US Suicides Spiked 10 Percent After Robin Williams's Death, Study Finds (bbc.com) 245
dryriver shares a report from the BBC: U.S. suicide rates spiked in the months after Robin Williams killed himself in 2014, according to researchers. In the five months after the actor's death there were 10% more suicides than might be expected, or 1,841 extra cases, PLOS One journal reports. The potential risk of copycat incidents after celebrity cases is known to public health bodies. It cannot be known for certain if his death led to the spike but it appeared to be connected, the new study said. Experts say "irresponsible" media coverage of suicides can play a big part in copycat cases. At the time of his death, the Samaritans warned about a large number of news articles giving too much detail about the nature of his suicide, against media guidelines. Guidance from the World Health Organization, the Independent Press Standards Organization's editors' code of practice, the Ofcom broadcasting code and the BBC's editorial guidelines all advise against going into explicit detail about the methods used. However, researchers said there was "substantial evidence" that many media outlets had tended to deviate from these guidelines.
For the latest study, they looked at the monthly suicide rates from the U.S. government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between January 1999 and December 2015 to see if there had been a spike. They found there were 18,690 suicides between August and December 2014 compared with the 16,849 cases they would have expected. In the weeks after Williams's death, there was a "drastic" increase in references to suicide and death in news media reports, as well as more posts on an internet suicide forum researchers monitored, the study found. David Fink, one of the study's authors, from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said research had previously shown that suicide rates increased following a high-profile celebrity suicide, but this was a first time such a study had been done within the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Lorna Fraser, from the Samaritans' media advisory service, said: "This study builds on a strong body of research evidence that shows that irresponsible or overly detailed depictions of suicide can have a devastating impact. In the case of celebrities, the potential for someone at risk to make an emotional connection and over-identify with them is greater, in some cases even to interpret their death as affirmation that they could take their own life."
For the latest study, they looked at the monthly suicide rates from the U.S. government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between January 1999 and December 2015 to see if there had been a spike. They found there were 18,690 suicides between August and December 2014 compared with the 16,849 cases they would have expected. In the weeks after Williams's death, there was a "drastic" increase in references to suicide and death in news media reports, as well as more posts on an internet suicide forum researchers monitored, the study found. David Fink, one of the study's authors, from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said research had previously shown that suicide rates increased following a high-profile celebrity suicide, but this was a first time such a study had been done within the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Lorna Fraser, from the Samaritans' media advisory service, said: "This study builds on a strong body of research evidence that shows that irresponsible or overly detailed depictions of suicide can have a devastating impact. In the case of celebrities, the potential for someone at risk to make an emotional connection and over-identify with them is greater, in some cases even to interpret their death as affirmation that they could take their own life."
The challenge of interpreting signs (Score:5, Insightful)
By our understanding his close family was living and caring, they didn’t expect it. Only when looking back afterwards they realised that he had gradually become more serious.
We wondered it we could have prevented it. Linking back to the article, I feel it is important to indeed not overly detail a celebrity’s suicide and to stress the professional help and counseling that exists. Anything to lower the barrier to seeking out help is welcome.
Re:The challenge of interpreting signs (Score:5, Insightful)
We wondered it we could have prevented it. Linking back to the article, I feel it is important to indeed not overly detail a celebrity’s suicide and to stress the professional help and counseling that exists. Anything to lower the barrier to seeking out help is welcome.
Even if people want to get help, it can be prohibitively expensive. If you want to get more people help then you should be fighting for a national healthcare program.
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Re: The challenge of interpreting signs (Score:3, Interesting)
Suicide hotlines are free and plentiful.
Walking into a hospital saying you want to kill yourself will likely result in medical attention regardless of cost.
If you live in America, you either have so-called Obamacare, Medicare, or private insurance - all three of which provide for free/low co-pay psychiatric care.
But yes, if you want to schedule an hour of story-time each week with a psychiatrist in a downtown office building and explore your parents feelings toward you, yes, it can get expensive.
