FA+
Shop
What suicide is to me
6 years ago
My musings

“There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.”
-Tennessee Williams
Suicide is defined as killing oneself, by any means, intentionally.
I have a friend whose name shall remain omitted except for the initials "A.C.L". I'll call him AC. AC has been ill mentally for as long as he can remember and I suppose this fact has gotten me to thinking more than once. Suicide and mental illness, not just depression or bipolar disorder, has been a curse in this country for countless millions. Even in other countries since the beginning of time, it has been a cross to bear. It seems like it's something that, in my opinion, has no easy fix. Medication causes problems just as it allegedly fixes them. I say allegedly because some say their meds work. Others disagree. The half-life of a great deal of medications is just lousy.
Growing up, I was a significant amount of medications and I can tell you that I could fill an old-timey mason jar (the brown and tan ones that moonshine used to be in) with ONE pill each of all the pills ive taken to deal with everything from adhd, to Tourette syndrome to obsessive compulsive disorder. Anxiety. Things of that nature. I was lucky enough to outgrow most of it and now I can live a halfway decent life. My friend AC was and is not so lucky.
The medical and mental health care in this country is abysmal. Nurses and doctors (but more commonly nurses) are over-worked, under-paid and under-appreciated. My twin-sister, younger sister, aunt and mother are all nurses. I have heard stories. I have also met my fair share of "well, if i must..." nurses. I have had experiences with medical staff where had it been just a smidgen more serious, i would have died while the staff only accused me of "faking it". The mental health in this country charges exorbitant rates because they are set by insurance companies. According to billadvocates.com, "Medical bills push more people into bankruptcy than all other financial hardships combined."
The sad part is that what I hear from AC is that doctors (namely, psychiatrists) will "listen", offer no constructive help, push pills on you and reschedule you for another meeting in the future. The money is compelling but not the healing of the patient. Why should they be healed or helped? If they continue to suffer, they will continue to come back and continue to spend money (insurance money or not) which is like saying, concerning dating a woman, "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" A similar analogy applies to the patient. Why heal. what you can continue to milk? It's like selling a cow instead of just milking her and selling the milk.
It's a sad fact that money runs this country and people merely go into the streets and die. They kill themselves because they feel like the country, their doctors and nearly everyone else has failed them. It's better to die and end the pain than to continue.
The following is a re-print from www.thekimfoundation.org :
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders include major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder.
The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years.
Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
Suicide
In 2004, 32,439 (approximately 11 per 100,000) people died by suicide in the U.S.7
More than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental disorder, most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.
The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over age 85.
Four times as many men as women die by suicide; however, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men.
Schizophrenia
Approximately 2.4 million American adults, or about 1.1 percent of the population age 18 and older in a given year, have schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency.
Schizophrenia often first appears in men in their late teens or early twenties. In contrast, women are generally affected in their twenties or early thirties.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders or substance abuse.
Most people with one anxiety disorder also have another anxiety disorder. Nearly three-quarters of those with an anxiety disorder will have their first episode by age 21.5.
Panic Disorder
Approximately 6 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 2.7 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have panic disorder.
Panic disorder typically develops in early adulthood (median age of onset is 24), but the age of onset extends throughout adulthood.
About one in three people with panic disorder develops agoraphobia, a condition in which the individual becomes afraid of being in any place or situation where escape might be difficult or help unavailable in the event of a panic attack.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Approximately 2.2 million American adults age 18 and older, or about 1.0 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have OCD.
The first symptoms of OCD often begin during childhood or adolescence, however, the median age of onset is 19.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Approximately 7.7 million American adults age 18 and older, or about 3.5 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have PTSD.
PTSD can develop at any age, including childhood, but research shows that the median age of onset is 23 years.
About 19 percent of Vietnam veterans experienced PTSD at some point after the war. The disorder also frequently occurs after violent personal assaults such as rape, mugging, or domestic violence; terrorism; natural or human-caused disasters; and accidents.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Approximately 6.8 million American adults, or about 3.1 percent of people age 18 and over, have GAD in a given year.
GAD can begin across the life cycle, though the median age of onset is 31 years old.
Social Phobia
Approximately 15 million American adults age 18 and over, or about 6.8 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have social phobia.
Social phobia begins in childhood or adolescence, typically around 13 years of age.
Eating Disorders
The three main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
Females are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder are male.
In their lifetime, an estimated 0.5 percent to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia, and an estimated 1.1 percent to 4.2 percent suffer from bulimia.
Community surveys have estimated that between 2 percent and 5 percent of Americans experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month period.
