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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: iamzack on June 16, 2009, 03:04:32 pm

Title: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 16, 2009, 03:04:32 pm
Seriously, am I the only one who giggles whenever they see this graphic?

(http://el-oso.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/mn_suicide30_loc_tt.gif)
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: redsniper on June 16, 2009, 04:23:08 pm
I dun get it. More people jump to the East, where there's a pedestrian walkway...? :confused:
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Ghostavo on June 16, 2009, 04:41:23 pm
It seems pole 69 is very popular.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: redsniper on June 16, 2009, 04:50:32 pm
Lul
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 16, 2009, 05:29:50 pm
I dun get it. More people jump to the East, where there's a pedestrian walkway...? :confused:

You... were just kidding right?
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 16, 2009, 05:42:12 pm
I don't get it either.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: redsniper on June 16, 2009, 06:03:37 pm
I dun get it. More people jump to the East, where there's a pedestrian walkway...? :confused:

You... were just kidding right?
No. I didn't think to look at the numbers.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Rodo on June 16, 2009, 06:46:24 pm
They just walk until they decide to suicide... it's not a light decision so when they come to a resolution they are already at the 69th.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 16, 2009, 08:38:05 pm
.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 16, 2009, 08:48:11 pm
What the **** dude. I agree, they should apologize for making a mess and disturbing you.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 16, 2009, 09:06:14 pm
.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Turambar on June 16, 2009, 10:09:46 pm
I don't think you can enjoy pity very much if you're dead
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 16, 2009, 10:13:48 pm
/
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Ford Prefect on June 16, 2009, 11:08:48 pm
He's got you there, Turambar.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: watsisname on June 16, 2009, 11:58:08 pm
Very funny......

No, they should be stronger and take the pain of life instead of the easy way out and a massive pitty party, but it does take some bravery to kill yourself. So one could say they are weak and strong at the same time, just in different ways, I suppose.

I really dislike it when people assume that those who commit suicide are somehow weak.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 17, 2009, 01:06:17 am
\
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: DarkBasilisk on June 17, 2009, 01:29:42 am
Very funny......

No, they should be stronger and take the pain of life instead of the easy way out and a massive pitty party, but it does take some bravery to kill yourself. So one could say they are weak and strong at the same time, just in different ways, I suppose.

I really dislike it when people assume that those who commit suicide are somehow weak.

Strongly agreed. Look, some people from all different walks of life can be moving around with no real reason to do so. Then **** happens and they don't really have much reason to stick around. Being stronger or not just doesn't make sense if there's nothing to hope for. How the hell is it "selfish"? Now, sometimes people shut their eyes and pretend their life is empty when it's not, but a lot of times it really can be empty. And since the world's left them alone, why should they care if you're mildly inconvenienced by their death?

(Was at least at risk for being suicidal at different points, currently stable and should remain that way for a while)
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Unknown Target on June 17, 2009, 05:51:34 am
I got a report about this thread; I'm leaving it open because a legitimate discussion could occur here. Don't mess it up, don't be overly offensive or a huge dick.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Dilmah G on June 17, 2009, 05:54:52 am
I'm just simply against Suicide and Humour being used in the same sentence to begin with.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 17, 2009, 06:50:23 am
whine about it too much instead of just dealing with it
Not true. Of the two suicidal people I've known, both were outwardly cheery and never showed symptoms until they did it.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 17, 2009, 07:23:03 am
...

High Max, to be clear, suicide goes like this:

pain > coping methods

It's not about cowardice or strength or selfishness, aiight? It's about being (or just feeling) incapable of coping with life.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Mikes on June 17, 2009, 07:41:22 am
Paper that i read recently, speculated if it was about finding "meaning". That would mean a suicidee would find more meaning suicide than life... 

As such being "strong" or "weak" may as well be considered an independent variable.

Looking through the lense of "strong and weak" i would actually rather consider people who lash out and hurt other people to compensate for their own lifes difficulties to be much "weaker".
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Dilmah G on June 17, 2009, 07:59:13 am
I thought people like that were (sometimes) attributed to having an "undeserved" high self-esteem. People don't often consciously hit others because of their own life difficulties, but the people I know put themselves into positions in which there is little choice (gang violence etc). Often around here the people who start fights are drug/alcohol abusers and testosterone fueled.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 17, 2009, 09:00:46 am
I thought people like that were (sometimes) attributed to having an "undeserved" high self-esteem. People don't often consciously hit others because of their own life difficulties, but the people I know put themselves into positions in which there is little choice (gang violence etc). Often around here the people who start fights are drug/alcohol abusers and testosterone fueled.

Well, look at narcissism. A lack of true identity leads to the creation of an "ideal" identity and the narcissist becomes totally wrapped up in protecting the created identity, no matter the cost to others.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Dilmah G on June 17, 2009, 09:39:17 am
I would say the problem's too prevalent around here to put it down to NPD. Unless you were to label Western Australian Gangs as narcissistic. I suppose your typical bully could be put down to narcissism.

Quote
i would actually rather consider people who lash out and hurt other people to compensate for their own lifes difficulties to be much "weaker".
I wouldn't say people lash out for those specific reasons though.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Mefustae on June 17, 2009, 10:08:16 am
I'm going to play devil's advocate and agree with the notion that suicide is the trademark of the weak. I'm not being abusive, I'm literally saying that weak people commit suicide. That's a fact.

Speaking philosophically, when you strip away everything a person has; their money, power and connections to the outside world, they still have their existence. I'm not saying existence is important or in any way meaningful, but it has an intrinsic value to each and every sentient being. To voluntarily surrender that core trait is, I believe, a completely ******** retarded thing to do.

Hey, no matter who you are, we've all thought about killing ourselves at least once. Probably many times. Assignments due the next day, a messy breakup, just a really ****ty day. The idea of ending it all seems really appealing, just moving beyond all the problems and not having to worry about work, school or anyone else. Ever. But that doesn't detract from the fact that it's still a stupid ****ing idea.

Ultimately, our lives are our own. That is a fundamental, the fundamental right of all beings. If you want to end your life, then you are free to do so. But that's not going to stop me from naming you a dip**** and calling you names for giving up something as unique and special as consciousness.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 10:38:38 am
I got a report about this thread; I'm leaving it open because a legitimate discussion could occur here. Don't mess it up, don't be overly offensive or a huge dick.

