Suicide TV

[Luke]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081122/ap_on_re_us/webcam_suicide

Reminds me of George Carlin's last stand up show on HBO where he advocated for this.:(

[Suproman77]

That's just disgusting...some people were laughing, cracking jokes, and even encouraging him to do it?! Have people gone absolutely mad or what? Maybe they've forgotten that there are living, breathing, human beings on the other end of their computers. I'm absolutely disgusted by this.

[Sir M]

sad... sorta sick to video-log your suicide, but I firmly believe some people are not meant for this world... do to your own body what you want, don't harm others... if you want to die, then you should... this "life" ain't the end...

[The Pipast]

That's just disgusting...some people were laughing, cracking jokes, and even encouraging him to do it?! Have people gone absolutely mad or what? Maybe they've forgotten that there are living, breathing, human beings on the other end of their computers. I'm absolutely disgusted by this. Sadly,I'm not in the least bit surprised by any of this.The only difference between many Americans and terrorists is that the said Americans lack the courage to actually physically do anything. IMO...as a people 'we' are DONE! :(

[Cornbread]

Very sad.

He apparently had posted several times on the bodybuilding forum about trying to kill himself before and rather than it being seen as a 'cry for help' he was called an 'attention whore' and egged on.

I read some of the now deleted thread on the bb.forum and couldn't believe that no one called the police until hours after it became apparent that he had stopped breathing. The fact that the mods were made aware that it was happening and didn't take it seriously is disturbing, even if he had talked about it before. How hard is it to make a phone call to be on the safe side?

Only a few people actually tried to help: a girl from India posted his home phone number but couldn't make an international call from her home. She begged people to call but was told he was 'fraudin'. Eventually a few people called but they reported that initially the police didn't believe it was true. Allegedly it took the police 40 minutes to arrive after the phone calls but it was waaay too late by then.

The internet brings everyone closer but without faces seeing faces there is a lack of human connection without which can bring out the worst in us because all we have to do is, insult and then click a mouse and 'poof'. There is a lesson to be learned here.


BTW, this isn't an 'American' thing. Last year in London, a father of 2 hung himself on his webcam while being heckled by people in the chat room. No one called 999 or contacted anyone, but honestly in that case I don't know if it would have helped.


Suicide threats should never be taken lightly.

[The Pipast]

^ You're right,the 'human' race is despicable all around the globe!

[DaveF]

meatheads

[rdamato]

Really sad.

[Bones]

I don't see how this is anyone's fault. people bent on doing these things , eventually do them. He died in his father's bed, how come his parents were not keeping a better eye on him. Where did he get the pills from? There's plenty of people in the kid's life who coulda, shoulda saw the signs that he was troubled.

There's probably a few nut jobs that assumed it was real and thought is was funny, but I bet a lot of people figured it was a gag or a way to get e-sympathy. It is the internet afterall.

[Suproman77]

It is the internet afterall.

I know that's the general attitude. It's the internet and everything is a joke.....until it isn't.

I agree that others in his life should have helped and recognized the warning signs, but that's an entirely different matter than actually laughing at or encouraging someone to do it. Sooner or later, the law will hold people accountable for these actions because it's part of a growing epidemic. Then people will be forced to take things a little more seriously or pay the consequences. The case of the 13 year old girl that commited suicide as a result of an internet hoax may set the precedent.

[supergenius365]

Where did he get the pills from?

The pills were his bi-polar disorder meds.

[teletalkin]

sad... sorta sick to video-log your suicide, but I firmly believe some people are not meant for this world... do to your own body what you want, don't harm others... if you want to die, then you should... this "life" ain't the end...

"This life ain't the end" I agree with but most of the rest I couldn't disagree more.

[Bones]

The pills were his bi-polar disorder meds.


So there you go, we wasn't being properly supervised by his doctor or family. I'm sure those people were in a much better position to know if he was really suicidal or not than a bunch of arrested adolescents on the Internet.

[scott757]

I think it's easy to demonize the people telling him to do it. But its' the internet. How many really thought he was killing himself and how many thought it was just some dumb e-joke. It's sad that it happened. It's sad if the people watching really wanted to see someone die. But I would guess that most people thought it was fake.

[DC1]

I think it's easy to demonize the people telling him to do it. But its' the internet. How many really thought he was killing himself and how many thought it was just some dumb e-joke. It's sad that it happened. It's sad if the people watching really wanted to see someone die. But I would guess that most people thought it was fake.

Nah, they demonized themselves. They certainly did not know it wasn't real did they?

They need to grow a conscience.


dc

[Seditious]

Meds: :messedup

Every time I hear of a suicide (including a close friends), the deceased was taking medication for some mental disorder. I know other bipolar people who have never taken a prescription and are fine. Do the meds really help, or are they given to make the person and their family "feel" like something's being done.

[Suproman77]

Meds: :messedup

Every time I hear of a suicide (including a close friends), the deceased was taking medication for some mental disorder. I know other bipolar people who have never taken a prescription and are fine. Do the meds really help, or are they given to make the person and their family "feel" like something's being done.

