I've wanted to take my life before because i was unemployed for awhile 7 years ago and being unemployed is a terrible thing. Having no money can cause a person to take their life. I was almost homeless too because of being unemployed but it wasn't like it was my choice to be unemployed. If my parents hadn't let me live with them again, i probably wouldn't be talking to ya'll now. I hate filling out job applications and it takes me forever to get a call about a job. I only have a high school diploma and i can only seem to get low paying jobs that i hate. Not only do i hate the low pay and the work but i also hate a lot of my co-workers. I've had lots of jobs working with mostly blacks and i hate ignorant black men because they're always picking on me and laughing at me because i'm not like them. I got 2 jobs now and i'm glad that most of my co-workers aren't black. I don't get along with a lot of black men because of their ignorance. The sh*t that i had to deal with at my previous jobs is the same sh*t i had to deal with in high school. So that's why i can relate to suicidal people because life is very cruel and ugly. It sucks being poor, unemployed and homeless. I know what it's like not to eat for awhile because you don't have any money and no job. I've been in that situation before when i lived with my grandfather. I'm very lucky that i'm alive today because 7 years ago, i had given up hope on getting a job and i wanted to end my life because i hated starving and having no money. A black female friend of mine was talking to me last Friday about she wants to kill herself because she has no money and no job. She's been talking about killing herself for awhile. I told her i can relate to that because i've been in her situation before. Suicide is a serious situation that needs to be addressed more in this country and people aren't taking it serious enough.

Not to be disrespectful here Isaiah but I think you are focusing too much on the race issue.


Annoying jerks come in all colors, not just black.

I'm currently faced with this issue myself. I'm a middle-aged white female and went from being middle to upper-middle class two years ago to possibly homeless in less than two months. It can happen in a flash these days to anyone through no fault of their own.

I haven't a clue what the future lies for me now and even though I'm in remission, I can't really even celebrate it yet. I've told my doctors that they better brace for an increase of suicidal people during the next couple of years. Seriously.

I don't think it's suicidal people's fault that they're suicidal because if they lost their job and are living on the streets or at a homeless shelter, that can make people wanna kill themselves. Now if a person is a drug addict or a alcoholic and they kill themselves, that's their fault because they know that drugs and alcohol are bad for them and they don't care. It's not a person's fault when they lose their job if they didn't do anything wrong. Now if they lost their job because they weren't a good worker and they always came to work late and missed a lot of days, those are reasons to be fired. I've had jobs that i've lost because my supervisors told me i wasn't a fast worker. I do tend to work at my own pace when i have a job but i've always been like that. I don't do well at jobs that require you to work at a fast pace like factories and warehouses. I hate factory jobs. They are the worst place to work because the work sucks, most of the co-workers are ignorant and black and the pay is low especially if you're a temp employee. TripperFan, how did you end up in the situation you're in now?

i'm glad you're not judgmental of them. too many people are. i've been suicidal on and off since i was eight years old and have made three attempts, so it hits really close to home. it really wouldn't phase me if i were to know that i'd die by suicide someday.

this is something i wrote the other day about why suicide under most circumstances isn't selfish or weak.

Let's look at a scenario of a person who is terminally ill and in chronic pain for the rest of their life. Many would agree that it wouldn't be selfish for them to pull the plug on this person if it was what they desired. They don't deserve to live a life of nothing but suffering in bed all day. While depression is a different form of pain, it alters the judgment of sufferers and they think they're in the same situation. They are in severe and relentless pain, and if the effects of the depression are severe enough, they believe that there is no way out of it and they'll always be in that pain unless they die. It isn't because they choose to be negative, but because their judgment and decision making skills are being blurred by depression beyond their control. Because they sincerely believe they're just as doomed as the terminally ill person above (only that the pain is mental instead of physical and they're being emotionally disabled instead of physically disabled), they aren't being selfish by choosing to end it. Not ALL sufferers of depression lose their sense of judgment, but many do. Suicide is still a willful choice that I don't encourage anyone to make, but it's very judgmental to label a person selfish for doing it.

TripperFan, how did you end up in the situation you're in now?

