History UsefulNotes / Suicide

** [[HitlerAteSugar Hilter killed himself]], so anyone who does so is a Nazi? I'm not sure that I like where that reasoning leads...

** [[HumansAreBastards The world was never meant for one as beautiful as him]]...

** A generation later, more famously, Mark Anthony committed suicide in the aftermath of his crushing defeat at the Battle of Actium, his lover Cleopatra following him to the grave not long afterwards.

* Ex-HotScoop [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Chubbuck Christine "Chris" Chubbuck]] commited suicide by shooting herself ''on the air'' in TheSeventies. The damage wasn't nearly as severe as [[YourHeadASplode head explosions]] or PinkMist, as those in the studio thought [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt it was]] [[DudeNotFunny a tasteless prank]]... [[NightmareFuelUnleaded until they realized it wasn't.]] Poor Christine died some hours later.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]] arguably killed himself after former "friends" were threatening to go public about his homosexuality.

* [[KidsAreCruel School bullies]] drive their victims to suicide so often that there's a specific term for it: "bullycide." Just part of growing up...right?
** Also has spread to the internet in places like MySpace, where some people are hounded and tormented by other people to the point where they announce their plans to kill themselves and their tormentors ''cheer them on''. There has been one case that made the news where a teenage girl was harassed over and over again over a personal issue in her life and she killed herself. It was revealed that the tormentor was an adult woman who knew the girl in person and didn't like her.
*** Let's get the name of the heartless, cruel adult out in the open here: Lori Drew is the name of the cruel monster who got Megan Meier to kill herself. Because Megan and Lori's daughter were having a typical teenaged spat. Megan was just ''thirteen''; her adult tormentor was obviously a ''lot'' older. And she got lured in by a fake profile set up to fool her into thinking a boy was interested in her. There are no words...

* France Télécom employees : 46 have commited suicide from January 2008 to April 2010, due to a management style based on permanent harassment and stress.

* [[http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=being-suicidal-what-it-feels-like-t-2010-10-20 A useful article]] on what it feels like to want to committ suicide.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Adolf_Hitler#Suicide Perhaps the only time to win an argument by using]] [[GodwinsLaw Godwin's Law]]
* The award winning photojournalist Kevin Carter (who was the subject of the ManicStreetPreachers song of the same name) killed himself due to the many [[HumansAreBastards horrific things]] he had [[CreatorBreakdown seen and photographed]] over the years.

* The award winning photojournalist Kevin Carter (who was the subject of the ManicStreetPreachers song of the same name) killed himself due to the many [HumansAreBastards horrific things]] he had [[CreatorBreakdown seen and photographed]] over the years.

* More about the Werther Effect: After German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (mentioned above), young men who were deeply affected by the novel because of its subject manner (a young man in unrequited love with a beautiful young woman who was attached to a much older man) would visit Goethe and confess their own unrequited loves to him, then they'd depart and commit suicide. "Copycat suicides" from that book got sufficiently out of hand that Goethe prefaced the second edition with the text, "Be a man, and do not follow me!"

* More about the Werther Effect: After German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (mentioned above), young men who were deeply affected by the novel because of its subject manner (a young man in unrequited love with a beautiful young woman who was attached to a much older man) would visit Goethe and confess their own unrequited loves to him, then they'd depart and commit suicide.

* Mitchell Henderson became an infamous MemeticMutation ("an hero") by committing suicide after his [=iPod=] got stolen.

** [[http://reason.com/blog/2009/10/06/is-french-capitalism-causing-m A somewhat facetious and unsympathetic look]] at the phenomenon by the people at Reason Magazine draws this conclusion.

* In WorldWarII, the Japanese government deliberately frightened the civilian populations, most notably in Okinawa, about the supposed atrocities that the Allies would inflict should they take their islands to the point where many committed suicide.