Re: The challenge of interpreting signs (Score:5, Insightful)
Spoken like a true asshole who doesn't have the slightest fucking clue.
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I have the slightest fucking clue, having been there with family members while on private insurance, medicaid (for the poor, not the elderly, and no insurance.
Each one has hoops to go thru, but care was available, at a cost we could afford.
Although, I am still a true asshole, but I don't see how that's relevant to the other poster's point.
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I have the slightest fucking clue, having been there with family members while on private insurance, medicaid (for the poor, not the elderly, and no insurance.
Feel free to explain how a homeless person with a mental illness is supposed to afford that? It's estimated that 1/3 of the homeless have mental health issues, so this isn't a strawman argument, it's a real problem.
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Treatment is available, but in the US, you cannot treat someone, even for mental issues, against their wishes.
You can only forcibly treat someone if their illness is considered violently dangerous to others.
In my state, the number of homeless on the streets went up a huge amount and has been an out of control problem ever since when the governor closed the mental hospitals.
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You have a partially valid point about American insurance, but you miss the complications of applying (there are plenty of people who qualify for medicaid but don't have it because they haven't been sick yet and can't be bothered). And you miss the middle class and the wealthy -- some people have plenty of money, but still choose not to seek treatment because they don't want to spend money (and many die because of that).
However, your belief that therapy is all useless story time is grossly ignorant. It is i
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Walking into a hospital saying you want to kill yourself will likely result in medical attention regardless of cost.
Sure, but you'll still be on the hook for thousands of dollars. It's not free, they just can't refuse you treatment. Adding a new large debt will surely alleviate the depression and suicidal thoughts!
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Walking into a hospital saying you want to kill yourself will likely result in medical attention regardless of cost.
Sure, but you'll still be on the hook for thousands of dollars. It's not free, they just can't refuse you treatment. Adding a new large debt will surely alleviate the depression and suicidal thoughts!
It's not like you're going to need that money if you slit your wrists. And, if you're destitute, you won't be paying anyway...the hospitals have to suck that up, and it's one of the reasons why we have to pay $30 for an aspirin in an ER, to help pay for those who can't.
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Even if you won't be paying, you'll spend the rest of your life being hounded by the debt you can't pay or at least a few years dealing with bankruptcy troubles. At any rate, suicidal people aren't usually in the most rational frame of mind and will tend not to choose an option so expensive that it appears to remove any hope for their financial future. They'll see it simply as another reason to give up on the future and escape life.
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There's no health care provider called "Obamacare". It's just a combination of Medicare and private insurers.
I cut myself to feel alive (Score:3)
Basically the mentally ill will hurt themselves when they feel an attack
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The long-term suicide rate in the U.S. has been fairly consistent [static-economist.com], while much of the EU's was nearly twice as high in comparison, until it came down in the last three decades. So if there's any correlation to nationalized healthcare, it's negative. There are lots of good arguments for nationalized healthcare, but this isn't one of them.
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I'm just going to point out your interpretation is not what your facts indicate. Seems like as Europe phased in national health care, their suicide rate halved. They may have started with a higher baseline, but that doesn't seem relevant.
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You're seriously positing that Robin Williams committed suicide because he was unable to afford healthcare?
No, don't be ridiculous.
Re:The challenge of interpreting signs (Score:5, Insightful)
We wondered it we could have prevented it.
You? At that time? Probably not.
I once were in a spot like that. Contemplating suicide as a way out. People who call it an 'easy' way out doesn't know what they are talking about and to be frank, they are doing more harm than good.
We are looking for a way out, if it is an easy one or not doesn't matter.
I went so far as to decide on place and method.
Having all this planned gave me enough calm/strength/whatever to find another alternative that happened to work out.
In my case the knowledge that I was in control of whether I live or not is what made me survive.
The whole taboo around suicide and people using all sorts of names to make suicide a shameful thing only does one thing.