Seconded.

EDIT: Mefustae's post was over the edge. Suicide victims are killed by biological processes every bit as valid as those that kill AIDS or cancer victims. Prejudice against the treatment of depression/anxiety/loneliness as a disease is part of the reason so few people report it and get help. Furthermore, the fact that suicide is genetically mediated makes it doubly offensive to call suicide victims 'utterly ****ing retarded'. Mefustae's assertion that existence has value on its own seems to ignore the fact that seem people are in such intense, unbearable pain, and believe themselves so far from any help or salvation, that existence itself is a burden.

I'm not going to lock the topic quite yet. But this is definitely moving into 'insulting the victims' territory.

Furthermore, I can't resist pointing out that existence and consciousness have no intrinsic value beyond those assigned by evolution. We don't want to die because evolution has weeded out those who do want to die.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: peterv on June 17, 2009, 11:07:23 am
Suicide is the trademark  off someone who is in extreme pain, physically or psychologically. By default, this kind of person is week, but pointing to his weakens instead off the causes off his suffering, is the trademark the useless.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 11:27:32 am
No, that kind of person is not 'weak' by definition. That term doesn't make any sense. 'Weak' suggests 'lacking in strength or the ability to cope.'

In fact, suicides are promoted by a tremendous number of factors, most of them non-internal. These include the size of one's social network, the presence or absence of a pet, the presence or absence of an engaging job, genetic factors that mediate the reaction to stressful life events, culture, availability of suicide methods, and the number of suicides which have occurred in the person's awareness.

To say that 'weakness' is the determining factor is akin to suggesting that disease is caused by an imbalance of humors. It's scientifically wrong and totally asinine. And I hope it will not become a point for debate here.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: peterv on June 17, 2009, 11:31:51 am
Not with me, i generally agree with you
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 11:41:36 am
All right, I can see how what you said was in line with my argument. Sorry if I came off too snappish.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Grogs on June 17, 2009, 01:02:07 pm
Very funny......

No, they should be stronger and take the pain of life instead of the easy way out and a massive pitty party, but it does take some bravery to kill yourself. So one could say they are weak and strong at the same time, just in different ways, I suppose.
'

duality of man?
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 17, 2009, 02:57:05 pm
In fact, suicides are promoted by a tremendous number of factors, most of them non-internal. These include the size of one's social network, the presence or absence of a pet, the presence or absence of an engaging job, genetic factors that mediate the reaction to stressful life events, culture, availability of suicide methods, and the number of suicides which have occurred in the person's awareness.

I actually kinda disagree on this point. I had an argument with my exgirlfriend about this during the Holocaust unit of World History. She basically was saying "wtf is wrong with these people that they didn't kill themselves?"

I think suicide is almost entirely an internal thing. No matter how capable a person is if handling his life, no matter how supportive his friends and family are, etc, etc, if he *feels* incapable of coping and that there is no one there for him, he will kill himself. Like, for example, a suicide committed over a breakup. I would think that the suicide would be due to a feeling of worthlessness and loneliness more than due to a feeling of loss, and that that instability in self-worth would have to have been pre-existing.

However, I do disagree that suicide happens because of a person's weakness. Suicide happens when a person is sure (whether it is true or not) that they will never feel better than they do right then. Hopelessness.

So I figured that Holocaust victims didn't kill themselves en masse because they had some hope left. Like, they believed their family was still alive and that they would see them again, for example.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Black Wolf on June 17, 2009, 02:59:37 pm
If you're willing to get away from the emotional side of the issue and look at it clinically, suicide must be a trait of some kind of weakness within the personality. Consider iamzack's equation -
Quote
suicide = pain > coping methods

Surely someone's ability to cope with pain is the definition of strength or weakness when put into an emotional context (that is, not thinking muscular or physical strength). You can propose a root cause for the weakness(clinical depression, chemical imbalance in the brain, whatever), and then you have positive or negative factors influencing the individual (as Battuta pointed out, social network, pets etc.) but ultimately these are factors which influence an individual's pain tolerance, i.e. their "weakness".

The problem I think some people are having is that the term "weak" eliminates the concept of the sliding scale which needs to be considered. The degree of pain that each person can tolerate is unique to the individual, so even the strongest might snap if the pressures to do so reach some critical level. In this debate it's a question of language being insufficient to the issue rather than one of any real debate.

That aside, I still think more along Mefustae's lines than a lot of other people in this thread. Each case is unique, but I personally feel that every human being can be and must be held to a certain level of moral conduct. One of the central concepts of this, hell, the central concept, is the way you allow your life to impact on others, and suicide is one of the most devastating things someone can do to those close to them. In some ways, it's worse than murder because there's no external focus for those left behind. You can't point to an external cause and say "That did it, he/she/it is the cause of this tragedy." Instead, people are left with the guilt and grief that comes from the belief that they could have changed the outcome. So yes, while you can have mitigating factors (I'm not against euthanasia, for example, because it eliminates the guilt factor from those left behind and retains an external cause to which the loss can be ascribed (i.e. the disease). But going and jumping off a bridge of your own free will because you're depressed... no. It's outside the code of ethics that I hold people to, and as far as I'm concerned it's wrong.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 03:24:12 pm
You could say the exact same thing of any disease, though.

Like those who are ill with cancer or AIDS, the depressive and the suicidal need help. Most suicides are preventable, and to attribute suicide to 'weakness' in the suicide victim is to neglect the fact that 'we' (the people around the victim) could have probably saved them.

Here's my problem with your analysis:

But going and jumping off a bridge of your own free will because you're depressed... no.

That's a contradiction. People do not jump off a bridge 'of their own free will.' There is no free will. There are no decisions without causes. People jump off bridges because they are depressed. And that depression is an ailment as powerful and real as something like Ebola. It must be addressed and treated in order to prevent the death of the patient.

That said, I agree that suicide has a devastating effect on those close to the victim. But I imagine this is part of what motivates suicide victims. The act is, in no small part, a plea for help - 'Why didn't you pay attention to me? Why didn't you listen?'
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: DarkBasilisk on June 17, 2009, 04:13:33 pm
You could say the exact same thing of any disease, though.

Like those who are ill with cancer or AIDS, the depressive and the suicidal need help. Most suicides are preventable, and to attribute suicide to 'weakness' in the suicide victim is to neglect the fact that 'we' (the people around the victim) could have probably saved them.