* '''Men are serious when they attempt suicide, but women are only doing it for attention or as a cry for help.''' Every single suicide due to depression is a cry for help. The truth is that men tend to use more violent methods of suicide that are more likely to be successful, both because they have greater access to more violent methods and because they simply don't care about the mess they leave behind. They may even glory in causing a mess as a "take that" to whoever has to clean it up - their wives, the police, etc. Women, on the other hand, tend to use drugs or knives, methods that are much less likely to be successful but also much less likely to make a huge mess. Unfortunately, the belief that men are serious while women are only looking for attention can be found in some older professional handbooks, and has led many to think that a man who attempts suicide is worthy of assistance, while a woman who attempts suicide is just an over-emotional attention whore who needs to be ignored or belittled so she "doesn't learn from the attention to do it again". (It is true that women attempt suicide more often than men but men succeed more often, but it's not 100 women attempting suicide once to every 20 men who attempt suicide once: it's 20 women attempting suicide five times each for every 20 men who attempt suicide once.)

* Two other 20th century writers that committed suicide, bdesides Hemmingway: SylviaPlath and AnneSexton. SylviaPlath killed herself by inhaling the fumes from a gas oven after her husband, fellow poet Ted Hughes, cheated on her and left her for another woman (Assia Wevill, who six years later committed suicide in the same way). AnneSexton suffocated in carbon monoxide in her garage while wearing her mother's coat--after ''years'' of mental illness, blaming herself for her mother's cancer, and feeling responsible for her divorce in 1971.

*** Let's get the name of the heartless, cruel adult out in the open here: Lori Drew is the name of the cruel monster who got Megan Meier to kill herself. Because Megan and Lori's daughter were having a typical teenaged spat. Megan was just ''thirteen''; her adult tormentor was obviously a ''lot'' older. And she got lured in by a fake profile set up to fool her into thinking a boy was interested in her. [[CompleteMonster There are no words....]]

!!some RealLife stories

* During the Wall Street Crash (24 Oct - 29 Oct '29) the suicide rate, especially among stockbrokers, [[{{Understatement}} rose]].
** The current economic crisis has driven several people to suicide (including the CFO of [=FreddieMac=]), only now they're taking people with them.

* ErnestHemingway.
** Two other 20th century writers that committed suicide: SylviaPlath and AnneSexton. SylviaPlath killed herself by inhaling the fumes from a gas oven after her husband, fellow poet Ted Hughes, cheated on her and left her for another woman (Assia Wevill, who six years later committed suicide in the same way). AnneSexton suffocated in carbon monoxide in her garage while wearing her mother's coat--after ''years'' of mental illness, blaming herself for her mother's cancer, and feeling responsible for her divorce in 1971.

** Michael Dorris.

* Voice actress Mary Kay Bergman.

* Voice actor DaisukeGouri killed himself by cutting his wrists open in Nagano in January 2010.

* Various employees of Foxconn in China, in early 2010.

* Including the young man in the news story above, at this writing, 6 gay teens across the United States have taken their own lives in the past week. For every LGBT kid who commits suicide, another 20 try.

* Photographer Francesca Woodman jumped out of a loft window in 1981, at the age of 22. Her suicide was most likely caused by a failed relationship and her work.
* It has happened way too often at MIT.

'''Warning: Although this page has some very helpful information on the subject of suicide, beware the possibility of emotional triggers before you read it.'''

1-800-273-8255 American Suicide Prevention Hotline

+81 (0) 6 4395 4343 Suicide Prevention Centre, Osaka

1-800-273-8255 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-273-8255      end_of_the_skype_highlighting American Suicide Prevention Hotline

1-800-273-8255 American Suicide Prevention Hotline

To those who only know the media portrayals (which are greatly watered-down, particularly the physical side of depression), seeing what a genuinely depressed person would look and act like would be a huge shock, and most sufferers are understandable in their refusal to let loved ones into the actual therapy sessions. This means that there is a great need for trust on both sides--friends and loved ones must let the sufferer go to therapy alone and trust that they are progressing, even if they aren't always told everything. The sufferer in turn has to let go of their need to hide emotions or shield loved ones, even from minor things, and know that they will have support in the areas that count.

