Tag: suicide

Please, Don’t Do It-Call 988

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Please, Don’t Do It – Call 988 for Help

In 2022, nearly 50,000 Americans took their own lives

Call 988-Help Is Out There

By D. S. Mitchell

Scary Statistics
More than 1 in 5 Americans suffer from a diagnosed mental illness and an unknown number of Americans suffer from an undiagnosed mental illness. World wide 80% of the population suffers from a mental illness at some point in their lives; some disorders as benign sounding as nail biting and bed wetting. The most familiar and the most catastrophic in their effects on the lives of sufferers are depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. In 2022, 49,449 Americans died by suicide with at least another 1.2 million Americans attempting suicide. Misunderstanding and negative attitudes toward mental illness breed misconceptions and prevent many tortured individuals from seeking help.
Holidays are Dangerous Times
The holidays are a particularly dangerous time for a suicidal person.  If you, or someone you know, are experiencing any of the following symptoms please seek help.
Symptoms of suicidal ideation include:
  • Talking about self harm, wanting to die, or kill oneself
  • Describing life as “hopeless” without purpose, being “trapped”
  • Talking about being a burden to others
  • Increased use of alcohol or drugs
  • Noticeably agitated, anxious or reckless
  • Expressing feelings of unbearable pain
  • Extreme mood swings
  • Displays of rage
  • Plans to “get revenge”
  • Sleeping too little or too much
  • Withdrawing from normal relationships, isolation
  • A suicide plan
Call 988 For Help
Please, if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, or are showing any of the listed signals, tell someone.  Call for help. There is a new national suicide Hot Line. Call 988 if you are thinking about suicide. Life has so much to offer, explore it. Stick around. Suicide is permanent.

Mental Health In The Headlines

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Mental Health In The Headlines

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is in the headlines.

Mental Health In The Headlines

Mental Illness Effects All Of Us

By D.S. Mitchell

Raise Awareness And Educate

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The purpose of Mental Health Awareness Month is multipronged. First and foremost it is designed to raise awareness and educate the public about: mental illnesses. More than 1 in 5 Americans suffer from a diagnosed mental illness and an unknown number of Americans suffer from an undiagnosed mental illness. It is estimated that 80% of the population suffers from a mental illness at some point in their lives, some as benign sounding as nail biting and bed wetting. The most familiar and the most catastrophic in their effects on the lives of sufferers are depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Another goal is to reduce the negative attitudes and misconceptions that surrounds mental illnesses. An additional goal is to draw attention to suicide which can be precipitated by some mental illnesses. In 2020, 45,979 Americans committed suicide, and another 1.2 million attempted suicide.

Suicide Check List

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms please seek help.

  • Talking about self harm, wanting to die, or kill oneself
  • Describing life as “hopeless” without purpose, being “trapped”
  • Talking about being a burden to others
  • Increased use of alcohol or drugs
  • Noticeably agitated, anxious or reckless
  • Expressing feelings of unbearable pain
  • Extreme mood swings
  • Displays of rage
  • Plans to “get revenge”
  • Sleeping too little or too much
  • Withdrawing from normal relationships, isolation
  • A plan of how to do it

Please, if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, or are showing any of the listed signals, tell someone.  Call the suicide lifeline @Lines for Life: 1-800-273-8255 for young people call: 1-877-968-8491

 

OPINION: Mass Shootings Terrorizing America

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OPINION:

Mass Shootings Terrorizing America

No other country in the world has the gun violence seen in the U.S. It could be because there are more guns than people.

OPINION:

Mass Shootings Terrorizing America

By D. S. Mitchell

 

Nothing New

Only four months into 2023 and there have been 195 mass shootings in America. The recent rash of mass shootings has shaken the nation. Rightfully so, such a wanton loss of life is unacceptable in a civilized society. Sadly though, it is difficult to be surprised. Spree killings have been as much a feature of American culture as baseball and apple pie, reaching all the way back to the days of Howard Barton Unruh.  Howard  was an American mass killer, sometimes classified as a spree killer. Unruh  shot and killed 13 people (including three children) during a 12-minute walk through his neighborhood in the fall of 1949, in Camden, N.J. He was 28 years old.

A Couple Years Later

Charlie Starkweather is another twentieth century mass murderer that blazed across the pages of American newspapers with his 14 year old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate.  Charles Raymond “Charlie” Starkweather went on a multi-state killing spree killing eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between December 1957 and January 1958. He was 19 years old. He killed ten of his victims between January 21 and January 29, 1958, the date of his arrest. I just wonder how many victims Charlie would have had if he’d had access to an AR-15? The point being, America has a gun problem and it is nothing new.

Powerful NRA Lobby

The latest Fox Gun Poll showed more than 75% of Americans support banning assault weapons and many other gun restrictions. The primary opposition to gun control laws in the United States are the gun manufacturers. The NRA has served as an arm of gun manufacturers for years, successfully masquerading as a citizen 2nd Amendment right’s group. The NRA and its bought and paid for wing of the Republican party have formed a powerful voice in Congress, effectively shutting down nearly all efforts to legislate gun control. One of their more ridiculous cries has been the case of “what-aboutism”

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Suicide Is Permanent, Please Stay

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Suicide Is Permanent, Please Stay

Suicide Is Permanent, Please Stay

D. S. Mitchell

Just The Facts

If you are between 15-35, suicide is the second leading cause of death for your age group.  For all age groups, suicide is responsible for more deaths than murder and natural disasters, combined.  Men take their own lives four times as often as women. Many men sadly would rather be dead than seem ‘weak.’