Here's my problem with your analysis:

But going and jumping off a bridge of your own free will because you're depressed... no.

That's a contradiction. People do not jump off a bridge 'of their own free will.' There is no free will. There are no decisions without causes. People jump off bridges because they are depressed. And that depression is an ailment as powerful and real as something like Ebola. It must be addressed and treated in order to prevent the death of the patient.

That said, I agree that suicide has a devastating effect on those close to the victim. But I imagine this is part of what motivates suicide victims. The act is, in no small part, a plea for help - 'Why didn't you pay attention to me? Why didn't you listen?'

Strongly agree again. And with what people said before about calling them weak tries to neglect the responsibility of people to help. Consideration goes both ways, if you're expecting people to care enough about you to not off themselves and cause you trouble, you should be caring about them. It's not always fair, but a lot of times, I think this "pain" they leave behind is entirely deserved by the others, especially family members. They're the ones that are dead and gone now, the people still around failed them, not the other way around.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: peterv on June 17, 2009, 04:26:46 pm
You could say the exact same thing of any disease, though.

Like those who are ill with cancer or AIDS, the depressive and the suicidal need help. Most suicides are preventable, and to attribute suicide to 'weakness' in the suicide victim is to neglect the fact that 'we' (the people around the victim) could have probably saved them.


Well, it's easier to arrogantly say that "weakness" is the problem. And it's a great way to show our own superiority.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 04:56:08 pm
Well, I don't want to say that people like Mefustae and BlackWolf feel the way they do because they don't give a ****. Nor do I want to suggest that most suicide victims could have been saved just by some attention, care, and hugs.

Just like the diseases I keep comparing it to, depression is a really nasty, awful, sometimes intractable problem. The treatments for it are often as difficult as the cures. Some people just can't be saved.

But to say it has anything to do with an individual's 'preset tolerance for suffering' oversimplifies a massive web of epiphenomenal factors spanning genetics, socialization, personal history, diet, and physical fitness. People do not commit suicide because they have hit their own personal breaking point. They make the decision in what seems to them to be a rational way. Very often it's a strong, definitive choice - (BSG spoilers)
Spoiler:
see Dee from BSG season 4.

This thread needs moar MP-Ryan.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 17, 2009, 05:06:04 pm
Aye. We need our geneticist/psychologist.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 17, 2009, 05:06:18 pm
.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Scotty on June 17, 2009, 05:15:21 pm
He uses the word intrinsic in that sentence.  Definition of intrinsic (courtesy Diciontary.com): 1) Belonging to or lying within a given part or 2) Belonging to a thing by its very nature.  Since both of those would apply to General Battuta's point that they have no intrinsic value beyond that assigned by evolution (they have intrinsic value not exceeding that assigned by evolution), I think that his statement has more merit that you are wont to admit.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 17, 2009, 05:18:16 pm
While I wish not for this to be evolutionism vs. creationism, how much evidence is there for the soul or any of that stuff?
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 17, 2009, 05:27:21 pm
/
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Scotty on June 17, 2009, 06:07:44 pm
Quote
I won't get into it since it is off topic

Typically when one starts a post like this, they DON'T start talking about it.

I miss what the picture has to do with anything being funny.  Could someone please explain it?
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 06:19:39 pm
69?
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: NGTM-1R on June 17, 2009, 07:39:14 pm
That's a contradiction. People do not jump off a bridge 'of their own free will.' There is no free will. There are no decisions without causes. People jump off bridges because they are depressed. And that depression is an ailment as powerful and real as something like Ebola. It must be addressed and treated in order to prevent the death of the patient.

That said, I agree that suicide has a devastating effect on those close to the victim. But I imagine this is part of what motivates suicide victims. The act is, in no small part, a plea for help - 'Why didn't you pay attention to me? Why didn't you listen?'

That's also a contradiction. If you posit the nonexistence of a choice in this case, then it's not preventable. They're going to do it and it's too late. This disease with "symptoms equals 100% fatality rate" analogy is not only demonstrably wrong but would be patent craziness to compare to any physiological disease since They Do Not Work That Way.

The characterization of the act as a plea for help also demonstrates the problem with the argument you're making. Something in that logic process has clearly gone terribly wrong since the plea is being made in the form of an act which renders it unanswerable. That argument might hold water in a more survivable mode of suicide then jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, of course, but a clear intent to commit suicide renders the whole logic chain behind it clearly broken. Instead of a plea for help, a sane mind would see it has rather more similarity with "I'll show you all!"; if it is, in fact, seen as a plea for help by the person commiting suicide this is simply yet further evidence of mental and emotional failure.

Yes, failure. Suicide is, to use an engineering term, a failure mode of the human pysche. (Others include various forms of insanity, assuming you do not wish to class the suicider as insane themselves, which is where you seem to want to lead this argument but, honestly, seems disingenious.) It is the failure of normal coping mechanisms to sustain the mind. They were not able to handle the strain. So yes, ultimately, it must be ajudged a sign of their weakness, their inability to adapt to or cope with what they were exposed to. This does not render these mechanisms unformidable, but they were clearly unequal to the task at hand. Meanwhile, as the existence of, say, a homeless population in every major American city demonstrates, others were able to withstand much more.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 07:55:21 pm
NGTM-1R, it looks like a couple basic points in my argument weren't presented well.

Suicide is the end-state of a disease (depression) that is clearly treatable. The symptoms of depression aren't a 100% fatality rate. Suicide is just the mechanism of mortality.

Quote
If you posit the nonexistence of a choice in this case, then it's not preventable.

Choices are the products of tangled heuristic pathways, overlapping conditions, environmental influences, and stochastic processes. They are not the result of an abstract will pointing to an outcome without external influence. This is the misperception I wanted to clear up.

The succeeding elements of your argument suggest you're essentially agreeing with me, and that I just didn't present things well:

Quote
The characterization of the act as a plea for help also demonstrates the problem with the argument you're making. Something in that logic process has clearly gone terribly wrong since the plea is being made in the form of an act which renders it unanswerable.

If your argument is that something is terribly wrong in the cognition of the individual choosing to commit suicide, I certainly wouldn't disagree. It makes no more sense than an immune cell attacking friendly tissues. Yet both cases do occur.

Quote
Yes, failure. Suicide is, to use an engineering term, a failure mode of the human pysche.

