Thursday, May 3, 2012

In the News...Depression, Suicide, and Seau


Nothing...
by RGG

She was there
And what a place to be
The world so great
So perfect, no flaws

Except her

She feels like a crazed freak
Her parents hate her
She has lost all her friends
And her boyfriend just said goodbye

She doesn’t belong there anymore
The world is too good for her

Things are spinning around her
Her mind is so cluttered
She doesn’t know what to do anymore
She’s not sure she feels anything

She feels like there’s nothing

Nothing

No one cares
She’s not even sure why she cares anymore
She doesn’t think she wants to die
She just isn’t sure she wants to live anymore

-RGG

A person dies from suicide every 15 minutes in the U.S., and an attempt is estimated to be made every 40 seconds. (That’s almost 100 deaths a day due to suicide.) Over 90% of those who have died from suicide had at least one psychiatric illness that was diagnosable and treatable at the time. The most common is depression. Sadly, the rate of suicide is increasing. (American Foundation on Suicide Prevention www.afsp.org)

We are reminded today of how prevalent suicide is in our community by the news of former NFL player Junior Seau’s recent death. Reports state that he was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He is the third NFL player to have committed suicide in the last year. Reports are saying he more than likely suffered from depression due to an imbalance of brain chemicals.

Suicide is a desperate attempt to get rid of all the pain and suffering. Isolation, despair, and helplessness are over consuming. Death feels like the only way out. They don’t want to die- they just want all the pain to end…

Suicide is hard to talk about. Even as I write this, I find myself struggling for the correct words to say, how to explain the feelings, what to even bring up. Fearful to talk about such a tough topic is normal- but talking about it may stop someone from taking their own life. Just because a suicidal person doesn’t ask for help doesn’t mean that they don’t want it. Please learn and understand the signs and symptoms, and if someone you know is showing signs of depression and suicide, please help them get help. Remember over 90% of those who committed suicide suffered from a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.

Depression is treatable.

For more information- www.afsp.org

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