But even in Western societies, the stigma around depression is such that sufferers will ''not'' ask for help immediately; occasionally, they will even insist that they feel normal and [[DontYouDarePityMy refuse help if offered]]. Constantly refusing help despite evidence that they need it is as much of a warning sign as asking for it: If someone suspects that their friend or loved one is feeling any sort of distress, they should keep offering help no matter how often the person refuses. It is ''extremely'' important that family and friends remain as supportive as possible, because the person is already under considerable mental stress--giving up on them may reinforce or even cause feelings of worthlessness, and suicide may be more likely than if they'd never gotten help in the first place.

Despite what many works may lead you to believe, suicide is a serious and extremely sensitive topic even with teenagers--the trouble is sorting out the hormonal and {{Wangst}}-ridden teens from the ones who are genuinely suffering. This can be hard to do since many have no knowledge of psychology, and the warning signs are [[GoodbyeCruelWorld much more nuanced]] and [[DrivenToSuicide variable]] than what the media portrays. The pervasive mishandling of the issue, especially by Hollywood, leads to many deaths that could have been prevented if the proper measures had been taken. However, this page is not the end-all guide to diagnosis: This will merely debunk the common misconceptions surrounding suicide, as well as shed light on the reasons for them.

It should be noted that depression is by far the leading reason behind suicide, which is why this page also discusses the symptoms of depression. This makes it even harder for average people to differentiate between the two, but whether the person is actually suicidal does not make their condition any less serious: If left untreated, a depressed person may consider suicide anyway if they believe that nobody cares enough to confront them about it.

But even in Western societies, the stigma around depression is such that sufferers will ''not'' ask for help immediately; occasionally, they will even insist that they feel normal and refuse help if offered. Constantly refusing help despite evidence that they need it is as much of a warning sign as asking for it: If someone suspects that their friend or loved one is feeling any sort of distress, they should keep offering help no matter how often the person refuses. Moreover, it is ''extremely'' important that family and friends remain as supportive as possible. The person is already under considerable mental stress--giving up on them may reinforce or even cause feelings of worthlessness, and suicide may be more likely than if they'd never gotten help in the first place.

The brains of depression sufferers show significant decreases in seratonin, disturbance of normal sleeping patterns (most often insomnia, but oversleeping is not unheard of), and a decreased immune system. Drug prescriptions to remedy the imbalances generally have good results, but they themselves are not sufficient as a treatment plan; a balanced treatment of depression should involve therapy first, with medication second, and even without the physical recovery of a suicide attempt, it can take from months to several years to fully restore the person to normal.

* '''Men are serious when they attempt suicide, but women are only doing it for attention or as a cry for help.''' Every single suicide due to depression is a cry for help. No exception. The truth is that men tend to use more violent methods of suicide that are more likely to be successful, both because they have greater access to more violent methods and because they simply don't care about the mess they leave behind. They may even glory in causing a mess as a "take that" to whoever has to clean it up - their wives, the police, etc. Women, on the other hand, tend to use drugs or knives, methods that are much less likely to be successful but also much less likely to make a huge mess. Unfortunately, the belief that men are serious while women are only looking for attention can be found in some older professional handbooks, and has led many to think that a man who attempts suicide is worthy of assistance, while a woman who attempts suicide is just a dumb over-emotional attention whore who needs to be ignored or belittled so she "doesn't learn from the attention to do it again". (It is true that women attempt suicide more often than men but men succeed more often, but it's not 100 women attempting suicide once to every 20 men who attempt suicide once: it's 20 women attempting suicide five times each for every 20 men who attempt suicide once.)
* '''It is easy to tell when someone is suicidal.''' It has a basis in fact, as most people become unhappy before attempting suicide, but there are different ways of showing such an emotion and many are not thought as suicidal until someone discovers the body or takes them to the emergency room. This is due to the person believing their existence is unwanted, not revealing their emotions to be less of a burden to others, or denying their feelings in an attempt to make them go away. Finally, they may attempt to work through it themselves or be too proud to accept help, as it is "only in their head." They often force themselves to appear happy, amused, or "normal," in which the only people who could tell the difference are close friends and family members--of which the vast majority do not have medical backgrounds, and thus don't have the training to deal with it appropriately. On the other side, those who ''do'' have family in the medical field may hide their symptoms because "a doctor/nurse/psychologist's kid shouldn't have any problems."

