Terminally ill 16-year-old takes his anti-suicide campaign to RTE

FLCL · 06-04-2013 12:43AM #1

Saw this article on independent.ie earlier and was frankly a little disturbed, http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/terminally-ill-16yearold-takes-his-antisuicide-campaign-to-rte-29176645.html (Not sure if linking is allowed mod?)

To summarize, this guy is terminally ill and feels "anger" towards young people who commit suicide or are considering it. As someone with a family member suffering depression, I find this kind of message he's giving out quite unhelpful (despite his good intentions) and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding (by HSE and RTE for allowing this to go out tomorrow) of the complexity of mental illness, depression and suicide.

It reminds me of the "ahh sure cop on to yourself, there's always someone worse off" treatment. If you present yourself to a doctor/counselor/psychologist with depression they will not start off by telling you how there's starving children in Bolivia so get over your depression, and I am highly skeptical as to the benefits of a terminally ill boy's opinions and criticisms of an illness - the treatment of which he likely knows nothing about, on national TV will do.

Lines like this particularly grind my gears: "I feel angry that these people choose to take their lives, to ruin their families and to leave behind a mess that no one can clean up," he added.

Any thoughts / opinions?

Bipolar Joe · 06-04-2013 12:45AM

FLCL is a great show, recommend it before you top yourself.

06-04-2013 12:45AM

Being terminally ill doesn't mean that someone can't still be an unempathetic ass. And most 16 year olds are unempathetics asses.

Wacker The Attacker · 06-04-2013 12:46AM

I think he's a little naive

Ihatecuddles-old · 06-04-2013 12:48AM

I think he's young and life has been unfair to him. He's speaking about something he doesn't fully understand.

I'm sure it will hurt a lot of people, to learn of this boy's situation and how he views suicide. I think everyone knows someone who's taken their own life.

LizT · 06-04-2013 12:52AM

I think it's an incredibly naive view to take. I can see why he thinks like that, it must be horrendous (to say the least) to be diagnosed with a terminal illness so young. It doesn't mean he should be able to judge those who think about committing suicide, it stigmatizes mental health issues even more.

VanishingActs · 06-04-2013 12:52AM

I had a friend who got cancer at 15 and she had this attitude towards suicide, despite the fact that she had been suicidal due to depression before she got ill. I can absolutely understood having your view of life changed due to something as life altering as cancer but it made me sad to see her lose sympathy for people she used to very much relate to.

She passed away at 17 and I think she had every right to be angry that other people got to keep living, but it just saddened me that she acted like that towards people who were also struggling with illnesses- a mental illness is just as real as cancer.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 06-04-2013 12:52AM

Still a bit crude, though. Perhaps someone should sit him down and talk to him about the causes of suicide and what it's actually like to be depressed or isolated (the later being something, I'm assuming, he has never experienced).

WOCM4 · 06-04-2013 12:53AM

My sympathy for the man , but he does not have carte blanche to dictate the 'right' opinion.

WOCM4 · 06-04-2013 12:56AM

Also FUK RTE and their agenda.

tvnutz · 06-04-2013 12:57AM

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

I think he's young and life has been unfair to him. He's speaking about something he doesn't fully understand.

I'm sure it will hurt a lot of people, to learn of this boy's situation and how he views suicide. I think everyone knows someone who's taken their own life.

True,its more RTE's fault for giving him the platform to do this when they should know better, he is just a kid who has been dealt a ****ty hand in life and this has resulted in ill informed views on the subject.

Ten of Swords · 06-04-2013 12:57AM

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

He's speaking about something he doesn't fully understand.

He is angry at his own situation and it has distorted his perspective imo. His comments show a complete lack of empathy towards those feeling at their lowest point, "if they slept on it or looked for help they could find a solution". Remarks like that are obviously well intentioned but unhelpful and would likely be counter productive to anyone feeling desperate enough to consider suicide.

Ihatecuddles-old · 06-04-2013 12:59AM

tvnutz wrote: »

True,its more RTE's fault for giving him the platform to do this when they should know better, he is just a kid who has been dealt a ****ty hand in life and this has resulted in ill informed views on the subject.

Couldn't agree more. It will be an interesting show. Some of the comments after the article are awful.

One person compared him to people who 'just give up'.

jank · 06-04-2013 01:00AM

I suppose he is presenting the tough love approach which doesn't go down too well with many in this over sensitive society. If he makes one person sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad which stops them taking their own life then what is the harm in that?

Ten of Swords · 06-04-2013 01:02AM

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

One person compared him to people who 'just give up'.