It's a long story, but I was in a commonlaw relationship and after 17 yrs he decided to have an affair. I had no rights to the home and the laws here are different for commonlaw. Even though we had been together over 12 yrs I wasn't entitled to half and even to fight for what was coming to me was impossible (would cost around $25k which I didn't have). I then lost my job because of it. Got the boot from the home. Did find another job and another place to live, but got laid off from that job (none of these were my fault - all due to the economy etc.). I got a small settlement that I've basically had to live on since last June when I lost that job. I've got a big car payment (bought a car just before he dumped me) but I can't get rid of the car since I need it to get a good job. I then got a brain tumour and even though our healthcare is paid for up here, the medications aren't - at least mine weren't. So yada, yada, and all that and now I'm at the end of my lease, and can't get approved for even a cheaper place because I have no work and employment insurance ran out back in March. I don't even qualify for welfare or temporary housing because I wasn't abused or had a young child.
I've applied to jobs I normally wouldn't go for even but they won't hire because they think as soon as the economy is better you'll take off. It's a nightmare out there right now.

I have been suicidal in the past. I suffer from a mild form of bipolar and depression. I can relate to a lot of people who have suicidal thoughts because there are many times you don't know how to deal or what to do. One of my friends who served in Iraq was very suicidal for awhile after he came back. When he came from Iraq he found out that the apprentice job he had with a electrician wasn't kept and given to someone else. He also was dealing with PTSD and he ended spending a lot of money on meds and therapies because the VA refused certain services. He didn't have hope for awhile and thought about killing himself daily. Eventually he managed to get a good job and he got back together with an old girlfriend.

^ This is just it, as much as we've all felt like it at times, we HAVE to choose life. It always gets better.

If you're thinking in the really big picture, even the poorest of poor here, have it better than the poor overseas and in most parts of the world. At least we do get some help here and there. We shouldn't throw that away. Life is way too precious in the long haul.

^ This is just it, as much as we've all felt like it at times, we HAVE to choose life. It always gets better.

If you're thinking in the really big picture, even the poorest of poor here, have it better than the poor overseas and in most parts of the world. At least we do get some help here and there. We shouldn't throw that away. Life is way too precious in the long haul.

Well said! Who knows what tomorrow may bring.

^ This is just it, as much as we've all felt like it at times, we HAVE to choose life. It always gets better.

If you're thinking in the really big picture, even the poorest of poor here, have it better than the poor overseas and in most parts of the world. At least we do get some help here and there. We shouldn't throw that away. Life is way too precious in the long haul.
Well said!! As someone who suffers from depression and panic disorder, it is hard to straddle that line. That's why I try to take things a day at a time and trust God to get me through.

Well said!! As someone who suffers from depression and panic disorder, it is hard to straddle that line. That's why I try to take things a day at a time and trust God to get me through.



Thats the best way to handle life.

Thats the best way to handle life.
It's not always easy, but I've found it's the best way for me.

I wholeheartedly agree with you Isiah, you can't always blame a person for commiting suicide, especially those who are mentally ill. I always bring up this same example, but I think it's a good point. You don't tell someone with one leg to start walking, you also don't tell someone with cancer to just get over it. But people with mental disorders diseases aren't seen by people, and so people think you can just get over it. What they don't realize is that that mentally ill person's brain is all screwed up, just the way other people are screwed up physically. They got the wrong things going to the wrong part of the brain. I think people need to look at a normal person's brainscan next to a mental ill person's, in order to truly see what I'm talking about. You have no idea what's going on in that mentally ill person's brain, so there's no way you can simply say they were wrong for committing suicide. Unless you're in their shoes, you just don't know.

^ Brad, you hit the nail right on the head. :nod:

I don't think people who commit suicide are bad people in themselves, but
they are sinning against god. Suicide is doing harm to yourself and that is
a sin in God's sight. I think people who are having problems in this life should
lean upon the lord and learn to take life one day at a time. That is how I get
through the hard times in my life and other people should do that too

Let's look at a scenario of a person who is terminally ill and in chronic pain for the rest of their life. Many would agree that it wouldn't be selfish for them to pull the plug on this person if it was what they desired. They don't deserve to live a life of nothing but suffering in bed all day. While depression is a different form of pain, it alters the judgment of sufferers and they think they're in the same situation. They are in severe and relentless pain, and if the effects of the depression are severe enough, they believe that there is no way out of it and they'll always be in that pain unless they die. It isn't because they choose to be negative, but because their judgment and decision making skills are being blurred by depression beyond their control. Because they sincerely believe they're just as doomed as the terminally ill person above (only that the pain is mental instead of physical and they're being emotionally disabled instead of physically disabled), they aren't being selfish by choosing to end it. Not ALL sufferers of depression lose their sense of judgment, but many do. Suicide is still a willful choice that I don't encourage anyone to make, but it's very judgmental to label a person selfish for doing it.