Absolutely in agreement with that.

Quote
It is the failure of normal coping mechanisms to sustain the mind.

Totally correct. But you must remember that many of those coping mechanisms are external, not under the control of the individual, or both.

Quote
They were not able to handle the strain.

Sure. But this seems to be leading to an argument that they 'just should've toughed it out', which ignores the fact that the stresses which drove the victim to suicide could have been altered by intervention. As, I think you'll agree, would happen in 100% of cases in an ideal world.

Quote
So yes, ultimately, it must be ajudged a sign of their weakness, their inability to adapt to or cope with what they were exposed to.

I believe you take an interest in militaria. It is often said in military circles that 'no one can resist interrogation'. The degree to which one resists, however, varies considerably, to the point where some perform heroically under interrogation and are commended for it. Nonetheless, the military is careful to train its soldiers not to be ashamed of breaking under interrogation.

All human minds will collapse under sufficient strain, just as - in your metaphor - all engineered structures will.

Your argument is that some minds are more prone to collapse than others due to internal, structural factors. These are the 'weak'. They are separated from the 'strong' by their inability to adapt to or cope with stimuli they are exposed to.

I am in agreement with the supposition that some individuals are predisposed to react to life stress factors more heavily than others. This is an undeniable scientific fact. It is known to be moderated by genetics.

My argument is that the number of factors affecting depression and the decision to suicide are epiphenomenal, networked, stochastic, and highly sensitive. Individual cases of suicide, therefore, cannot and should not be attributed to 'weakness' in the individuals alone. It should instead be attributed to the failure of the individual and the individual's social context. Depression and suicide occur in a social context and must be treated that way.

Furthermore, while I try to avoid dispositional inferences in arguments, I must admit to some degree of anger with you, NGTM-1R, and Mefustae for using the loaded term 'weak' to refer to suicide victims. It is well known that many depressives do not step forward for treatment because of the popular perception that depression is 'not a real disease' and that it should simply be toughed out.

It seems to me that your decision to make dispositional inferences about depressives and suicides, by labeling them 'weak' - a term that carries honor-laden connotations of cowardice and failure - you contribute to that existing and prevalent social problem.

I feel that this choice of words, while it may describe a valid phenomenon (the individual variance in reactivity to stress) is both socially irresponsible and inflammatory. Depression is a mental illness characterized by loneliness, negativity bias, and learned helplessness. Describing depressives as dispositionally weak and unable to handle the strain placed on them, whereas others are 'strong' enough to become homeless, is, I feel, a moral transgression, akin to smoking around an asthmatic.

By no means, however, do I mean to suggest that you intended to attack depressives or suicides in your posts.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: swashmebuckle on June 17, 2009, 09:15:31 pm
Nine out of ten psychologist/engineers agree, this will be a pretty good external coping mechanism:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/11/BASH13F0MH.DTL

Only half a century late!  Go us!
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 17, 2009, 09:52:11 pm
I hate to get in the way out people kicking vulnerable populations down without any facts to back it up, but methinks this thread is in serious need of some psychological facts.  I see a lot of opinion and ****-all to back it up.  Plus, I was apparently summoned on the previous page without my knowledge - you guys forgot to say my name three times :P

Useful fact about suicide and depression:  Depressed people do not commit suicide.  People who are RECOVERING from depression commit suicide.

People who have clinical depression lack the ability to motivate themselves to perform the act of suicide - they cease to function.  As they recover from depression, their ability to motivate themselves into action increases and they carry out any plans they have formulated while in the depressed state.

It's the sad irony of depression:  People take their own lives just as they're finally getting better.

Also, depression is a biological condition and has very little to do with things like willpower and internal strength.  It's a disease of neurotransmitters, and to characterize people who attempt or successfully commit suicide of being "weak" is an extremely misinformed/ignorant stance.  And yeah, like most true mental illness, it has a strong genetic component.

There are two types of suicidal people:
1.  People who have a detailed plan.
2.  People who don't.

Category 1 is high risk and usually do NOT exhibit outward signs that they are preparing to take their own life to anyone without training in psychology/counselling.  Category 2 is low risk and often make pleas for help either through discussing it and asking people, or through poorly-executed attempts.

One caveat:  not all suicides are the result of depression; just the vast majority.

Oh, and another thing:  installing suicide-prevention systems on things like bridges and overpasses have an interesting effect.  They not only decrease the number of attempts (which includes successful attempts) at the site where it is installed - they also decrease suicide rates in the entire geographic region permanently.  Edmonton installed a couple of these systems and the suicide rate went down not just in that area but all over the entire city, and stayed at the new level.  Deterring the act once makes people re-think their position and often seek help as a result.  One of those interesting little tidbits I picked up in Abnormal Psychology.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 17, 2009, 09:54:05 pm
.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Enigmatic Entity on June 17, 2009, 10:22:37 pm
I don't see why people who commit suicide always think that a bridge is the easiest place - walking in front of a truck or crashing your car is just as easy - I have often thought about how easy it would be for someone waiting to cross the road to just walk out into the traffic.

Also, I don't think that you can call a person's brain "weak" or "strong". They are different. Natural variation allows certain people to be good at some things, others good at other things. Gain an insight into a person with depression and you might find (or not) a lot of things you couldn't cope with. A lot of people just don't "see" just what is happening. It is this isolation and feeling of solitude in a mechanical world full of "biological clones" that makes some people feel depressed. To channel this feeling into something like visual art or music makes for interesting reactions when it comes to other people. And I don't mean emo-screamos where sometimes they aren't really depressed.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 17, 2009, 10:34:22 pm
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Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 10:39:17 pm
It's a combination of factors, High Max. Genetics included.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 17, 2009, 10:41:39 pm
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Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Scotty on June 17, 2009, 10:43:17 pm
Effort != Improvement.  If I try with all my being to make the sun explode, all effort I may funnel into that particular venture is for absolutely naught.  That, however, is not to say that nothing will ever come of said effort or experiences in many cases.  Something more than effort is required is required for self-improvement.  Off the top of my head, the ability to learn from mistakes and experiences would be one such thing.