Those Left Behind

As you can see, suicide is not a rare, or isolated event. It is very real and definitely permanent, and it leaves those who are left behind, in utter despair. For them the suicide event is plagued by stigma, guilt and self-recrimination. The most common question from those left behind is, “what could I have done differently?”

A Societal Contract

Suicide is like the tentacles of an octopus wrapping itself around all of us, casting doubt on hope, and future.  It tears at our social fabric and brings into question society’s compact with the individual.  Whether spoken or unspoken, we as people, are part of a greater society.  As a society, we have agreed to a collective future, a means to provide for our children, to continue our culture, to sustain our existence at all cost. Jennifer Michael Hecht wrote,  Stay: A History of Suicide and the Arguments Against it. And in her words,  “Either the universe is a cold dead place with solitary sentient beings, or we are all alive together, committed to persevere.”

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The Pain Of Veteran’s Day

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Often soldiers don't come home. Some come home with PTSD

The Pain Of Veteran’s Day

By Anna Hessel

Is It Enough?

We often see flags waving on porches across our country and special social media posts of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or one of the National Cemeteries, with prayers or poems on Veterans and Memorial Day in honor of those who have served our nation. There are many restaurants that offer free meals, movie theaters offering complimentary admissions, and other giveaways to vets on November 11th, and a national hair care chain offers free haircuts as a thank you for veterans; often our former and current servicemen and women are asked to stand for a round of applause at sporting and concert events, but are these accolades enough?

The Tragedy of PTSD

How are we really taking care of those service women and men who suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)? Many of our veterans return home to find they have no home. More than 40,000 of those who have served our country are homeless. And PTSD is a major factor in causing homelessness.  It is estimated that as many as 33% of veterans, suffer from this debilitating illness. Mental illness is a significant factor in homelessness among veterans.

Recognizing Symptoms

There are 3 main symptoms of this disorder. First, “arousal”: anger, difficulties with sleeping, or concentrating. Second, “reliving”: nightmares and flashbacks which can impede daily activities, and can lead to loss of employment income. Third, “avoidance”: a feeling of utter detachment from life and those around them, often leading to depression so severe it is not possible for the sufferer to function well enough to keep, a job or take care of a home.

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10 Ideas To Help Relieve Depression

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10 Ideas To Help Relieve Depression

By David L. Jones

Depression Has Taken Over My Life

It’s Dave, here. I have for the last month been living at the bottom of a black hole. I have spent all day in bed with the comforter pulled tight over my head.  I won’t lie to you, depression has taken over my life.  Feelings of immeasurable sadness, hopelessness and utter emptiness are consuming me. This time of year is always a struggle for me, but this winter has been excruciatingly painful.

A Dark and Windowless Room

The only reason I have found the strength to pull the comforter off my head and pull up a chair to my computer and start writing, is that hopefully sharing my story, can help someone else that has found themselves trapped in a dark, door-less, window-less room.

Four Generations of Suffering

A friend of mine who also suffers from depression offered me some advice recently. She reports at least four generations of depression, alcoholism, and suicide in her family. She told me that when she begins to experience depression she refuses to give herself permission to suffer.

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The Last Goodbye

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The Last Goodbye

By D.S. Mitchell

As we hurry through life, we meet many people. Some are just a touch on the sleeve, quickly forgotten, while others become part of the fabric of our lives. Becoming enmeshed in the life of another person can be a good thing, but just as often it can be a bad thing.

When a once healthy relationship sours, whether after five years or forty, we are often left confused about what happened. In other cases, we know exactly what happened and wonder why we let ourselves continue a relationship that was not only unhealthy, but harmful to us, for as long as we did.

With the holidays coming at us like Richard Petty heading into a straight away, I am cleaning out my relationship closet. Sometimes the holidays magnify everything that you know is wrong with that broken friendship.

But for a thousand reasons, you keep fussing with it, nurturing it, feeding it; hoping it will surge back to life. Sometimes it does fire back to life, but usually the relationship is on life support by this time and is sputtering toward extinction. The end-time; being the only unknown.

Let me explain. I am a rescuer,  I mean, a rescuer on steroids. The worse the situation; the bigger my cape. I have spent most of my life working as an RN. Most of my nurse buddies have the same affliction.

I guess when I think about it, it makes sense. Nurses want to make everything and everybody better.  We’ll fluff and buff, arranging everything just so. That personality quirk might be okay in the hospital, but when carried into life it can be painfully unsuccessful.

In my case, the end came last weekend. After knowing Dave for 35 years I am finally done.  I have severed all communication. I cannot and will not resume the relationship. His illness has reached a point that I can no longer be of any help. In fact, my involvement may be contributing to his worsening symptoms.