It keeps us from discussing this option with other people before we take our lives.
Making suicide legal, providing medical assistance and counseling when it is decided upon and primarily making it accepted to talk about would prevent way more suicides than the current hard stance against it.
VNV Nation - Illusion [youtube.com]
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Not in this reality! Google "Luke, I am Your Father Mandela Effect".
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Fuck that. That's just what the aliens are waiting for, free real estate with no prior legal claim.
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Not to mention, no resistance!
It's also why the Power Elites all push for nuclear disarmament, banning guns *AND* prevent us from having asteroid protection! Along with the international ban from creating space weapon platforms!
Don't want us to be able to defend ourselves, at all!
Population levels and social media (Score:3, Interesting)
I would be curious to know if there is any correlation between an increase in population density and the number of suicides. Also interesting would be suicide rates pre and post social media days.
Thinking about it a knew / know a surprising number of people who have taken that road or attempted to take that road. Most "seemed" normal enough.
It is hard to imagine how people get to the state of overriding their self-preservation instincts.
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I'm confused on why you think it's an example of Simpson's paradox. Care to explain why?
Re:Population levels and social media (Score:5, Interesting)
It is hard to imagine how people get to the state of overriding their self-preservation instincts.
One of the effects of depression is that you start to think negatively about everything, and react negatively to everything. Even when good things happen, your brain automatically sees them in a negative light.
For example, if someone is kind to you, shows some concern, normally you might be happy about that. But when you have depression your mind looks for ways to feel bad about it... Maybe they don't really care, or maybe you feel frustration that you can't tell them how you really feel because it might upset them, or maybe you feel lonely because if they are happy and kind they must not understand you. Your whole world is seen through this lens.
After some time it starts to seem like there is no way back, no way to end the suffering other than death. It starts to look attractive even, a way out and a way to end the pain. After all, animals with serious illnesses or injuries are usually put down so that they don't suffer, and in some countries humans have that right too.
To anyone feeling that way, please know that there is a way back. You can recover and feel okay again. You just need to seek help, and know that there are people out there who understand and genuinely care.
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Yeah, I get the reasoning. I understand on an intellectual level that depression is a sickness and in fact it is actually addictive to the person due to the chemicals produced by your body.
It is just hard, personally, to imagine that I could be in a situation where I would think that death was the favorable outcome. Maybe if I was terminally ill and could only look forward to extreme pain, but even then I doubt my mind would accept there as no hope of somehow pulling through.
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I suppose the other aspect is that you get tired of feeling that way. It's the same with physical pain and illness... Yeah, in theory there might be some breakthrough, you might find a doctor who can help you or make a miracle recovery... But living with it day in, day out for a long time grinds you down.
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The closest I got was when I had partly gotten over depression, and felt it start to worsen again, towards my earlier state. It was really tempting to make absolutely sure I wouldn't be that depressed again.
Re:Population levels and social media (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the "point" of depression. It's not addiction, it's a change in your core personality or state of mind. The basic concept of "things being better" is beyond your comprehension, utterly alien to you. You *know* that you have no future, you *know* that there's no point in anything, you *know* that things can never change because to contemplate otherwise is simply absurd.
And after enough of that, persistent suicidal desires can form and take root. It's the same as any other behavioural change or response to environmental stimuli. Because every day is the same as the previous day - pointless and full of reminders of everything that's gone wrong and that everything will continue to go wrong forever more.
Whenever a truck passes you on the road, you're silently wishing that it would swerve and paste you over the floor. Whenever you go to bed, you're hoping that you simply don't wake up tomorrow. And when this never happens (because sudden accidental death is relatively unlikely in modern society), you dream about just getting the damn thing done yourself. Interestingly enough, depression serves to actively impede this process because its main externally noticeable symptom is to obliterate your interest, motivation and ability to concentrate on anything - including the one remaining thing that you may actively desire at this point (death).
Re:Population levels and social media (Score:4, Informative)
As someone who used to battle suicidal thoughts for years let me offer some perspective.