That's very well said and I completely agree. I would only see a person taking their life as selfish if they did it for a genuinely selfish reason (i.e. committing suicide in order to "get back" at another person.) I know cases like that are very rare and I don't believe that the majority of people who commit suicide are selfish.

I can understand how a person can reach the depths to want to end their own life. I've never been that low; however, the thought of being in chronic pain for the rest of my life makes me understand how an estimated one million people end their lives every year because of pain. These people don't have a terminal disease. Just severe, unrelenting pain. It could be caused by a bad back, Rheumatoid Arthritis, MS, constant blinding migraines, Fibromyalgia (which is all over body pain) or any other disease. It's very sad.

What's even sadder is that most chronic pain can be managed by opiods, but our government makes honest people suffer because those same meds are abused by junkies. Patients are either untreated or under-treated. There's a bill going before the Senate that will end this madness. Show your support by signing the letter in my signature. Chances are, either you or a loved one will be a victim of this injustice one day.

That's very well said and I completely agree. I would only see a person taking their life as selfish if they did it for a genuinely selfish reason (i.e. committing suicide in order to "get back" at another person.) I know cases like that are very rare and I don't believe that the majority of people who commit suicide are selfish.
Plus there a lot of people out there who are mentally imbalanced and unaware of what they are doing. Many of them have chemical imbalance problems that are either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. So I don't think seriously suicidal people are selfish at all - many of them are simply cries for help. JMHO.

I agree that suicide (or attempted suicide) is a cry for help.

I wish there was more we as friends and family members could do to help our loved ones in need. I would also like to add that the survivors of suicide (those who have lost a loved one to suicide or even those who have had a loved one attempt it) are often judged and blamed because we should have done something or we didn't care and that is not at all true. And believe me, the survivors always blame themselves so they don't need someone else to do it for them.

I cannot imagine the pain a person must be in to want to die, and likewise the pain a family must feel after someone close to them commits suicide (the guilt, the 'what-ifs", etc).

I've never said this before on ANY site that I've posted on, but I tried to commit suicide twice in my lifetime - once my cousin saved me and the other time my husband saved me.

I know first hand what it's like to experience the physical - and psychological - pain that drives one so close to ending his/her life. It's a horrific pain that's worse than anything you can imagine. When you're going through both at the same time, there's only one thing on your mind - that the only way to relieve that pain is to end your life. The best way I can describe it is this: think of the worst panic attack you've ever had and multiply the physical and psychological torture of that by 1,000. You can't sleep, eat, drink, you want to do nothing but cry, throw up and scream from the inner torture. Your mind feels like it's short circuiting from all directions - you feel like you're trapped in a room with no doors opening for you to get out. All your mind sees is black. That's it.

Thankfully, I found help, love and support for my depression, which I've had for years. I'm now on medication to control the imbalance and I've had therapy for about 2 years. The therapy was highly beneficial - my therapist taught me how to think through a 'dark cycle' and how to control thoughts and fears about things that happened during my childhood. I'm not perfect - I still feel very sad at times and it's very hard to think through one of those cycles sometimes, and every once in a while my mind experiences that severe pain that I described above. But the meds alone don't work - it also takes love, support, time - and listening and learning from a good therapist - in order to try and get the strength I need to continue and try to flourish in life.

^I am glad you are doing better now and that you found a good therapist who can help you. Also, I am glad your cousin and husband were there for you.

It was brave of you to post this here. I hope what you've said will help someone else.

My mother's brother committed suicide back in the 70s, when he was 33. He way a closeted gay. It drove him so crazy that it led to his suicide. I often think how different it would be if he was alive today because it's much more accepted. He was a real nice guy. My uncle Billy.

My mother's brother committed suicide back in the 70s, when he was 33. He way a closeted gay. It drove him so crazy that it led to his suicide. I often think how different it would be if he was alive today because it's much more accepted. He was a real nice guy. My uncle Billy.