The mortality rate among people with anorexia has been estimated at 0.56 percent per year, or approximately 5.6 percent per decade, which is about 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all causes of death among females ages 15-24 in the general population.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, also affects an estimated 4.1 percent of adults, ages 18-44, in a given year.
ADHD usually becomes evident in preschool or early elementary years. The median age of onset of ADHD is seven years, although the disorder can persist into adolescence and occasionally into adulthood.
Autism
Autism is part of a group of disorders called autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), also known as pervasive developmental disorders. ASDs range in severity, with autism being the most debilitating form while other disorders, such as Asperger syndrome, produce milder symptoms.
Estimating the prevalence of autism is difficult and controversial due to differences in the ways that cases are identified and defined, differences in study methods, and changes in diagnostic criteria. A recent study reported the prevalence of autism in 3-10 year-olds to be about 3.4 cases per 1000 children.
Autism and other ASDs develop in childhood and generally are diagnosed by age three.
Autism is about four times more common in boys than girls. Girls with the disorder, however, tend to have more severe symptoms and greater cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer's Disease
AD affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. The number of Americans with AD has more than doubled since 1980.
AD is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older.
Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 65. One in 10 individuals over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 are affected. Rare, inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease can strike individuals as early as their 30s and 40s.
From the time of diagnosis, people with AD survive about half as long as those of similar age without dementia.
_________________________________________________________________
As you can see from the above article, mental health is a serious thing! Gun violence in this country by the mentally ill will not be stopped by taking guns away. They will merely find alternative weapons to use against the "innocent".
Ultimately, unless we reform the mental health establishment and also the medical establishment, we will not stop killing ourselves and others.
To put it into perspective, the the Washington Post says that mental health is not responsible for gun violence. The killers are "ruthless sociopaths". However if anyone is at all versed or experienced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, they would know how effective it is in "re-wiring" the brain to make people less violent and to better enable them to make adult and responsible decisions. How then is sociopathy not a mental disorder? Are they born that way? Is it genetic as their hair color? No? Then its mental health. Just like habitually destructive behavior is learned or acquired, so too is sociopathy and can be "cured" by proper therapy. It's just a thought.
I'm not sure how to fix this entirely but we need to start looking at better ways than hiding under the covers and saying the sky isn't falling and we'll be fine. We wont. The roman empire went down because they thought everything was fine. Now they're barely spoken of except in entertainment purposes. Should America be next?
“There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.”
-Tennessee Williams
Suicide is defined as killing oneself, by any means, intentionally.
I have a friend whose name shall remain omitted except for the initials "A.C.L". I'll call him AC. AC has been ill mentally for as long as he can remember and I suppose this fact has gotten me to thinking more than once. Suicide and mental illness, not just depression or bipolar disorder, has been a curse in this country for countless millions. Even in other countries since the beginning of time, it has been a cross to bear. It seems like it's something that, in my opinion, has no easy fix. Medication causes problems just as it allegedly fixes them. I say allegedly because some say their meds work. Others disagree. The half-life of a great deal of medications is just lousy.
Growing up, I was a significant amount of medications and I can tell you that I could fill an old-timey mason jar (the brown and tan ones that moonshine used to be in) with ONE pill each of all the pills ive taken to deal with everything from adhd, to Tourette syndrome to obsessive compulsive disorder. Anxiety. Things of that nature. I was lucky enough to outgrow most of it and now I can live a halfway decent life. My friend AC was and is not so lucky.
The medical and mental health care in this country is abysmal. Nurses and doctors (but more commonly nurses) are over-worked, under-paid and under-appreciated. My twin-sister, younger sister, aunt and mother are all nurses. I have heard stories. I have also met my fair share of "well, if i must..." nurses. I have had experiences with medical staff where had it been just a smidgen more serious, i would have died while the staff only accused me of "faking it". The mental health in this country charges exorbitant rates because they are set by insurance companies. According to billadvocates.com, "Medical bills push more people into bankruptcy than all other financial hardships combined."
The sad part is that what I hear from AC is that doctors (namely, psychiatrists) will "listen", offer no constructive help, push pills on you and reschedule you for another meeting in the future. The money is compelling but not the healing of the patient. Why should they be healed or helped? If they continue to suffer, they will continue to come back and continue to spend money (insurance money or not) which is like saying, concerning dating a woman, "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" A similar analogy applies to the patient. Why heal. what you can continue to milk? It's like selling a cow instead of just milking her and selling the milk.
It's a sad fact that money runs this country and people merely go into the streets and die. They kill themselves because they feel like the country, their doctors and nearly everyone else has failed them. It's better to die and end the pain than to continue.
The following is a re-print from www.thekimfoundation.org :
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders include major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder.
