Suicide- Should it be discussed openly.

moe_sizlak

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

I don't agree with this. It assumes that the problem is temporary.

+1 , its just another banal cliche usually uttered by those who have never had any experience with the issue

rebel girl 15

Piste wrote: »

Do the 3 Ts stand for Turning The Tide? I can never figure out what they stand for

Yeah - the full title of the organisation is Turning the Tide on Suicide.

Cianos

I haven't read the full thread so apologies if this has already been addressed, but I am going to suggest that maybe broader coverage and discussion of suicide is not actually a good thing.

For people on the verge of committing the act, hearing of another who has committed suicide may be like a way of finding encouragement to follow through with killing themselves.

Malcolm Gladwell covers this issue in his book "The Tipping Point". He argues that suicide is another form of trends, that because our behaviour is greatly influenced by our peers, for something so extreme as killing oneself, hearing that someone else has already committed the act takes the pioneering element out of it can give you a little push in that direction - it's easier to follow than lead.

You could compare it to people waiting to cross the road at the traffic lights, waiting for the green man. If one person steps out, more usually follow.

Gladwell address the suicides that happened in Micronesia;

One of the things I explore in the book is that ideas can be contagious in exactly the same way that a virus is. One chapter, for example, deals with the very strange epidemic of teenage suicide in the South Pacific islands of Micronesia. In the 1970's and 1980's, Micronesia had teen suicide rates ten times higher than anywhere else in the world. Teenagers were literally being infected with the suicide bug, and one after another they were killing themselves in exactly the same way under exactly the same circumstances.

While patterns elsewhere may not be as trend-like as they were in Micronesia, you can be sure there would at least be some elements similar to other places at other times...the sad fact that for those who are considering suicide, the decision becomes that much more likely when there has already been a suicide amongst their peers. This may seem barely relevant on a case by case basis, but when you multiply it up to a whole population, these factors do come in to play.

I'm not saying that suicide should be swept under the carpet. But I don't think it should be pushed further in to the media with extensive coverage of cases that have occurred. There's a balancing act required here between awareness and spectacle.

In any case there needs to be much more open discussion and less stigmatisation of depression and other mental illnesses.

Suicide in Ireland is pretty endemic. I was told by a friend in the army. 1 batallion on the irish army lost 4 soldiers to suicide in the last
month.

grenache

Might get slated for this, but i wouldn't blame anyone for taking their own life. Some people genuinely can't be helped, whether through cirmcumstances beyond their own control or other outside factors.

Snowie

I would of thaought the problem isnt talking about sucide.. thats a last resort... Its gettting it into the people who do atempt sucide that there are people to talk to.

Raze_them_all

The sad truth is that if women in Ireland were commiting suicide as men it would be a major pandemic and openly talked about.

deadhead13

grenache wrote: »

Might get slated for this, but i wouldn't blame anyone for taking their own life. Some people genuinely can't be helped, whether through cirmcumstances beyond their own control or other outside factors.

More often then not there are underlying mental health issues, which are treatable. The taboo of admitting to others that you have problems and seeking help is the real issue. There are always alternative options to the one of taking your own live.

grenache

deadhead13 wrote: »

More often then not there are underlying mental health issues, which are treatable. The taboo of admitting to others that you have problems and seeking help is the real issue. There are always alternative options to the one of taking your own live.

Not always. Some people cannot be helped, some refuse it or do not want to be helped. A friend of mine has tried killing himself twice in 5 years, even though he has gone to several councellors and even completed a course of hypno-therapy. According to him, nothing has changed. Although i would miss him terribly if he did take his own life, maybe we should just accept that for some people, this world is an unbearable place to live in. I would rather him be at peace than see him continually suffer as he does.

deadhead13

grenache wrote: »

Not always. Some people cannot be helped, some refuse it or do not want to be helped. A friend of mine has tried killing himself twice in 5 years, even though he has gone to several councellors and even completed a course of hypno-therapy. According to him, nothing has changed. Although i would miss him terribly if he did take his own life, maybe we should just accept that for some people, this world is an unbearable place to live in. I would rather him be at peace than see him continually suffer as he does.

I understand what you are saying and thats why I said "more often than not". My attitude would be your friend is still alive therefore there is still hope - things might turn around for him.

brendansmith

I should be talkied about but approached delicately

hello932

Yes is my answer to the opening question.

To be honest i find daily life in Ireland challenging enough-building on a points made earlier I find that people in general are really just there for their own sake. It seems that most people are only interested in your use to them and nothing else. There is a clear lack of societal unity and it is this discord that increases the likelihood of suicide. If someone dies by suicide, this suicide is only relevant people who knew this person. Sadly this is the society that Ireland is today.

To be honest i found myself very depressed a few years ago and I tried to do it. No one helped me bar my family. Most of my friends or lack thereof were no where to be seen. I found myself waiting for a crappy public counselor and after this a string of paid therapists, none of which really helped me. What really pisses me off is that the whole superficial d4 culture that exists here and how it permeates Irish society. I was born here, went to primary, secondary and third level education. Everyone one i know bar about 2 people is a blatant asshole. Seriously why is it that at a very basic level no one cares about anyone else? even basic thank you's and excuse me's when you bump into someone by accident are just not present in this
culture.

hello932

Oh i forget to mention, when i was very depressed one thing that did help me considerably was going to Aware's lecture series http://www.aware.ie/lectures.php . Granted i would only recommend this if the topic of the lecture is relevant to you but i personally found that being in a room with people either directly or indirectly affected by depression helped me feel less alone and stigmatized. I cannot stress this enough.

DagneyTaggart

I think increased social interaction and a positive frame of mind should be what's talked about more. The direction is the difference here. One is saying don't go in a negative direction; the other says to go in a positive direction and is supported by strenghtening communities by increasing interaction.

Talking, even if it is coated in pain and sadness, is better than no-one talking at all, though. A problem shared etc.

I was told something too. When in conversation with someone in a depressed state of mind and who are talking of the subject, ask them is it their life that's bothering them or this stage of their life. Usually it's this stage and this might help them to see a brighter and happier future ahead.