I finally recognize he is worse for me than pneumonia. No tears, no anger, just acceptance and relief. When the burden of another person’s mental illness becomes too heavy to drag another inch you have to put the burden down. There should be no guilt. At this point, your only goal should be to preserve your own mental well-being.

The only reason I am sharing this with the world is that I thought it might help someone else who is struggling with mental illness in a relationship.  I know you hear it repeated, but there is a great deal of truth in being able to put yourself first.

Maybe not always, but at some point if you can’t be number one, you won’t be able to help him, or you. No matter that it is Christmas, somethings can’t wait to end. Sometimes the last goodbye is the sweetest, the most honest, and the most necessary.

**I have no safety concerns with Dave. He is  a non-violent person. That is not always the case with those suffering from a mental disorder. The assumption in my article is that the person you are separating from is under the care of a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner and has made no recent suicide threats, or threatened your life.

If the person in question has made recent threatening statements, please let the person’s mental health providers know about the situation and involve them immediately. And, yes, in some extreme circumstances the police may become involved. Don’t under any circumstances put your safety at risk.* *

THE VETERAN AND PTSD

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THE VETERAN AND PTSD

By Anna Hessel

Is It Enough?

We often see flags waving on porches across our country and special social media posts of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or one of the National Cemeteries, with prayers or poems on Veterans and Memorial Day in honor of those who have served our nation. There are many restaurants that offer free meals, movie theaters offering complimentary admissions, and other giveaways to vets on November 11th, and a national hair care chain offers free haircuts as a thank you for veterans; often our former and current servicemen and women are asked to stand for a round of applause at sporting and concert events, but are these accolades enough?

The Tragedy of PTSD

How are we really taking care of those service women and men who suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)? Many of our veterans return home to find they have no home. More than 40,000 of those who have served our country are homeless. And PTSD is a major factor in causing homelessness.  It is estimated that as many as 33% of veterans, suffer from this debilitating illness. Mental illness is a significant factor in homelessness among veterans.

Recognizing Symptoms

There are 3 main symptoms of this disorder. First, “arousal”: anger, difficulties with sleeping, or concentrating. Second, “reliving”: nightmares and flashbacks which can impede daily activities, and can lead to loss of employment income. Third, “avoidance”: a feeling of utter detachment from life and those around them, often leading to depression so severe it is not possible for the sufferer to function well enough to keep, a job or take care of a home.

What We Can Do

There are multiple ways that PTSD can cause homelessness; but this does not have to be the sad reality for countless veterans suffering with this illness. The actual events leading up to becoming homeless, and the realization that you no longer have a roof over your head, can add further stress and worsen the already debilitating condition. A traumatic event such as homeless can exacerbate mental illness symptoms significantly.

Reduce Triggers

We as friends, neighbors, relatives and community members must recognize that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a very real condition.  Our veterans served us. They need us now. We must help them.  Now, is never too soon to help our veterans afflicted with PTSD. To do that we must offer non-judgmental support – simply listening and allowing a person to verbalize what they are remembering. Talking is not always easy. Understanding and accepting that a veteran may not be able to talk ‘about it’ and not press them to do so.

Mental Health

Avoiding loud noises such as fireworks, or high action violent films can help reduce triggers. An emotional support animal can be very helpful for those that are coping with PTSD. Making sure our veterans have strong support systems against this illness will lessen the number who are homeless or suicidal. Providing strong mental health care is key in assisting those living with this ailment. There is hope – for more information please visit the following websites:

http://nchv.org/
https://www.va.gov/homeless/

Veteran Homelessness

SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH

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D. S. Mitchell

Please Call #988 for help. 

Dangerous To Your Health

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. If you are between 15-35, suicide is the second leading cause of death for your age group.  For all age groups, suicide is responsible for more deaths than murder and natural disasters, combined.  Men take their own lives four times as often as women. Many men sadly would rather be dead than seem ‘weak.’

Not Rare, Or Isolated

As you can see, suicide is not a rare, or an isolated event. Twenty-two vets a day kill themselves. An alarming increase in suicide among law enforcement officers should be of national concern. Approximately 170 officers killed themselves last year. Suicide is permanent. No one comes back. It is very real and definitely a permanent end.

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Editorial: Teen Suicide Streaming

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EDITORIAL:

Teen Suicide Streaming

By Trevor K. McNeil

Thirteen Reasons

There is often a debate about whether art is imitating life or life is imitating art. Then there are cases when the situation is clear. The thoroughly depressing Netflix series, “13 Reasons Why” is based on the Young Adult novel of the same name. The book, and now the series is a direct response to instances of teenagers, and even younger kids, posting social media videos that either directly detail their plans to commit suicide, or are released just before these  young people tragically take their own lives.

A Playlist on YouTube

So-called “suicide videos” have become so common they almost constitute a genre unto themselves. There are even playlists of them on YouTube. Let’s all just take a minute and reflect on that. Everybody thoroughly disgusted and disturbed? Good, then we’ll continue. While they came as something of a shock at first, suicide videos are really more of a natural side-effect of social media itself. Give people the ability to record and release anything and they will. For better or worse.

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