EDIT:  Grrr.  Battuta beat me too it.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Enigmatic Entity on June 17, 2009, 11:00:57 pm
Effort and gaining tolerance and knowledge through experiences is what makes someone better at things or stronger or more intelligent. It isn't just a genetic predetermination and we are just mindless automatons. It is what you try to accomplish too and trying to better yourself. You can become good at things you never were good at before by trying, in most cases. People can to a certain extent control how they feel and invent their own motivations to continue living, like I have done. To always blame an illness and say they couldn't control themselves is to make an excuse to not hold someone responsible for their actions. Kind of like people going around saying a killer is not responsible because of insanity. We all have a choice in most cases and one choice is just for us not to think about certain pain or get our mind on something else or take a nap. Eating healthier can also help relieve depression to a certain extent. I don't believe in anti-depressants. They often times don't work and I feel they are a gimmick for a company just to make money off of the person suffering. They often hide natural cures and remedies so they can get you to keep buying medication to make money off of the person, it seems.

Yet that's just what happens...so someone could fake insanity and then go and murder someone...

When ever there is a desperate need for something, or a need in general, there will be someTHING waiting to charge insanely high prices and make a fortune...
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 17, 2009, 11:07:47 pm
See, the thing that distinguishes anti-depressants from a lot of depression treatments is that they can work whether or not you believe in them.

Now, granted, believing in them helps a lot...but still, they do have some staying power of their own.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Scooby_Doo on June 18, 2009, 03:17:53 am
And not all anti-depressants work very well... I know, I've been there  :ick:  :(
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 18, 2009, 06:33:30 am
I don't like taking antidepressants because I distinguish depression-due-to-brain-suckage from depression-due-to-life-suckage. My psychiatrist, on the other hand, seems convinced that pills will somehow cause my life to be less suck.

But they do work. Even if you have a legit reason to be unhappy.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 06:52:18 am
To always blame an illness and say they couldn't control themselves is to make an excuse to not hold someone responsible for their actions. Kind of like people going around saying a killer is not responsible because of insanity.

Which does happen quite legitimately.  It'll be a sad day for justice when untreated paranoid schizophrenics are held criminally liable for crimes they commit while in that state.  Illnesses DO compromise people's ability to think logically, rationally, and know the consequences of their actions, and it is uncontrollable.  It is not possible for a schizophrenic with auditory hallucinations to make the voices go away without treatment.  They can try to ignore them, but that becomes less and less effective over time.  The same is true of depression.  Once in that biological state, you can't MAKE yourself just snap out of it.  Spontaneous remission rates for mental illness are not very high, so generally some form of treatment (be it therapy or medication) is required.

Eating healthier can also help relieve depression to a certain extent. I don't believe in anti-depressants. They often times don't work and I feel they are a gimmick for a company just to make money off of the person suffering. They often hide natural cures and remedies so they can get you to keep buying medication to make money off of the person, it seems.

Stop listening to that quack Tom Cruise.  Eating healthier does nothing for actual clinical depression (though it is good for your health overall).  Modern anti-depressants are very, very good.  Overused, absolutely - there are many people who are not actually clinically depressed but whom GPs may prescribe medication, but that's a problem with the physician, not the anti-depressant.  Natural cures and remedies for depression do not presently exist; none have been identified in clinical studies that are anywhere near as effective as modern antidepressants.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 06:55:41 am
Yet that's just what happens...so someone could fake insanity and then go and murder someone...

Prime time TV is not a legitimate source of news.  The insanity defense is not widely used in any jurisdiction, and carries a whole different set of consequences other than jail time.  Presenting a mental illness as a defense gives you a diagnosis for life - it is not to be taken lightly.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Mikes on June 18, 2009, 07:44:27 am
I don't see why people who commit suicide always think that a bridge is the easiest place - walking in front of a truck or crashing your car is just as easy - I have often thought about how easy it would be for someone waiting to cross the road to just walk out into the traffic.

... which might potentially cause a bigger crash. From what i read, people wanting to end their own life don't necessarily stop considering other peoples lifes.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: peterv on June 18, 2009, 10:22:00 am
MP-Ryan are there cases where the friends or family members of a patient are not allowed to contact with him/her?
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Turambar on June 18, 2009, 10:54:27 am
I don't see why people who commit suicide always think that a bridge is the easiest place - walking in front of a truck or crashing your car is just as easy - I have often thought about how easy it would be for someone waiting to cross the road to just walk out into the traffic.

... which might potentially cause a bigger crash. From what i read, people wanting to end their own life don't necessarily stop considering other peoples lifes.

Besides, you have to rely on the person in the car to not stop. They always stop. Or at least try, and if they are going too slowly, all you get is injured. And not deadified. I tried it once. >.<
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Snail on June 18, 2009, 10:59:48 am
About 2 years ago I got hit by a rather large truck moving rather fast. Did not die.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 11:05:42 am
MP-Ryan are there cases where the friends or family members of a patient are not allowed to contact with him/her?

Depends on the jurisdiction and requests of the patient.  In general, privacy law permits immediate family (spouse, children, or parents) with the legal right of visitation and access.  The patient can always stipulate that such contact is not allowed, however.

Secure psychiatric facilities (especially custodial facilities for "not criminally responsible" patients who have committed serious crimes) have restrictive visiting hours, but unless there is a request by the patient or a court order, immediate family has a right to access for visitation at such times as reasonably permitted by the facility.

I think what you're asking is if medical personnel can prohibit the contact of a patient with their family and - in all but exceptional circumstances which inevitably include court action - the answer is no.  At least, in countries adhering to Common Law legal standards (Britain, Canada, USA, Australia, etc).
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: perihelion on June 18, 2009, 11:14:43 am
I don't like taking antidepressants because I distinguish depression-due-to-brain-suckage from depression-due-to-life-suckage. My psychiatrist, on the other hand, seems convinced that pills will somehow cause my life to be less suck.
I don't think you can separate the two as easily as that.  There is a feedback loop involved between the outside events of a person's life and chemistry that causes a person's thoughts to tend this way or that way.  It isn't called the "long downward spiral" for nothing.  You could take a person with reasonably normal brain chemistry and put them in a sufficiently hellish situation, and the person that comes out could have drastically different, clinically depressed, brain chemistry at the end.  So even when they are removed from the situation that induced depressive or GAD-like tendencies, the abnormal brain chemistry may not only persist but actually feed back on itself until it is worse than it ever was while the stressful situation was ongoing.  PTSS is an extreme example of this.