I'm awfully sorry to hear this, Janice. :( Being that I will be 33 in less than two months, I have to say that is way too young to die.

I listen to some rappers who talk about suicide in their songs like The Notorious Big, Geto Boys, Onyx, 2Pac. What most people don't realize is that the reason rappers talk about suicide is because living in the ghetto is pure hell. Most whites can't understand this because they've never lived in the ghetto so they can't relate. The ghetto is very bad. It has a lot of poor blacks who are living in poverty and the crime rate is very high. Blacks continue to kill each other everyday in the ghetto and that's never gonna end. Most black men in the hood have to sell drugs to get money because a lot of them don't wanna work for low pay and i can understand that but selling drugs isn't the way to get money. Drugs are poison and they can kill you. Plus the black schools are terrible because the majority of black kids don't wanna learn and the ones who do wanna learn get teased and laughed at often. The ones who get teased and laughed at don't wanna come to school and have to listen to that sh*t all the time because that ignorance makes them hate themselves and they might attempt suicide. I've dealt with this myself when i was in high school and i hated most of the black guys i went to school with because they wouldn't leave me alone. I've also dealt with this at some of my previous jobs and that's why i don't like a lot of black men. That's messed up when you have to diss your own race but they bring it on themselves.



Being unemployed and having no money is the worst feeling in the world and i've been unemployed before and i hated it. I wanted to kill myself a few times because i hated sitting around and waiting for a job to call me and i hate working for low pay. I also hate not having a car and for awhile about 7 years ago, i didn't have a car and i had to ride the bus to find a job. Trying to find a job riding the bus is very difficult. If i was to lose my 2 jobs now, i would try to kill myself because i know it would take me a long time to find a job again and i don't like waiting for a job to call me. It pisses me off to fill out a bunch of job applications and i won't get a call for weeks and sometimes months. When i was unemployed, sometimes i didn't eat that much because i didn't have any money to buy food and sometimes my stomach would hurt because of that. I tried getting help from a psychiatrist to find out why do i have a hard time getting a job and keeping it. He didn't really give me the information i wanted but he told me he thinks i have A.D.D. which is attention deficit disorder. I did some research about that and i don't have that problem. I did some research about a learning disability and the stuff i read definitely describes my problem. The psychiatrist also suggested that i take some medication he prescribed me but i didn't take it because i don't believe that medication is gonna help me to get a good job and keep it.

^


Issiah again I ask, why do you insist on focusing race so much?????


This is an interesting topic but there is no need to focus on race so much.

Just saying

^


Issiah again I ask, why do you insist on focusing race so much?????


This is an interesting topic but there is no need to focus on race so much.

Just saying


Isaiah, Mickey's right. The causes of suicide transcend race, gender, religion and other issues. I understand fully that you were teased and picked on by others, but you need to find a way to rise above that. Trust me - that's not easy. Part of my issues I had to deal with came from constantly being teased and picked on in grammar school and high school because I liked things that were "different from what the other kids liked or what was the "norm" for other kids my age. Plus I had my little "idyosyncricies", which were nothing immoral or illegal but I won't discuss them here. It took me years to finally realize that I did have a problem after years of denying it. Once I realized it, I did something about it. It's not fully healed, but for me life is seemingly better than it was. Maybe you should think about that, too.

Isaiah, Mickey's right. The causes of suicide transcend race, gender, religion and other issues. I understand fully that you were teased and picked on by others, but you need to find a way to rise above that. Trust me - that's not easy. Part of my issues I had to deal with came from constantly being teased and picked on in grammar school and high school because I liked things that were "different from what the other kids liked or what was the "norm" for other kids my age. Plus I had my little "idyosyncricies", which were nothing immoral or illegal but I won't discuss them here. It took me years to finally realize that I did have a problem after years of denying it. Once I realized it, I did something about it. It's not fully healed, but for me life is seemingly better than it was. Maybe you should think about that, too.




Doody to add to what you just said, I too was teased and picked on all through school for reasons similar to yours. If was difficult but I got over it and moved on. I learned long ago if you are different and are not part of the norm you will stand out and people will not always accept you. I'm so used to that now its a part of life for me, but I have to be myself and to be whom I am and to stay true to myself. I tried changing myself to please others but I ended misrerable. I have to be me and not sugarcoat or be what others what me to be. If people can accept that then thats great, if they cant then thats fine too.

