PGage - I thank you for your commentary on this.
On 8/12/2014 3:21 PM, PGage wrote:
On Tue, Aug 12, 2014 at 10:25 AM, K.M. Richards <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
As I listened to the reports of his mental illness and his already
well-known substance abuse problems, a thought came to my mind
which I believe may be the kindest reaction possible: At least he
is now free of his demons.
I understand this sentiment. Of course, from a public health stand
point, this is the opposite of the message we like to spread after a
well publicized suicide.
Killing oneself does not solve any problem, and does not offer
liberation from demons. There is evidence that most people who attempt
suicide but do not die are eventually glad to still be alive. While a
previous suicide attempt is the strongest predictor of eventual death
from suicide, it is still true that, I think, more than 80% of people
who attempt suicide eventually die from something other than suicide.
If Robin Williams had somehow survived yesterday, odds are he would
not ever have died from his own actions, and would have had many, many
more productive days in store for him - though, of course, as for all
of us, a lot of those productive days would still have involved pain
and unhappiness.
The message anyone who is struggling with depression, or substance
abuse, or any other chronic or recurrent painful condition should take
from Robin Williams senseless and tragic death is that an hour or a
day or a week later, he would have wanted to be alive - to hold his
beautiful daughter, to look out at the sun setting over the San
Francisco Bay, to laugh and make others laugh. He gave in to some
powerful demons at a weak and, frankly, selfish moment, as many of us
are tempted to from time to time, which should remind us all to be
more careful and hang on a little tighter when our own demons come
calling. There are a lot of resources, even for those are not famous
and have access to little or no means, to help them get through the
blackest moments. Very few counties in the US are without some kind of
no or low cost mental health service (yes, the wait times can be long,
and the staffing can be of uneven quality and training, but almost
always it is helpful, and worth the wait). There are 24 hour crisis
lines (yes, those conjure images of bad television after-school
specials, but the folks who staff them are genuinely caring, and their
help most often helps). There are churches and synagogues and mosques,
filled with people who admittedly sometimes make things worse with
their narrow judgements and simplistic and rigid understandings, but
most of whom also really do want to help. If you are a student there
are a ton of people at your institution who want to help, and know
how; if you have a job there is at least half a chance your employer
has some kind of EAP resource. If anyone is really thinking of killing
themselves, they can call 911 and report that - it will generate some
potentially embarrassing emergency response, but it will also provide
access to trained intervention.
The lesson from this is, do not do what Robin Williams did. Choose
life, even when it seems a hell of a lot easier not to.
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