That said, I advise extreme caution whenever anti-depressants are being bandied about.  My experience with them was not pleasant.  The "cure" if you want to call it that was nearly as bad as the disease.  I needed something to make me a functional human being again until I could get myself out of the situation that caused this mess in the first place.  But those pills left me completely numb.  At least before, as bad off as I was, I could still experience feelings of joy and happiness, infrequent though they were.  While I was on meds, I could feel hardly anything.

Once we got out of there and things got better, I decided to slowly ween myself off them.  That sucked.  That sucked very much bad.  I'd read about SSRI discontinuation syndrome and thought I was ready as long as I brought dosage down slowly enough.  Words cannot describe how wrong I was.  THAT could drive a person to suicide.  I thought I was losing my mind.

I needed to be on medication; I don't argue that point.  I was not well.  But I would endure almost anything rather than have to go on meds again.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 11:19:41 am
... which might potentially cause a bigger crash. From what i read, people wanting to end their own life don't necessarily stop considering other peoples lifes.

Absolutely.  Most planned suicides have all of their affairs (legal, financial, etc) in order, actually say goodbye to their loved ones (whether said loved ones realize it at the time or not is usually the factor by which a suicide is prevented or not) and choose a means of death least likely to cause a bother to anyone else.  Generalizing, men tend to be quick and violent (gunshots, intentional single-vehicle collisions with obstacles, hanging) whereas women prefer quieter, non-painful methods.

Planners do not want their plan to be revealed, and choose methods which no one can conceivably stop at the moment they intend to do it.  The low-risk attempts which tend to fall into the "seeking help through inappropriate means" category choose means in which intervention is possible (if not always likely).  Wrist-slashers are not suicide attempts; cutting is an expression of personal pain and can be viewed more in the cry for help category than serious suicide category (unless they do it properly, but that's exceedingly rare).  Jumpers who hesitate are also in this category.  Even hanging (depending on location and circumstances) is a suicide method that falls more into the cry for help category than an actual plan because there is a chance, however remote, of someone intervening.

Suicide-by-vehicle and suicide-by-cop are both pretty rare occurrences because they involve uncontrolled circumstances that depend on the actions of others.  Not to say they don't happen, but for someone with a serious desire to commit suicide they aren't a common choice.

Incidentally, if anyone ever tells you they are considering suicide, your first questions is ALWAYS:  "Have you made a plan to kill yourself?"  Followed immediately with "Why do you want to die?"  Stark reality occasionally gets through, and removing the mystique of suicide is a really important method of deterring or delaying the attempt long enough to get professional help.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 11:26:40 am
I needed to be on medication; I don't argue that point.  I was not well.  But I would endure almost anything rather than have to go on meds again.

The new ones have a lot fewer side effects than first-generation SSRIs.  2nd Gen SSRIs and atypicals (like Buproprion in particular) minimize side effects and maintain a high degree of normal emotional affect.

That said, NONE of them should be used in children.  Even adolescents are fairly iffy - teens undergo a variety of emotional changes anyway, and teens "diagnosed" with major depressive disorder usually don't actually have it.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: peterv on June 18, 2009, 11:34:43 am


Depends on the jurisdiction and requests of the patient.  In general, privacy law permits immediate family (spouse, children, or parents) with the legal right of visitation and access.  The patient can always stipulate that such contact is not allowed, however.

Secure psychiatric facilities (especially custodial facilities for "not criminally responsible" patients who have committed serious crimes) have restrictive visiting hours, but unless there is a request by the patient or a court order, immediate family has a right to access for visitation at such times as reasonably permitted by the facility.

I think what you're asking is if medical personnel can prohibit the contact of a patient with their family and - in all but exceptional circumstances which inevitably include court action - the answer is no.  At least, in countries adhering to Common Law legal standards (Britain, Canada, USA, Australia, etc).

And for treatment purposes? I'm asking because i had a friend ho committed suicide a few months after his treatment in a clinic and during that period his family didn't allow me, or any other of his friends to see him, saying that this was the doctors order.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 18, 2009, 01:08:48 pm
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Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Hellstryker on June 18, 2009, 02:08:06 pm
Modern anti-depressants are very, very good.

Have to disagree there, Ryan. I'm going to take a guess here and say you're not actually depressed or have been yourself, and the only way to fully understand it is if you are and or have been. I was on anti-depressants for... let's see... 3, 4 years? They stopped working about 1 year in, and actually left me somewhat addicted (Okay, addiction isn't really the right term. more like fear of not taking them). Once your brain kicks in and you realize how ****ed up the situation you're in really is, you think to yourself "holy ****, maybe I really should be depressed".

Now, I'm probably going to take a lot of flak for saying this, but I view depression as an early warning system of sorts. The bodies way of saying you need to change. Now I see a lot of you calling depressed people unmotivated, or lacking in willpower, but that could just as easily be diagnosed as a symptom of modern society.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Turambar on June 18, 2009, 02:36:14 pm
I will say that suicidal people have a better sense of humor than High Max.  Also, that last post of mine in this thread was iamzack over at my house. 

Sixty Nine Dudes!!!
[air guitar][/air guitar]

[/bill and ted]
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: perihelion on June 18, 2009, 03:02:03 pm
The new ones have a lot fewer side effects than first-generation SSRIs.  2nd Gen SSRIs and atypicals (like Buproprion in particular) minimize side effects and maintain a high degree of normal emotional affect.
I hope so for the sake of those unfortunate enough to need them.  I think Paxil probably qualifies as 1st-generation SSRI, but I'm pretty sure Effexor does not.  Both of them have nasty discontinuation problems, and the way effexor was handled back then (I'm not sure about its current delivery system, or if it is even still in use), it was almost impossible to reduce your dosage slow enough to make any difference from stopping cold turkey.  Once I'd been off for about two months, the panic attacks stopped and I could hold down food, I swore up and down, never again.

I'm not sure if the age comment was directed at me, but I wasn't a teenager at the time.  I was 23-24.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 18, 2009, 03:44:38 pm
My Zoloft actually helps a ton by making my mood much more stable.

But I still hate it because I don't like trying to go about my day knowing my good feelings are mostly fake.

Also I hate it because if I miss it two days in a row I go into withdrawal and am generally miserable.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 04:04:05 pm
And for treatment purposes? I'm asking because i had a friend ho committed suicide a few months after his treatment in a clinic and during that period his family didn't allow me, or any other of his friends to see him, saying that this was the doctors order.