For a long time there was a single thought that would go through my mind - almost constantly, even when I wasn't really *feeling* depressed. The thought was of stabbing myself in the chest or stomach with a large kitchen knife or cutting myself in a way which would kill me.
The reason I am putting an * around the word feeling is because I wasn't always self-aware of my deeply depressed state.. Actually, there were times I would even feel euphoric but yet that thought of inflicting such injuries upon myself would constantly go through my mind. By constantly, I mean every few minutes (if not every few seconds).
The thought was that this act would release me - that it would give me a sense of relief. I am not surprised that some people give in to this senseless feeling.
For myself, I escaped because I turned to religion. Those thoughts don't cross my mind anymore and haven't anymore. I recognise now that there are forces out there which don't want me alive and that there is also a benevolent personality out there (God) who wants me to live and thrive.
I realise that this thought may be scorned or mocked on this site and others. But for me it saved my life.
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Thanks for sharing your experience. It's not uncommon I think. Often depression comes with a feeling of frustration and helplessness. Self harm is a powerful way to take some control of your life, doing something that is permanent and irreversible and meaningful, even if the meaning is... Negative isn't the right word.
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For myself, I escaped because I turned to religion. Those thoughts don't cross my mind anymore and haven't anymore. I recognise now that there are forces out there which don't want me alive and that there is also a benevolent personality out there (God) who wants me to live and thrive.
I realise that this thought may be scorned or mocked on this site and others. But for me it saved my life.
I think you still consider yourself powerless. The idea that you're not strong enough or worthy enough to keep living for your own sake is so ingrained that you need someone else is out there who wants you to stay alive. But really, that's not necessary. Living for your own sake is perfectly fine, as billions of atheists do everyday. So I hope one day you can become your own God. Or perhaps even someone else's God.
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Only psychopaths can put up with total apathy or hatred from everyone they meet. For other people it is very much a form of torture. That's why "living for your own sake" isn't really possible for most people. True, atheists don't need a belief in any deity, but they do need friends or loved ones somewhere in their life. Religious people constantly believe at least one being cares about them. That's probably why religious people tend to live longer... you cannot outlive your deity.
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Of course most people feel apathy. But that's why I said "everyone".
Studies have shown that in the USA, religious people tend to live longer. It has nothing to do with violent ends. As for being shunned by families, that's exactly my fucking point.
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I think you still consider yourself powerless. The idea that you're not strong enough or worthy enough to keep living for your own sake is so ingrained that you need someone else is out there who wants you to stay alive.
That's true, and it's one of the big draws of AA, and why AA sucks (useless) for a lot of people, because it teaches you that alcoholism is a disease that everyone is too weak to combat themselves. Mostly bullshit, but some people NEED that message and can only exist under it.
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That's not the main point, though. It's fine, I'll agree, but it may not be possible. pkphilip apparently had great difficulty with it, turned to religion, and stopped feeling suicidal. I consider this a Good Thing.
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For myself, I escaped because I turned to religion.
I expected you to get flamed a lot harder for that. Glad you found a solution to your trials.
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Serious depression sure doesn't feel temporary, and is very distressing while it goes on. Suicide can easily look like the only way to be not depressed.
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I think that throughout history, life were always mostly shitty for people, as most of them were used as slaves of some powerful man. Note how most societies try to prevent suicide no matter what, even in so called capitalism where a man owns his property, destroying your body is still outlawed. I suspect that this is because life inherently sucks. In the past, people who felt like that thought they were the exception and not the rule. Nowadays, with social media we finally understand that life are actually
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I don't like to indulge insoluble problems. If you're playing in a sport, and half your team becomes injured or leaves or whatever, do you even bother going on the field? Same for video games. Same for those 1v1 monster card games. Or maybe those movie lines where I hear "mate in four moves".