*** In many cases, it's the extent of the depression that prevents suicide attempts. The depressed person simply does not have the motivation to kill themselves. If they improve, the motivation can increase without an improvement in feelings, and the person attempts suicide. [[http://biopsychiatry.com/antidepressants/warnings.html This can prove a problem for those on antidepressants]]

* '''All suicides leave suicide notes, so if a suicide doesn't leave a note either the attempt wasn't serious or it wasn't really suicide.''' Again, utter nonsense. Most suicides don't leave notes. In some countries fewer than one in ten suicides leave notes. It's more common in the US specifically because of media depictions.

* '''Sleeping too much, or being unable to sleep.''' (Known, but may not be recognized as a symptom in itself.) This is frequently due to the chemical imbalances.
* '''[[YourMindMakesItReal Unexplained, frequent aches or pains]] due to the immune system shutting down.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) A variant of this is when minor injuries or illnesses take far too long to heal, such as a cold persisting for a month or scrapes and bruises lasting for days. Those with no medical experience often cannot connect this to depression.
* '''[[EvilIsDeathlyCold Feeling cold in inappropriate weather, or the coldness persisting even in adequate warmth]].''' (Little-known/overlooked.) This may be the reason for the stereotypical depictions of a black-clad "emo" teen, as dark colors absorb and retain heat better than light clothes. It also is one of the most frequently-overlooked symptoms, as wearing sweaters is not unusual in certain climates and even the person in question may not realize that this is a symptom.
*'''Changes in appetite and the subsequent weight gain/loss.''' (Little-known/overlooked.) As stated before, depression is much more than just feeling bad--it involves large-scale physiological changes, and subsequently affects the person's appetite. On the other hand, this can be hard to detect as those with decreased appetite will either remind or force themselves to eat normally, and those with increased appetite may hide the bulk of their overeating. Both sides may play it off as insignificant, or even joke about it to keep people from worrying.

While these are the seven major signs, it is not the case with everyone and there are many more symptoms that may be particular to a specific person. It is also important to realize that suicidal people will rarely admit such a thing, even to themselves--this is already a hard issue to confront, and will almost certainly be complicated by cultural, religious, or personal values.

It should be noted that a great deal of depression and suicide involves appearances and (often) self-imposed pressures: Depression stems from both an inability to express emotions, and the underlying, if warped, desire to protect their loved ones from such "unsafe" or "wrong" emotions. The major issue during therapy is that the ''person'' accepts that they have a problem, they need help, and that the steps for returning to normal are not going to happen right away. Generally, a good therapist will help their client figure most of it out by themselves instead of trying to set deadlines or goals for them. This is also why therapy is overwhelmingly one-on-one or in groups of fellow sufferers, rather than with family members or friends--the emotional involvement would impede the person's progress for a number of reasons.

+81 (0) 6 4395 4343 Suicide Prevention Centre, Osaka

While it is impossible to pin down a single cause of depression, there are many diagnosable symptoms that almost entirely stem from widespread changes in brain activity. Sufferers become either agitated (in the clinical sense; experiencing constant irritation, stress, and anxiety) or lethargic (both mental and physical capabilities are severely diminished), but the common result is that neither are able to feel ''happy'', or even their former baselines of "normal." The brains of depression sufferers show significant decreases in seratonin, disturbance of normal sleeping patterns (most often insomnia, but oversleeping is not unheard of), and a decreased immune system. Drug prescriptions to remedy the imbalances generally have good results, but they themselves are not sufficient as a treatment plan; a balanced treatment of depression should involve therapy first, with medication second, and even without the physical recovery of a suicide attempt, it can take from months to several years to fully restore the person to normal.