The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years.
Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
Suicide
In 2004, 32,439 (approximately 11 per 100,000) people died by suicide in the U.S.7
More than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental disorder, most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.
The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over age 85.
Four times as many men as women die by suicide; however, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men.
Schizophrenia
Approximately 2.4 million American adults, or about 1.1 percent of the population age 18 and older in a given year, have schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency.
Schizophrenia often first appears in men in their late teens or early twenties. In contrast, women are generally affected in their twenties or early thirties.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders or substance abuse.
Most people with one anxiety disorder also have another anxiety disorder. Nearly three-quarters of those with an anxiety disorder will have their first episode by age 21.5.
Panic Disorder
Approximately 6 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 2.7 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have panic disorder.
Panic disorder typically develops in early adulthood (median age of onset is 24), but the age of onset extends throughout adulthood.
About one in three people with panic disorder develops agoraphobia, a condition in which the individual becomes afraid of being in any place or situation where escape might be difficult or help unavailable in the event of a panic attack.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Approximately 2.2 million American adults age 18 and older, or about 1.0 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have OCD.
The first symptoms of OCD often begin during childhood or adolescence, however, the median age of onset is 19.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Approximately 7.7 million American adults age 18 and older, or about 3.5 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have PTSD.
PTSD can develop at any age, including childhood, but research shows that the median age of onset is 23 years.
About 19 percent of Vietnam veterans experienced PTSD at some point after the war. The disorder also frequently occurs after violent personal assaults such as rape, mugging, or domestic violence; terrorism; natural or human-caused disasters; and accidents.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Approximately 6.8 million American adults, or about 3.1 percent of people age 18 and over, have GAD in a given year.
GAD can begin across the life cycle, though the median age of onset is 31 years old.
Social Phobia
Approximately 15 million American adults age 18 and over, or about 6.8 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have social phobia.
Social phobia begins in childhood or adolescence, typically around 13 years of age.
Eating Disorders
The three main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
Females are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder are male.
In their lifetime, an estimated 0.5 percent to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia, and an estimated 1.1 percent to 4.2 percent suffer from bulimia.
Community surveys have estimated that between 2 percent and 5 percent of Americans experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month period.
The mortality rate among people with anorexia has been estimated at 0.56 percent per year, or approximately 5.6 percent per decade, which is about 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all causes of death among females ages 15-24 in the general population.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, also affects an estimated 4.1 percent of adults, ages 18-44, in a given year.
ADHD usually becomes evident in preschool or early elementary years. The median age of onset of ADHD is seven years, although the disorder can persist into adolescence and occasionally into adulthood.
Autism
Autism is part of a group of disorders called autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), also known as pervasive developmental disorders. ASDs range in severity, with autism being the most debilitating form while other disorders, such as Asperger syndrome, produce milder symptoms.
Estimating the prevalence of autism is difficult and controversial due to differences in the ways that cases are identified and defined, differences in study methods, and changes in diagnostic criteria. A recent study reported the prevalence of autism in 3-10 year-olds to be about 3.4 cases per 1000 children.
Autism and other ASDs develop in childhood and generally are diagnosed by age three.
Autism is about four times more common in boys than girls. Girls with the disorder, however, tend to have more severe symptoms and greater cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer's Disease
AD affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. The number of Americans with AD has more than doubled since 1980.
AD is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older.
Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 65. One in 10 individuals over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 are affected. Rare, inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease can strike individuals as early as their 30s and 40s.
From the time of diagnosis, people with AD survive about half as long as those of similar age without dementia.
_________________________________________________________________
As you can see from the above article, mental health is a serious thing! Gun violence in this country by the mentally ill will not be stopped by taking guns away. They will merely find alternative weapons to use against the "innocent".
Ultimately, unless we reform the mental health establishment and also the medical establishment, we will not stop killing ourselves and others.
To put it into perspective, the the Washington Post says that mental health is not responsible for gun violence. The killers are "ruthless sociopaths". However if anyone is at all versed or experienced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, they would know how effective it is in "re-wiring" the brain to make people less violent and to better enable them to make adult and responsible decisions. How then is sociopathy not a mental disorder? Are they born that way? Is it genetic as their hair color? No? Then its mental health. Just like habitually destructive behavior is learned or acquired, so too is sociopathy and can be "cured" by proper therapy. It's just a thought.
I'm not sure how to fix this entirely but we need to start looking at better ways than hiding under the covers and saying the sky isn't falling and we'll be fine. We wont. The roman empire went down because they thought everything was fine. Now they're barely spoken of except in entertainment purposes. Should America be next?