If a friend invites you to play a video game but stipulates that you can only play as the useless joke character, it might be funny and silly. Because it's absurd. Ridiculous. A stranger's invitation will seem a waste o
Re:Population levels and social media (Score:5, Interesting)
Excellent point. Now, when you think about it, barring religious dogmatic opposition to suicide, most people are alright with suicide in certain scenarios, meaning euthanasia. I mean, if you think of someone in a terminal condition who's in terrible pain and is dying either way, it's hard to really say to this person that he/she must suffer til the end if they want to go and we have the means of making it painless for them. Most people would rather choose that I wager than lingering at the end of tubes for the final weeks or months of their lives.
The problem arises when we start talking about mental states wherein the pain the person experiences is inside their mind. Looking at a physically healthy human being who wants to kill themselves because the pain inside their head is too large we're left confused. The medical profession approaches this from the point of view of a neurochemical disorder and maintains that it's just a glitch that can be treated, and most often it can. But the real question is, what about the cases wherein it can't? I mean there are bound to be cases in which an individual is so chronically and deeply depressed for example that despite medication or therapy they don't feel their life is worth continuing. We then bump into a sort of paradox: when thinking about whether or not it should be acceptable to let these people choose suicide just as in the case with terminal patients with physical pain, we're confronted by the notion that if they're depressed they're not thinking rationally (even though avoidance of suffering that one sees no end to is rational) and therefore we cannot let them choose death. They must be kept alive until they realize that their life is worth living, and if they do not realize that we must keep them locked up so as to make sure they don't kill themselves even if this inflicts pain upon them. Now, this approach is understandable from the point of view of doctors because the doctors are committed to trying to cure patients, so it seems to go against the ethics of a healer to give up and say: 'alright then, you can do as you please because we can't seem to help you'. That would be seen as immoral in cases wherein the pain originates in the mind, even though it's seen as the moral thing to do when we know the pain is of a physical origin.
But I think this attitude also creates a trap: people with suicidal thoughts or severe depression know that if they go and seek help they might end up putting themselves in a situation in which they remove the option of suicide from themselves while not removing the suffering. This raises the bar for going to get help because the more serious your condition, the more likely it is that you will be locked up for your own protection. Thus, getting help for such people may seem as a gamble, wherein you either get better, or extend your agony for an indefinite amount of time. This I think is why so many people who commit suicide never seek professional help or tell about their intentions to anyone.
I know it may seem counter-intuitive, but I feel if the medical field stopped treating assisted suicide as an non-option for all except people in terminal physical conditions we'd see an increase in the amount of people seeking help, and thus likely a reduction in the amount of suicides.
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Not all of them are this extreme, but a person reaches a point where there are so many problems that have no solutions that eliminating the problems - the constant source of difficult decisions - with a relatively simple choice that then requires no decision-making after... it's appealing.
Of course it's appealing, but it's also a decision that there is no coming back from. You won't be able to say "oops, I made a mistake. Maybe I was wrong about all this." You're not smart enough to know that your problems can't be solved. I'm not either. None of us are.
Insistence otherwise seems selfish at best
I would say suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness. Maybe that person has no ties to others. Maybe they just can't see those ties to others. For most people it's not the case, and suicide is one of the most devastating things you can do
Wow, way to guilt trip a ghost (Score:2, Funny)
And one known to have depression, too. You monsters.
Wrong Conculstions (Score:5, Interesting)
I've attempted suicide and failed at it. The more coverage suicide gets, the more people come out saying it's only for cowards. Only lazy people do it. The people are selfish. Etc... The perceived attacks against oneself are enough to drive you to suicide. Not only do you already have the poorest self image, everyone else is saying you're even worse. There's nothing lazy about being suicidal depressed. Sometimes you literal have no energy to do anything, Just tossing a meal in the microwave can feels like trying to walk to the moon. You just can't do it.
Being selfish? FUCK YOU. The person is currently living in hell and those around him/her can't even bother to notice. Why should I live in unending torment just so you don't have the inconvenience of maybe attending a funeral? You're the selfish brat. Plus some of us feel the world would be a better place without us so we're actually making your life better by dying. That's not selfish either. You go kill yourself to reduce your carbon footprint.