Doody to add to what you just said, I too was teased and picked on all through school for reasons similar to yours. If was difficult but I got over it and moved on. I learned long ago if you are different and are not part of the norm you will stand out and people will not always accept you. I'm so used to that now its a part of life for me, but I have to be myself and to be whom I am and to stay true to myself. I tried changing myself to please others but I ended misrerable. I have to be me and not sugarcoat or be what others what me to be. If people can accept that then thats great, if they cant then thats fine too.

mickeymac, the same happened to me at high school but as i got older, i moved on with my life and never looked back. of course i met some awful people still but nonetheless, i realise that the important thing is not just taking care and looking out for yourself, but to make decisions and do things to make you happy. of course if things don't go well, then i'd have to try and address the situation. we're not here to please others, if people don't give a crap about you, then why do you care so much what others think of you? this is not being selfish. being selfish is when you don't care at all and not accept the consequences of your actions, when they are wrong and learn from your mistakes.

thoughts of suicide have nothing or merely to do with one's race, sexuality gender etc, rather of one's mental and/or emotional state.

I agree that suicide (or attempted suicide) is a cry for help. Some people have been crying for help their entire lives. I see suicide as a last resort; rarely is it the first 'cry.'

I agree with you there.

I was picked on and teased when I was in school. It got real bad. I was betrayed by friends and constantly harassed. The worst of it happened in 7th grade. I dreaded going to school and often would fake being sick to stay home. I'm not going to go into everything that happened. Rumors were started about me and I felt like an outcast. I often contemplated suicide. I would watch talk shows on the subject. Whenever a TV show would come on about it I could relate. I remember ODAAT and the FOL both had suicide episodes. I would lock myself in my bedroom and just cry. I never told my parents any of this. I just couldn't. I remember I would go so far as to hang a noose up over my bedroom door and I remember getting knives and just putting it up to my throat . I did other things too. Also whenever I got too stressed out I would punch myself in the stomach as hard as I could. I just hated myself. I think the only thing that saved me was that my home life was a lot better than my school life. I had a good family and I loved them especially my Mother. I couldn't hurt her like that. I loved her more than I hated myself. I am surprised that I'm still alive though because I do remember thinking quite a lot back in those days that I'd never live to see 30. So I never judge people who commit suicide. I know how they feel. I just feel sad for them that they never got the help they needed.

Some people have been crying for help their entire lives. I see suicide as a last resort; rarely is it the first 'cry.'

I'm sorry. I guess I worded this wrong. I didn't mean to offend anyone and I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I never mean to imply that suicide is a sudden decison by on otherwise happy and healthy person. Believe me, I know better.

I don't judge people who commit suicide either. Sure I find it frustrating and sad that they didn't get the help they needed or felt that they couldn't go on anymore; but I don't judge them for it. One friend of mine killed himself back in 2004. He was bipolar and got off his meds.

However....

I find a harder time having sympathy for those who kill others before taking their own life. The ones who have the mentality "If I have to go then I'm taking you all with me."

I have much less sympathy for those that commit murder-suicide.

I agree with you there.

I was picked on and teased when I was in school. It got real bad. I was betrayed by friends and constantly harassed. The worst of it happened in 7th grade. I dreaded going to school and often would fake being sick to stay home. I'm not going to go into everything that happened. Rumors were started about me and I felt like an outcast. I often contemplated suicide. I would watch talk shows on the subject. Whenever a TV show would come on about it I could relate. I remember ODAAT and the FOL both had suicide episodes. I would lock myself in my bedroom and just cry. I never told my parents any of this. I just couldn't. I remember I would go so far as to hang a noose up over my bedroom door and I remember getting knives and just putting it up to my throat . I did other things too. Also whenever I got too stressed out I would punch myself in the stomach as hard as I could. I just hated myself. I think the only thing that saved me was that my home life was a lot better than my school life. I had a good family and I loved them especially my Mother. I couldn't hurt her like that. I loved her more than I hated myself. I am surprised that I'm still alive though because I do remember thinking quite a lot back in those days that I'd never live to see 30. So I never judge people who commit suicide. I know how they feel. I just feel sad for them that they never got the help they needed.
Sonny, this post is so sad and brought tears to my eyes. I knew a lot of this, but never to this degree. It's no wonder why you share my disgust of bullies. I'm sure it took a lot of courage to write this. Thank you for sharing. You're among friends.