You answered your own question:  the family didn't allow you to see him.  Doctors can make orders all they like, but they don't trample on legal rights.  As family, they have rights to visitation (and for minors, rights in choosing medical care).  Friends have no legal standing whatsoever.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 18, 2009, 04:10:58 pm
And for treatment purposes? I'm asking because i had a friend ho committed suicide a few months after his treatment in a clinic and during that period his family didn't allow me, or any other of his friends to see him, saying that this was the doctors order.

You answered your own question:  the family didn't allow you to see him.  Doctors can make orders all they like, but they don't trample on legal rights.  As family, they have rights to visitation (and for minors, rights in choosing medical care).  Friends have no legal standing whatsoever.

Which sucks a fat donkey ****.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 18, 2009, 04:18:13 pm
Modern anti-depressants are very, very good.

Have to disagree there, Ryan. I'm going to take a guess here and say you're not actually depressed or have been yourself, and the only way to fully understand it is if you are and or have been. I was on anti-depressants for... let's see... 3, 4 years? They stopped working about 1 year in, and actually left me somewhat addicted (Okay, addiction isn't really the right term. more like fear of not taking them). Once your brain kicks in and you realize how ****ed up the situation you're in really is, you think to yourself "holy ****, maybe I really should be depressed".

Now, I'm probably going to take a lot of flak for saying this, but I view depression as an early warning system of sorts. The bodies way of saying you need to change. Now I see a lot of you calling depressed people unmotivated, or lacking in willpower, but that could just as easily be diagnosed as a symptom of modern society.

Anecdotal evidence is heuristically powerful but not necessarily a good way to diagnose the overall effectiveness of modern anti-depressants, and the data suggests they work in most (but not by any means all) cases. Reactions, of course, vary.

I'm not sure what your second paragraph means. Depression is, of course, a reaction to adverse life events.

Any attacks on 'modern society' require that you make an effort to define 'modern society' and differentiate it from any other society.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 04:19:58 pm

Have to disagree there, Ryan. I'm going to take a guess here and say you're not actually depressed or have been yourself, and the only way to fully understand it is if you are and or have been. I was on anti-depressants for... let's see... 3, 4 years? They stopped working about 1 year in, and actually left me somewhat addicted (Okay, addiction isn't really the right term. more like fear of not taking them). Once your brain kicks in and you realize how ****ed up the situation you're in really is, you think to yourself "holy ****, maybe I really should be depressed".

Take an MAOI or first generation antidepressant and then tell me what you think  ;)

Seriously, modern SSRIs are a world of difference from the older medications, and the atypicals are even better (Buproprion is better known by its commercial name, Zyban, and it and Zoloft, which is a Generation 2 SSRI are two of the best on the market).

Not all depression itself is situational, but it is true that depression can be triggered by circumstances.  However, "depression" that disappears just because circumstances improve isn't depression:  it's called stress, and the two are often confused.

And given that your profile says you are 15, there is no way in hell you should EVER have been prescribed any sort of anti-depressant.  They are not tested in adolescents, and they don't work on adolescents.

Now, I'm probably going to take a lot of flak for saying this, but I view depression as an early warning system of sorts. The bodies way of saying you need to change. Now I see a lot of you calling depressed people unmotivated, or lacking in willpower, but that could just as easily be diagnosed as a symptom of modern society.

Major depressive disorder creates a literal inability to utilize cognitive thinking and complex planning - this is extremely different to what you're referring to, which is apathy.  And that is a falsehood anyway; people have been saying this crap about the downfall of modern society since language was invented, and prior to that they drew paintings.

---

It occurs to me that it wouldn't hurt to have the DSM-IV-TR definition of depression in this thread.  This is the best capture of it I could find open on the web (unfortunately, the DSM-IV is a copyrighted work which requires a subscription or purchase).  http://counsellingresource.com/distress/mood-disorders/depression-symptoms.html  Be sure to read the definition of major depressive episode as well.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 04:28:20 pm
I'm just not a fan of oral medication since they have a habit of giving you bad side effects (been there done that long ago) and I almost died when I was 12 from a medication in school. It is scary when you can't control your neck pulling itself back and your breathing gets cut off, off and on.

That's called anaphylactic shock.  Not a side effect, but more of a negative effect that means you shouldn't be taking that particular med =)

It seems to make you feel less emotion in general and that is not a good feeling. They can actually make you want to commit suicide more, they say.  I hear on commercials that one possible side effect of anti-depressants is the tendency to want to commit suicide. So I'd think it would be a no-no for people who already have that train of thought.

I always want to know who this mysterious "they" is.  In my experience, "they" is usually a euphemism for "I have this misconception and I really want to present it as a fact because I may have heard it somewhere but have no idea where."  That's an aside.  Anyway.

Antidepressants increase suicidal ideation because, as people recover from a major depressive episode, their motivation and ability increase to a point where they can now carry out a plan formed during the depressive episode.  Which is why (1) people are required to continue taking antidepressants weeks after the symptoms have disappeared in order to stabilize their mood and prevent relapse, and (2) anyone taking antidepressants should be carefully monitored by family, friends, and medical professionals.

Generally, the increased suicidal ideation and subsequent risk of suicide only lasts a week or so, and it doesn't manifest in everyone.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 04:31:27 pm
Which sucks a fat donkey ****.

There's an excellent legal reason for it, and if there is really a need for a friend to be intervening over family then that's what the courts are for.  Keep in mind the standard applies to all privacy issues and medical treatment.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Flipside on June 18, 2009, 04:36:10 pm
It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 18, 2009, 04:41:23 pm
It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

What if the friends are a negative influence, either encouraging suicide itself (re:  suicide promotion groups and pacts are currently a major problem in Japan) or encouraging behaviours that prolong the depressive episode?

People will mental illness often tend to try to "self-medicate" with drugs and/or alcohol, both of which make the symptoms worse.  Friends that encourage such behaviours are not good associates.

Note:  I'm not saying perhelion is anything like that, just throwing some very good reasons out there.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 18, 2009, 04:50:57 pm
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Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Flipside on June 18, 2009, 05:07:24 pm
It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

What if the friends are a negative influence, either encouraging suicide itself (re:  suicide promotion groups and pacts are currently a major problem in Japan) or encouraging behaviours that prolong the depressive episode?

