxiety. The uncertainty of a new year, in a new
class, with different classmates, is fraught with feelings of loneliness and the pressure to ‘fit in’ and re-establish
relationships. The transition from primary to secondary school is often a change that many already vulnerable teenagers find
difficult to cope with,” according to a DASG press release.
A Johannesburg psychologist quoted in the press release states, “unresolved conflicts from childhood often surface
in this period. In fact, the early symptoms and signs of psychological disorders often first emerge in late adolescence (15-18
years).”
What are the risk factors?
The DASG states that youngsters who commit suicide are more likely to come from a
“broken home” or one in which there is significantly poor parent-child communication.
Psychiatric diagnoses are present in about 90% of all suicides. The underlying cause is almost always depression. Depressive
disorders alone or in combination with aggressive behaviour and/or substance abuse or anxiety are found in over half of all
suicides.
Other risk factors include:
- previous suicide attempts/current suicidal thoughts
- access to firearms
- situational stress
Related |
| Controlling suicidal thoughts |
| Educating doctors and using care managers when treating seniors for depression not only eased
the depression but also reduced suicidal thoughts.
Although there are some questions about the real-world applicability of these findings, which appear in the March 3 issue
of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the research does shed important light on a neglected field.
Little or no attention given
The
most striking aspect of suicide in the elderly, especially elderly males, is that it receives little to no attention, says
Dr Anand Kumar, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, and president of the American Association
of Geriatric Psychiatry. What's positive about this is that there's public health attention, albeit a small amount, being
paid to a very important topic.
Nancy Osgood, a professor of gerontology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia, says the finding
offers hope. It showed that something could be done to reduce the severity of depression and suicide ideation in older adults.
We didn't know that before.
However, she cautions, it might be possible to do in the real world, but it would be expensive.
Improper diagnosis, treatment
While older Americans make up about 13 percent of the US population, they account
for 18 percent of suicide deaths. Depression is the greatest risk factor for suicide in this age group.
Despite these numbers, the illness is often improperly diagnosed and treated, especially in primary-care settings.
Often depression is not identified in primary care, says study author Martha Bruce, a professor of sociology in psychiatry
at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. This is where you're going to find patients who have problems.
This is an untapped population.
The research study
The current study looked at the impact of a specific intervention in a primary-care setting.
The study authors enrolled seniors at 20 primary-care practices in New York City, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The practices
were randomly selected to dispense either usual care or a special intervention designed for this study.
In the intervention group, physicians worked closely with depression-care managers who helped them recognise depression
in patients and gave treatment recommendations. Depressed patients were first prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
(SSRI). If the person did not want to take medication, the physician recommended psychotherapy with the care manager. The
depression-care managers were master's level professionals such as social workers, nurses and psychologists. The study sponsors
paid for treatment.
Depression severity and suicide ideation were measured at the beginning of the study and four months, eight months and
one year later.
Positive results with care managers
People who were treated by care managers lost their suicidal thoughts more
quickly. At the end of four months, rates of suicidal ideation had dropped 12,9 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage
points in the usual care group.
The intervention group also showed a response to treatment and a reduction in the severity of their symptoms. At eight
months, about 70 percent of intervention patients who had had suicidal thoughts no longer had them, compared to about 44 percent
of usual care patients. The effects were seen most dramatically in those participants with major depression.
The study did not have a sample size large enough to assess suicide attempts or suicide.
Would it work in the real world?
This is only dealing with suicide ideation, says Dr Herbert Hendin, medical
director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in New York City. Suicide ideation depends on how serious it is
and how preoccupied the person is. A lot of patients, it's not severe ideation. Transient ideation of suicide in people who
are depressed is very common.
The real question is whether such a practice can be offered in the real world. Kumar acknowledges the seed of an idea has
been planted and the intervention is potentially realistic.
It sort of draws attention to something that's lurking beneath the radar, he says. It's the first study to demonstrate
that standard psychiatric interventions are very helpful in a [primary-care] setting. This treatment is a pretty well established
approach to depression, but in a setting where people don't get treated.
Still a few hurdles
Bruce believes the model is feasible, but that its cost-effectiveness and other aspects need
to be worked out. The next step is looking at how do you take something like this and sustain it in a practice and disperse
it to other practices, she says. This is a big concern. How do you get this out there in real life?
Others believe there may be ways to modify the practice to make it feasible.
If we focused on severely depressed patients [which is where the study showed the most dramatic improvement], if physicians
could be taught to easily and adequately identify severely depressed older people in their office, I think that would be a
lot less expensive, Osgood says. Alternatively, she adds, perhaps people who are not quite as highly trained as the care managers
in this study could be trained to coordinate care. - (HealthDayNews)
Suicide
and Insanity
In some vague historic period referred to as early modern times “self-murder”
was viewed as the most mortal and despicable of all crimes against God, the King and self. The philosophy being that we belonged
to and were owned both by God and/or whoever just happened to be wearing a Crown at the time. This being so, a successful
suicide was the theft of property belonging to God, and/or whoever just happened to be wearing a crown at the time.
As we might expect. In those distant, slightly batty days there were many types of suicide: Insanity. Possession by
demons. Please note that insanity and possession by demons are not the same. Nor are self-murderers and would be Martyrs.
Other categories include the Lovelorn. The unmarried and pregnant. Debtors – especially
Debtors. Accidental suicides. Murder made to appear like suicide (and my favourite) criminals escaping punishment –
what kind of an escape is that?
Unlike today coroners were local well-to-do
men who had no medical training.
One of the hallmarks of that fabulous Age of
Reason was that successful suicides (presumably those owning stuff that could be confiscated) were actually put on trial and
if found guilty were buried facedown at a crossroads with a stake driven through their body. This legal “nicety”
continued in England until around 1823.
The "lucky ones" were buried at the northern area of the churchyard, which was unconsecrated and reserved for babies
who died before baptism.
Those found guilty of self-murder
forfeited the usual rights of inheritance. This meant that their property was taken by the Monarch;
condemning the deceased’s family to a life of poverty. If found not guilty of self murder the normal rules of inheritance
stood.
Possible verdicts included: Self-murder. Insanity. Accident. Natural causes. Murder by another person or persons. Misadventure. Or simply
a very vague “Found dead”
In
a study of Norwich, the rate of insanity findings in Suicidal Verdicts increased from 6% in 1660 to 90% by 1710 and 100% by
1770.
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