Suicide

[Wise Young]

OJ,


Your opinions are always welcome. I agree with you. A main mission of this site is to provide information to the spinal cord injury community. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate for us to have a sticky in the Life Forum that contain resources for people to contact on the subject of suicide. However, suicide is a different issue from mental health or even health care.

I debated what to call this thread when I made it a sticky. Originally, the thread was entitled "Suicide Cluster/Contagion". I thought that this was inappropriate. However, "Suicide Resources" sounded like providing resources for suicide. So, I decided to name it just "Suicide".

In my opinion, CareCure provides three important perspectives to people with spinal cord injury who might be contemplating suicide. The first is that you are not alone. The second is that there are people who care. The third is that many people have the same problem and have concluded that life is worth living.

I have been thinking what else CareCure can or should provide. For some, I believe that we provide hope. Part of what drives suicide is the belief that spinal cord injury is not reversible. If the condition is reversible, this may discourage suicide. Hope is important for life. No hope is devastating.

For others, we provide advice on medical conditions that are treatable. It is bad enough that one has spinal cord injury but to add neuropathic pain, repeated urinary tract infections, and feeling sick all the time may simply be intolerable. Just relieving some of these may help.

Finally, people may choose to live for all sorts of strange reasons. For example, I am just thinking that curiosity is often a compelling reason. Some people may want to live just to find out what will happen. I know that Christopher Reeve would have wanted to know the outcome of the 2004 election.

Wise.

Originally Posted by orangejello

My opinion on this doesn't really matter and nobody asked me but I will share it anyway.

If one of the mandates of this site is to provide information and links to resources to help people and families living with a spinal cord injury shouldn't mental health resources, including resources dealing with suicide be an important part of that mandate? A look at the responses in this thread show that mental health is an issue for many people here. There are stickies dealing with other health issues in the care forum. Maybe this thread would be more appropriate there and renamed something that reflected it is resouces for depression and suicide or something along those lines.

This is just my opinion but I honestly don't think seeing a thread with the words "suicide resources" is going to plant the thought in somebody's head nor is it going to sway somebody contemplating suicide to follow through on it. But the resources in that thread might help somebody feeling that desperate to link up with resources that can assist them through their crisis. For that reason alone it would be of great value.

I think arguments against making it a sticky in an easily accessible place just reinforce the stigma and negative connotations surrounding mental health and expecially suicide. I think not including a thread of such resources does many members here a disservice. It sends the message that it's too shameful to talk about.

[Mona~on~wheels]

Finally, people may choose to live for all sorts of strange reasons. For example, I am just thinking that curiosity is often a compelling reason. Some people may want to live just to find out what will happen. I know that Christopher Reeve would have wanted to know the outcome of the 2004 election.

I wouldn't pick suicide for many reasons.

But one was my 21 y/o daughter
was trying to get pregnant with my 1st grand baby.
I'd always wanted to be a grandmother.
Even when my 3 girls were too young.

Well she had my 1st granddaughter in 1995,
and they never stopped having babies!
#11 is due Sept. 7th 7 giirls & 3 boys so far!
After I saw the 1st and fell in love with her,
how could I not see all of them.

[bcsimpsons]

Originally Posted by Mona~on~wheels

I wouldn't pick suicide for many reasons.

But one was my 21 y/o daughter
was trying to get pregnant with my 1st grand baby.
I'd always wanted to be a grandmother.
Even when my 3 girls were too young.

Well she had my 1st granddaughter in 1995,
and they never stopped having babies!
#11 is due Sept. 7th 7 giirls & 3 boys so far!
After I saw the 1st and fell in love with her,
how could I not see all of them.

You are very right. Having something to look forward to does help a lot but what happens when even that thing does not keep you from those thoughts?

Becky,
Chicago

[orangejello]

.....

[betheny]

I think severe situational depression is a form of mental illness. If it can be treated until the situation causing depression changes, or until coping strategies to the depressing situation are developed, it may pass. So it is situational mental illness, but still a mental health crisis. And I think depression following SCI is a perfectly understandable reaction. SCI is a helluva situation. Those 3 years stats drove home to me why people kept asking questions about my mental status, that 1st year post. It was the 2nd year that kicked my ass though. Whoa my God, that was a terrible time of gloom and helplessness.

Or that's my take. Happy to hear other positions.

[bcsimpsons]

Well, as a sufferer of depression, I do believe that some times symptoms can be helped. I do not believe however that all people with depression are that lucky. I for instance have been on way to many antidepresants to even count. I try to modify my ways of thinking, try to focus on the positives and what is good in my life but many days that is just not possible. So through an actual chemical imbalance ontop of situations, ie SCI, and there is no way on god's green earth that you ever feel like life is going to turn around for you. This is just another opinion.

Becky,
Chicago

[betheny]

So were you depression-prone before your injury? I think that's what you're saying. You are certainly right that not all depression is easily treatable. Quite a bit of it is though, if a person will try. To your credit, it sounds like you do. The worst is when people get so hopeless from the depression that they won't try anything, from exercise to medication to meditation to sunshine.

It runs in my family too, except for teenage angst and Februarys, I've been pretty lucky. My post sci depression eased with welbutrin; 6 months later I was off it, and ok.

[bcsimpsons]

Originally Posted by betheny

So were you depression-prone before your injury? I think that's what you're saying. You are certainly right that not all depression is easily treatable. Quite a bit of it is though, if a person will try. To your credit, it sounds like you do. The worst is when people get so hopeless from the depression that they won't try anything, from exercise to medication to meditation to sunshine.

Betheny,
I am actually bipolar (manic depressive). Diagnosed at age 16. Of course I try. We do not ask for things to happen, they just do. I am glad that you were able to get off your meds so quickly!!! Mine make me feel awful I wish that I could stop taking them. I have been to the point of not wanting to take my meds anymore or wanting to try a different med cuz the one i was on wasn't working anymore. It is agrivating when people get there but its the same concept as the whole suicidal thoughts. Once you get there, its hard harder then hell to get to the other side again. For me, and i'm guessing a good number of people, talking is the best therapy. Its just a matter of getting the talking going.

Becky,
Chicago

[leschinsky]

Originally Posted by Wise Young

Finally, people may choose to live for all sorts of strange reasons. For example, I am just thinking that curiosity is often a compelling reason. Some people may want to live just to find out what will happen.

That's not that strange a reason

[metronycguy]

another thing that haven't been spoken of in this thread is pharmaceuticals. more importantly poly-pharmaceuticals.
many here go through depression and anxiety episodes, meds are eventual prescribed. pain is another common issue meds are prescribed, maybe throw in a couple more meds . the singular or combo of these meds could have other effects. a lot of these meds are now blacklabel or the manufactures are fighting the black label for suicide.