People will mental illness often tend to try to "self-medicate" with drugs and/or alcohol, both of which make the symptoms worse.  Friends that encourage such behaviours are not good associates.

Note:  I'm not saying perhelion is anything like that, just throwing some very good reasons out there.

Oh, agreed, there are certain things that his friends would need to be aware of, but it just seems odd that it seems have been almost total isolation that has been recommended, but then, I don't know the details of the case, so there may well be factors I don't know about.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 18, 2009, 05:38:47 pm
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Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: TESLA on June 18, 2009, 05:41:22 pm
About 2 years ago I got hit by a rather large truck moving rather fast. Did not die.


If you had, then that would be strange you typing away here some sort of zombie-snail

but then again, that would answer alot of questions  :D



But seriously though, suicide is not a funny issue, it can **** up a lot of families for life!
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: iamzack on June 18, 2009, 10:21:02 pm
It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

Exactly. That was the number one problem I had in the psych ward. I wasn't allowed to so much as write a letter to Turambar, even though I refused to talk to anyone in my family because I didn't want anything to do with them.

Isolation makes me :[
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Hellstryker on June 18, 2009, 10:28:16 pm
And given that your profile says you are 15, there is no way in hell you should EVER have been prescribed any sort of anti-depressant.  They are not tested in adolescents, and they don't work on adolescents.

I'm sure others wouldn't possibly so quick as to judge the wisdom of the great MP Ryan, but I'd like some actual proof here.

Edit: To clarify, I'm not disagreeing on the latter part of that statement, and I really hate to sound like Max, but people will use any excuse to make money. And you people laugh at cynicism.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: High Max on June 19, 2009, 12:35:10 am
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Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: peterv on June 19, 2009, 03:21:10 am

Oh, agreed, there are certain things that his friends would need to be aware of, but it just seems odd that it seems have been almost total isolation that has been recommended, but then, I don't know the details of the case, so there may well be factors I don't know about.

Actually I don't know the details of the case either. What i do know is that the parents were initially informed of my friend's bad situation from another parent and afterwards they stopped saying anything at all about our friend, even to the parent that informed them. That made us think that they felt disgraced because of the situation or even felt guilty for it, in a wrong way, and kept everyone away to protect themselves.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 19, 2009, 11:37:47 am
And given that your profile says you are 15, there is no way in hell you should EVER have been prescribed any sort of anti-depressant.  They are not tested in adolescents, and they don't work on adolescents.

I'm sure others wouldn't possibly so quick as to judge the wisdom of the great MP Ryan, but I'd like some actual proof here.

Edit: To clarify, I'm not disagreeing on the latter part of that statement, and I really hate to sound like Max, but people will use any excuse to make money. And you people laugh at cynicism.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/antidepressant-medications-for-children-and-adolescents-information-for-parents-and-caregivers.shtml

Quote from: NIMH
Recently, there has been some concern that the use of antidepressant medications themselves may induce suicidal behavior in youths. Following a thorough and comprehensive review of all the available published and unpublished controlled clinical trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public warning in October 2004 about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents treated with SSRI antidepressant medications. In 2006, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended that the agency extend the warning to include young adults up to age 25.

More recently, results of a comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006 suggested that the benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

That article is partially out-dated; several clinical trials since have found that antidepressants had essentially no effect on MDD in children and adolescents, and a number of the drug companies have stopped recommending their use (Buproprion, better known as Zyban, is not recommended for persons under age 18, for example, because its effectiveness has not been established.).  The psychological community actually has no consensus on whether diagnosis should even be possible in young people.

Up until the last 10-15 years, no one even conducted clinical trials for antidepressants in young people; it was just assumed they worked, and poor practices by GPs resulted in their prescription.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Hellstryker on June 19, 2009, 12:07:24 pm
Ah, but wait, you live in Canada. Surely there are legal differences up there, no? Maybe you have your silly little standards up there, but down here it's all about farming cash.  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 19, 2009, 01:07:22 pm
Everything he just cited was American: FDA, JAMA, NIMH.

It's not that people tend to laugh at cynicism, but a certain kind of sophisticated cynicism seems more credible.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Hellstryker on June 19, 2009, 01:37:56 pm
Everything he just cited was American: FDA, JAMA, NIMH.

It's not that people tend to laugh at cynicism, but a certain kind of sophisticated cynicism seems more credible.


The simple fact is though that they do prescribe these things to everyone. It's not as though I'm an insolated incident.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 19, 2009, 01:53:35 pm
Overprescription is a completely different issue from the drugs not working, which is the original assertion you made. And I agree, overprescription is a major problem.

But MP-Ryan has been saying (and my teaching agrees) that these drugs should not be prescribed to the young. The effects are not the same, and diagnosis of depression in adolescents is itself kinda problematic.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: MP-Ryan on June 19, 2009, 03:29:31 pm
Overprescription is a completely different issue from the drugs not working, which is the original assertion you made. And I agree, overprescription is a major problem.

But MP-Ryan has been saying (and my teaching agrees) that these drugs should not be prescribed to the young. The effects are not the same, and diagnosis of depression in adolescents is itself kinda problematic.

It's not that I'm calling him a liar - I'm simply saying that the drugs should not be prescribed to him in the first place.  The sad fact is that a lot of GPs (in particular) cave to parents' demands and whip out the prescription pad because they don't have any psychology training.

I forgot to say it earlier, HellStryker, but don't ever feel that you shouldn't question people on their assertions and facts.  The sad truth is a lot of people out there say things and can't back it up.  Unfortunately [for you in this instance], I was called out enough in my early teens that I make damn sure I have a source for EVERYTHING now =)  Critical thinking skills are sadly lacking in most of the populace, and it's a valuable asset to you, so don't ever lose it.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: General Battuta on June 19, 2009, 04:01:18 pm
It's not that I'm calling him a liar - I'm simply saying that the drugs should not be prescribed to him in the first place.  The sad fact is that a lot of GPs (in particular) cave to parents' demands and whip out the prescription pad because they don't have any psychology training.

Yes, this was my interpretation of your points. Sorry if it came across the wrong way.
Title: Re: Suicidal people seem to have a sense of humor.
Post by: Nuke on June 20, 2009, 08:13:29 am
hahaha, that graphic is totally awesome. i wish i lived in san francisco. :D