:bighug:

I completely agree with the fact that suicide is not a race or gender issue, or even a money issue. How do you explain rich celebrities who have killed themselves (like Donny Hathaway, Freddie Prinze, Peter Deuel, etc.) or have attempted suicide (like Owen Wilson)? It's chemical imbalances, temperament, and other upheavals in life.

Sonny, this post is so sad and brought tears to my eyes. I knew a lot of this, but never to this degree. It's no wonder why you share my disgust of bullies. I'm sure it took a lot of courage to write this. Thank you for sharing. You're among friends.

:bighug:
Thanks Janice. :) That is one of the reason I hate bullies so much. When you are picked on constantly, it just takes the fight right out of you. After awhile I just became numb to it all. Some people are stronger than others and can handle it better but there are a lot of people who just can't.

I agree with you there.

I was picked on and teased when I was in school. It got real bad. I was betrayed by friends and constantly harassed. The worst of it happened in 7th grade. I dreaded going to school and often would fake being sick to stay home. I'm not going to go into everything that happened. Rumors were started about me and I felt like an outcast. I often contemplated suicide. I would watch talk shows on the subject. Whenever a TV show would come on about it I could relate. I remember ODAAT and the FOL both had suicide episodes. I would lock myself in my bedroom and just cry. I never told my parents any of this. I just couldn't. I remember I would go so far as to hang a noose up over my bedroom door and I remember getting knives and just putting it up to my throat . I did other things too. Also whenever I got too stressed out I would punch myself in the stomach as hard as I could. I just hated myself. I think the only thing that saved me was that my home life was a lot better than my school life. I had a good family and I loved them especially my Mother. I couldn't hurt her like that. I loved her more than I hated myself. I am surprised that I'm still alive though because I do remember thinking quite a lot back in those days that I'd never live to see 30. So I never judge people who commit suicide. I know how they feel. I just feel sad for them that they never got the help they needed.

:(

This is a really hard issue for me to deal with because my dad took his own life in 1992. At first it was really hard and then for a while it didn't really "bother" me, if you know what I mean. It didn't affect me as much. People always say you'll get over it. Yes, the pain lessens, but you NEVER get over something like this. My dad was 46 when he died; ironically that's 5 years older than I am now, and the same age as my husband. It's scary to think that soon I'll sort of be "older" than my dad. Lately, I've been having a really hard time with this because of things that have happened that bring back memories.
A couple of years ago, my stepdad became very ill and died of respiratory failure. I was afraid that my employer wouldn't let me take the berevement days becuase he wasn't my actual father, so I told them that my dad had died. I still feel bad for essentially lying, but the other problem was that it was literally like my real dad dying all over again. Only my best friend at work knew the truth. My employer isn't that horrible that they wouldn't give me the time off, but about 8 years ago, I was at another company and my grandmother died. That company would only allow ONE berevement day for grandparents, but it was more if it was a parent or sibling. When my stepdad died, I got three days off. It might have ended up working that way anyway.
Then recently, there was an incident at the mall that I shop at a lot. A woman killed herself right in the parking garage on a Sunday, I believe. The garage is still open for public use, but I refuse to park there ever again. That brought back a lot of memories of my dad dying as well.

Finally, my husband and I just got back from Maui. The last time I was there was back in 1988 with my dad and brother, so that brought back some memores, too.

Back in 1994, I lost a job that I had for over 18 months. I hated the job anyway, but suddenly I found myself crying over everything. I mean everything would just set me off. My then boyfriend (now hubby!) told me he got a good job with the government and I just lost it; sobbing for no reason. I finally went to the doctor and they perscribed Prozac. I don't know if it helped any, but the funny thing is that when I landed a new (and much better) job, my mood really improved.

I'll never know why my dad did what he did, but even though I had a few suicidal thoughts, I would never do it. All I have to do is think about the people around me and how much it would hurt them. Once it's done, there's no going back.

Andrea

I completely agree with the fact that suicide is not a race or gender issue, or even a money issue. How do you explain rich celebrities who have killed themselves (like Donny Hathaway, Freddie Prinze, Peter Deuel, etc.) or have attempted suicide (like Owen Wilson)? It's chemical imbalances, temperament, and other upheavals in life.