That comment was disgraceful, I wonder what it's original content was considering it has already been edited by the moderator

LizT · 06-04-2013 01:03AM

jank wrote: »

I suppose he is presenting the tough love approach which doesn't go down too well with many in this over sensitive society. If he makes one person sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad which stops them taking their own life then what is the harm in that?

Tough love is not a treatment for clinical depression.

December2012 · 06-04-2013 01:03AM

He's not saying depression isn't real or treatable. The answer which a lot of children take is to commit suicide. It's an extreme action to take.
and it's not necessary.

Ihatecuddles-old · 06-04-2013 01:04AM

jank wrote: »

I suppose he is presenting the tough love approach which doesn't go down too well with many in this over sensitive society. If he makes one person sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad which stops them taking their own life then what is the harm in that?

Suicidal thoughts are not going to go away by a 16 year old telling you to cop on.

December2012 · 06-04-2013 01:05AM

And can you imagine being 16 and preparing your family for death like this brave child is doing?

nervous_twitch · 06-04-2013 01:06AM

jank wrote: »

If he makes one person sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad which stops them taking their own life then what is the harm in that?

I can nearly guarantee you that anyone genuinely struggling with depression is not going to 'sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad.'

Turtwig · 06-04-2013 01:06AM

His situation is horrible, but somebody needs to explain to him that some people go through a life longer than his and suffer far far more. Sometimes needlessly too and his type of argument or "campaign" will only serve to increase that number of people. Episodes like this demonstrate that we have a very long way to go towards dealing with mental health issues.

December2012 · 06-04-2013 01:06AM

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

Suicidal thoughts are not going to go away by a 16 year old telling you to cop on.

Which is probably why he doesn't say it - he says there are other options.

Which there are.

WOCM4 · 06-04-2013 01:08AM

If ONLY life was that simple.

I used to think like this chap. When I was 16.

Life cant hurt you in such a manner of ways unknown to most teens.

He has more balls and dignity than me but still...

06-04-2013 01:09AM

jank wrote: »

I suppose he is presenting the tough love approach which doesn't go down too well with many in this over sensitive society. If he makes one person sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad which stops them taking their own life then what is the harm in that?

How's your psychology Masters going?

ForeverYoung90 · 06-04-2013 01:12AM

December2012 wrote: »

Which is probably why he doesn't say it - he says there are other options.

Which there are.

Exactly he is not saying to simply "cop on",all these posters are being smart asses calling this dying young boy naive.Bigging themselves up they are.He is saying that if you are feeling depressed that you should turn to someone for help and not take the rash option.Read the full article before posting please.

KuriousOranj · 06-04-2013 01:13AM

Naive in the extreme,as is to be expected from a lad of his age.Should never have been given a platform to express his ill thought out views.

Desperate stuff from RTE,as usual.

WOCM4 · 06-04-2013 01:13AM

Reminds me of some study I read/saw/made up;

Researchers asked a bunch of octogenarians if they could would they live life all over again?

I think it was 15% said yes.

The rest welcomed the end and they had defiantly had enough and no way would they do it again.

Its a funny old game.

ForeverYoung90 · 06-04-2013 01:15AM

WOCM4 wrote: »

Reminds me of some study I read/saw/made up;

Researchers asked a bunch of octogenarians if they could would they live life all over again?

I think it was 15% said yes.

The rest welcomed the end and they had defiantly had enough and no way would they do it again.

Its a funny old game.

octogenarians
Noun:
A person who is from 80 to 89 years old.:cool: cheers google

KuriousOranj · 06-04-2013 01:19AM

ForeverYoung90 wrote: »

Exactly he is not saying to simply "cop on",all these posters are being smart asses calling this dying young boy naive.Bigging themselves up they are.He is saying that if you are feeling depressed that you should turn to someone for help and not take the rash option.Read the full article before posting please.

So he thinks people that commit suicide don't think they can turn to family/friends for help?Of course they know they can,I knew I could when I slashed my wrists 3 years ago.People who commit suicide are at such a low ebb that they don't think they're life is worth anything,and that they shouldn't bother making themselves more of a burden on friends and family.Of course this lad is being naive.

jank · 06-04-2013 01:20AM

LizT wrote: »

Tough love is not a treatment for clinical depression.

There is no silver bullet out there for depression.

jank · 06-04-2013 01:21AM

nervous_twitch wrote: »

I can nearly guarantee you that anyone genuinely struggling with depression is not going to 'sit up and take notice that life isn't all that bad.'

No you cannot.

Terminally ill 16-year-old takes his anti-suicide campaign to RTE

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