Me a coward? I bet you can't even fake trying to killing yourself. Hold some scissors and hang yourself for one minute or just slash a light cut all the way down your arm. Go head, do it. You won't die doing those things but you won't be able to bring yourself to do them. If a lazy coward can do that and more, what kind of low life scum are you? Your suicidal coward has more bravery than you.
Of course the suicidal person is dead so everyone blames the victim so they can feel better. I understand that. But doing so causes more suicides and makes us depressed people hide due to social fear. Anyone who successfully commits suicide on purpose deserves your respect. It's a hard thing to do, especially considering doing anything while depressed is already difficult. People 'suddenly' kill themselves because bringing the topic up means everyone around you attacks you whether they realize it or not. Best to stay silent and hidden. Then you may have a chance without everyone you know being directly against you. How many times have you blamed someone who committed suicide? If anyone around you is depressed they know to hide it from you and anyone who talks with you. We've got enough grief to deal with already.
it's time to grow up, folks (Score:2)
As children, we are taught to value certain "famous" people, such as athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, etc. As adults, many continue a fixation with "famous" people. At some point I decided none of these "famous" people had much of worth to add to society and many se
Was the increase related to the method? (Score:2)
I don't see the summary or the article indicating that the increased suicides were all done using the same method as Robin Williams. If they were, that would support the implication that the reporting should be less detailed about the method. If it was just a general uptick in suicide across all methods, though, then it seems like wishful thinking to claim that it would have been averted if only outlets had been more responsible. If the increase was due more to thinking along the lines of "If Robin Willi
Maybe it shouldn't be illegal? (Score:2)
Most taboos about suicide are religion-centric, but it's actually illegal to attempt and succeed. Why can't we just acknowledge that some people don't want to live anymore and actually help them out? Some obvious examples:
- Someone dealing with a terminal illness that will destroy them slowly over many painful years, or destroy their minds like dementia or Alzheimer's disease
- Someone facing a lifetime prison sentence
- Someone who's so badly depressed, unable to affect it via medication or other means, and
Foxconn (Score:3)
Can't Stop Them (Score:2)
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You're not talking about the right to life; you're talking about mandated continued living. Moreover, there are very good reasons to make it difficult to send someone to a mental hospital involuntarily, getting them out of the way for whatever purpose.
It's usually possible to do an involuntary commitment if a person is a severe imminent threat to themselves or others, but the warning signs are often missed. (If someone turns un
Look at all the posts about suicide! (Score:2)
I'll admit it. I'm a copycat (Score:2)
The potential risk of copycat incidents after celebrity cases is known to public health bodies.
I got a boobjob after Lindsay Lohan [sofeminine.co.uk] got one. Then I became a drug addict and alcoholic so I could go through treatment like .... well, like everyone [gawker.com]. Then I caught cancer so I could be like Larry King, and others. Then I died so I could be like Prince. Then I resurrected so I could be like Elvis. Let me tell you, the copycat lifestyle takes a lot of commitment.
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By the time the court case is done, that'll be worth US$0.00 between them.
Not sure how they intend to pay for the lawyers.
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1 bitcoin is worth $8300 right now, and is still up 800% from one year ago.
snark fail.
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People in the state of mind or enough pain, to want to kill themselves, should be allowed to do so - it's their life. Also given the state of over-population in some countries, suicide should even be encouraged and assisted. Don't act offended or point your finger at me - you are thinking it too.
No, we're not thinking of it because it will make no difference to the population trajectory. 16 million people died in world war 1 and shortly after over 50 million died in world war 2. Those numbers don't even register on the population curve [worldometers.info] There are only about 50,000 suicides per year. That's a rounding error on the scale of world population.