Wasn't Freddie Prinze's death ruled an accident in the end? His family said he would sometimes pull a trick where he would shoot an unloaded gun at his head in order to trick people. They said he may have been doing the same thing this time and not been aware that it was loaded.

Wasn't Freddie Prinze's death ruled an accident in the end? His family said he would sometimes pull a trick where he would shoot an unloaded gun at his head in order to trick people. They said he may have been doing the same thing this time and not been aware that it was loaded.
I think he was under the influence at the time, so it was ruled accidental. His wife was leaving him and he was having other problems, so that's why people thought it suicide at the time.

Neither do I. You never know what situations might push someone to do that.

Clint Eastwood Fan, sorry to hear about your situation. I know how it feels to be picked on by bullies for no reason. I think bullies do that because they aren't getting any attention from their parents so they pick on people who they think are weaker than them to make them feel good about themselves. That's the wrong way to go about getting attention. I think that schools should do more about bullies because suspending them from school isn't helping them to behave better. They just continue to do it. I think if schools expelled them, then that would send a message to the bullies and their parents that the schools won't tolerate ignorance. The parents of these as*holes need to do a better job raising these fools because if they don't raise them right and discipline them, they end up becoming criminals, they go to prison and die at a young age. I can understand people that kill themselves when they don't have a job. Being unemployed is a terrible feeling because when you aren't working, that means you have no money and having no money can drive anybody crazy because nobody likes being broke. It sucks to sit around and wait on jobs to call you especially when you fill out a bunch of applications because filling out applications takes a lot of time. And when nobody calls you for a job, you get upset because you feel like you wasted your time filling out applications. Jobs don't understand that. Job supervisors don't give a sh*t about unemployed people because it's easy for them to sleep at night because they got a job and they're in charge of hiring people. Society wonders why there's so much crime in america. There's always gonna be crime as long as people are unemployed.

Speaking of Donny Hathaway, I just found an awesome special on YouTube (divided into 5 parts). It is called Donny Hathaway: Unsung. His widow, daughters and colleagues shed some light on his state of mind at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehHt65RO-eI (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=561rq6Q2fJo (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxri95OjoHo&feature=PlayList&p=91BCDDECFD6AA775&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=54 (Part 3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_qt3p8xNZ0 (Part 4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy8UUhFZm30 (Part 5)

Well...

I've been through the depression/suicidal pain too. This week, when my guinea pig died and I had to give my parents money which I'll never see again...I was angry at God and I just wanted to end it all! But I got another job on Thursdays cleaning up a Dollar Store and I'll be doing some gardening at a friend that I know from church and I got a new guinea pig called Ears since she has brown ears (something like a Himalayan color).

I felt better when I was with my brother last week. I think when I'm living at home...I get depressed because I'm always getting taken advantage of by my own parents!

I also was depressed 3 years ago and I wanted to die...and I wound-up in the Hospital.

It's not up to us to judge others, though of course we all do it in some form or other it seems.

And 'suicide' is kind of a term with a sliding scale. Some people end their lives quickly, all at once, while others slowly kill themselves over years or even decades with alcohol or drugs or neglected health in general. My strong guess is that there are very few people on this planet who at some point or other haven't felt desperate or hopeless and saw no way out of the miserable circumstances they find themselves in.

That's why I think it's very important to always be available to people so that they know they are never alone no matter how dark things seem. A problem shared is a problem halved.

I appreciate and applaud so many of the brave, personal comments in this thread. Life can indeed be crushingly painful and depressing, but the joy and happiness are only made meaningful when placed in contrast to those bad times.

Of course there are circumstances where it's hard to argue with people's decisions; terminal, protracted illnesses that dehumanize the sufferer, having absolutely no one left that loves you, etc. Sometimes life seems so big and we seem so small it's easy to see why some people want to end the suffering. The problem is that you end not only the suffering but everything; joy or at least the potential for joy. If you take yourself out of the game, you eliminate any chance of experiencing a turnaround, and you devastate those who love you.

Great comments, everyone!

one of my best friends is suicidal and has been in and out of psyciatric wards, therapudic schools, mental facilities, ect, for the past year now. it's really tough to watch someone close to you go through that and i think that suicide as well as depression and self-injury are really things that people don't pay enough attention to or know enough about. they just think "ew, that person is crazy" and dont think much else about it. its an issue that i think deserves more attention.