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Re:Suicide is not a problem (Score:5, Insightful)
People in the state of mind or enough pain, to want to kill themselves, should be allowed to do so - it's their life. Also given the state of over-population in some countries, suicide should even be encouraged and assisted. Don't act offended or point your finger at me - you are thinking it too.
Of course people should be allowed to, but that doesn't mean it's not a problem or we shouldn't try to stop it. Very often the desire and will to kill yourself is temporary. My brother climbed over the side of the bridge this summer and only at the last minute pulled himself back from the edge. And I think he's glad now he didn't jump. He's getting help now. It takes a special kind of heartless asshole to suggest suicide should be encouraged and assisted*.
*I'll make exceptions for assisted suicide of terminally-ill patients who have zero quality of life.
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You don't need drugs to kill yourself. There are quicker, faster, less painful and way more fun ways to die.
I would highly recommend you call the national suicide hotline or seek counseling first though, if after all is said and done, you still feel you would rather not be alive, I think it should be perfectly legal to do that, especially if it prevents further pain and suffering in the person's life, but I would make sure that everyone has the option to at least get counseling and other mental health suppo
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So you want to kill yourself, but you won't do it because you're afraid the police will arrest you after?
That's a special kind of stupid.
It's perfectly logical. They want to end it because their life is shit, and they're worried that if they get caught trying to end it, the police will make their life more shit. You're a special kind of asshole.
Re: Suicide is society's dirty little secret (Score:2)
It's perfectly logical. They want to end it because their life is shit, and they're worried that if they get caught trying to end it, the police will make their life more shit.
If you're so incompetent that you can't even make a one-time small purchase of drugs in a major city, I can understand why you might be suicidal. I suppose in that case you could always overdose on aspirin. There are plenty of legal drugs which can kill you, and you don't have to worry about Da Po Po ruining your party.
You're a special kind of asshole.
Aww, that's really sweet of you. I'd like to think I'm at least above average, but it's nice to get honest feedback.
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Or the worst case outcome in my mind - becoming a turnip and instead of you having to deal with the burden of your shitty existence, someone else has to wipe your ass.
That's the worst-case outcome for society, but if you're a vegetable, do you know you're a vegetable?
In any case, a certain percentage of people will probably always try to kill themselves, but I bet it could be a lot lower in our society if it were less of a rat race.
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Re: Suicide is society's dirty little secret (Score:2)
Well that'd pretty fucking sad.
Have you considered trying something like this [youtu.be]?
Pretty sure they couldn't technically classify that as suicide ...
Alternately, you could try talking to a shrink. They didn't do jack for me, but I've heard they can be helpful ...
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Re: Suicide is society's dirty little secret (Score:2)
Agreed. I've considered it in the past also, but never carried through due to concern for my family. Wish I had some advice to offer but it sounds like you've been through it all already. All I can do is commiserate.
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The sheer weirdness of slashdot trolls never cease to amaze.
So? (Score:2)
Sorry, that was messed up. (Score:2)
Re:So it's the media's fault? (Score:4, Interesting)
Hmm... let's see, what do we have on TV? Horror stories about war and strife, domestic and abroad, in the news. Various lowlifes yelling at each other in afternoon talkshows. "Celebrities" that have bigger boobs than brains, and whose only reason for their celebrity status is those built-in airbags and the airheads on top of them. Shows where we worship people for being able to pull off weird stunts or entertain us in some other way. And sitcoms that celebrate idiocy, a hedonistic lifestyle and unemployment, with what used to be called "successful people" being the butt of the jokes.
Maybe it is the media's fault?
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Yes, the truth must be hidden from the slaves, so that they'll think they have hope, so that they'll keep chruning at the factories.
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Truth? What truth is there in a dud bombshell with huge tits? Is that what you want your kids to learn, it doesn't matter what's between your ears or whether you know how to use it, what matters is that you know how to use what's between your legs?
This is what we base our society on. What do you get out of the media these days? Fear, hate, tits and the weather report.
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What's wrong with tits and weather report? And as for fear and hate, I believe that libertarians, christians, muslims, jews, vegans, feminists, preached them before modern media existed.
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What's wrong with it is that this is ALL that is left. No information. No education. Nothing of substance.
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Education for what? Which information? Who decides?
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It matters what's between her tits. Preferably, my ears.
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Bread and circuses.
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At least in those games you still have to DO something to achieve something. Sometimes you even have to use your brain.
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Why should network bother paying for high profile shows with good production values when they can get more net profit out of scripted reality shows that cost less than a board dinner? Yes, you could get better ratings for the expensive shows, but the difference in ratings is so small that you still net more money with slightly lower ad revenue but considerably lower programming cost.
A few months ago, the head of a big German TV network called his core target audience "a little fat, a little poor" in a telco
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The problem is that we're a measured society. Media outlets know exactly how much more money they'll make by publicizing salacious details that may be harmful, which makes it very hard for them to resist doing so.
Re:Even a free and open society has taboos (Score:5, Interesting)
"I want to know how and why people commit suicide."
Charcoal grills in small enclosed spaces seems to be the new fad where I live. People lock themselves in the bathroom, duct-tape window and door, put the grill in the bathtub and lay down beside with a bottle of whisky and barbiturates or other knockout stuff.
According to my doctor, it's the simplest painless way to go.
PS. Euthanasia is legal in our country. But I guess people just want to avoid the red tape.
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Actually, oxygen displacement via helium or nitrogen tent is the most painless, but granted not the easiest to set up.
I wonder why that isn't used for capital punishment cases. Obviously, if you're completely against it, nothing is acceptable, but it would seem the obvious choice, and remove concerns about some of the screw ups we hear about.
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I don't think there's any country where euthanasia is legal as a treatment for mental illness -- only for physical illness, usually only the terminal kind.
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"I don't think there's any country where euthanasia is legal as a treatment for mental illness -- only for physical illness, usually only the terminal kind."
You're obviously wrong. There's quite a number of them, Luxemboutg, Belgium, Netherlands....
There's no heaven or hell, you know.
"A mentally-ill Belgian woman sought euthanasia to escape her problems. The doctors told her, sure, why not? "
https://www.mercatornet.com/ar... [mercatornet.com]
Re: Even a free and open society has taboos (Score:2)
If you want knowledge, read the scientific literature. No one is stopping you. Your thirst for knowledge about broken people is not a reason to fill public airwaves with your obsession.
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Suicides are not news. There are tens of thousands of them per year in the U.S. The fact that Robin Williams suicided is news, but not important news. Nothing about the details of his suicide are newsworthy.
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Considering the fact that rightwingers have been sending men to die in wars for years while women are safe back home, I would say that this hardly only the left's worldview.
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Considering the fact that rightwingers have been sending men to die in wars for years while women are safe back home, I would say that this hardly only the left's worldview.
Sometimes fiction imitates life and you see the same thing. I know a bunch of MRA-types think Game of Thrones sucks because there are so many "strong females" in it right now (the show kindof sucks now, but for different reasons..) but that's what happens when all of the men of various houses, army leaders, patriarchs, and kings all try their best to kill each other. Many die, and the women fill the power vacuum, but it wouldn't have happened if the men didn't make up all the soldiers, battle commanders, ge
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The system is designed to encourage people to not seek help. Even attempts to violate doctor/client privacy to make judgements on suitability for firearm ownership.
Help isn't available. Sure, there are some "hotlines" designed to help with teen issues, but the hotlines are not designed for mature people with real medical issues.
So long as su
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It's not just gun ownership. There's lots of things that can turn out bad for a person with a medical history of mental health problems. We're seeing plenty of ACs here talk about their experiences, because they don't want to leave an easy-to-follow record. (I'm not bothering, but if I were fired today and never worked again I'd still have a comfortable retirement.)
On the other hand, if you can just hide mental illness, and lots of us are or have been good at that, there's no legal or social repercus
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