There are many different severities of bipolar disorder. The ones that suffer the greatest from it could not function without their meds. They fall into extreme bouts of depression that lead to suicidal tendencies followed eventually by manic episodes which make them lose control and their grasp on reality.

Bipolar disorder can be become very serious illness if left untreated, but unfortunately, not all treatment regimines are successful for every patient. To further complicate matters, many bipolar patients are very non-compliant meaning they often have bouts where they feel normal and then think they don't need the meds anymore which can obviously lead to big trouble.

[RiseofRock]

Maybe people will start realizing that there are real humans on the other side of the monitor and it's not just some place to create a fantasy inflated ego.

[eBay]

I would find it hard to believe if someone did that and would likely assume that it was simply a bid for attention. Of course, since I have suicide triage experience, I would be compelled to report it. I certainly wouldn't crack jokes about it but I'm trained in counseling techniques as well as simply having some compassion. I wouldn't really blame ordinary folks for this reaction because it is the natural one. Ridiculing those with problems is simply a way of having to not look at your own and it's a common defense mechanism.

[The Last Rebel]

Meds: :messedup

Every time I hear of a suicide (including a close friends), the deceased was taking medication for some mental disorder. I know other bipolar people who have never taken a prescription and are fine. Do the meds really help, or are they given to make the person and their family "feel" like something's being done.
The problem isn't bipolar people on meds, it's bipolar people that should be on meds but choose not to take them. I also know bipolar people that have had their lives saved because of the meds.

[FlyingDutchman]

Sad story..Doesnt speak well for humans, thats for sure. He needed help a long time before he took the pills. I feel bad for his family that now has to live with this.

[eBay]

Meds: :messedup

Every time I hear of a suicide (including a close friends), the deceased was taking medication for some mental disorder. I know other bipolar people who have never taken a prescription and are fine. Do the meds really help, or are they given to make the person and their family "feel" like something's being done.

The meds are simply there to make the symptoms go away. That's how Western medicine works. They do in fact, reduce or probably more correctly, mask the symptoms. It is accepted in mental health that a combination of drug therapy and couseling achieves the best results.

The underlying issues are not typically addressed by physicians (including psychiatrists). The main reason is one of resources. Depth therapy takes a tremendous amount of time and some issues simply are too big to fix such as attachment disorders and damage from sexual abuse. The cost is not covered by insurance. That's why there is a trend in mental health care for quick therapy forms such as Solution Focused Brief Therapy.

It is my conviction that anyone prescribing psychotropic medications who is not also using counseling is engaging in malpractice. So all those doctors out there prescribing Prosac, Paxil, Welbutrin et al. and then just sending the patient on their way are unethical and irresponsible.

[muzikman7]

I witnessed a suicide in the early '80s in NYC, before the poor soul jumped many people in the crowd were cheering him on.

[russ6100]

ebay wrote:
The meds are simply there to make the symptoms go away. That's how Western medicine works. They do in fact, reduce or probably more correctly, mask the symptoms. It is accepted in mental health that a combination of drug therapy and couseling achieves the best results.

The underlying issues are not typically addressed by physicians (including psychiatrists). The main reason is one of resources. Depth therapy takes a tremendous amount of time and some issues simply are too big to fix such as attachment disorders and damage from sexual abuse. The cost is not covered by insurance. That's why there is a trend in mental health care for quick therapy forms such as Solution Focused Brief Therapy.

It is my conviction that anyone prescribing psychotropic medications who is not also using counseling is engaging in malpractice. So all those doctors out there prescribing Prosac, Paxil, Welbutrin et al. and then just sending the patient on their way are unethical and irresponsible

+1000

I totally agree.

Sometimes even eating the wrong foods over and over can contribute to this stuff. Not all food allergies / sensitivites manifest themselves as rashes or other obvious symptoms - they can affect one's body / mind chemistry in strange and profound ways.

And look what he was being prescribed for his bi-polr disorder:
A benzodiazapine!

Benzos make depression worse.

[Bones]

I don't know a lot about this stuff, but how practical is it to expect a "mentally ill" person to stay on their meds all by themselves or not abuse them in some way? It seems like a lot to ask and it puts a lot of innocent people at risk. There's constanly stories of assaults and worse commited by "decent guys" who went off their meds or took alcohol while on them. At least this guy didn't physically harm anyone else.

[Texas_Blues]

I saw his myspace, it's a bit erie watching him mess with his webcam, and see all the comments left.

[Rumblefish]

[quote=The Pipast;5061908]^ You're right,the 'human' race is despicable all around the globe!

You know I could take your statement personally,but prefer to just let it roll.
I'm surrounded by wonderful people who love each other.Sorry if your life doesn't reflect love for your self.Maybe you've been watching too much TV?
I dunno.

[The Pipast]

ebay wrote:


+1000

I totally agree.

Sometimes even eating the wrong foods over and over can contribute to this stuff. Not all food allergies / sensitivites manifest themselves as rashes or other obvious symptoms - they can affect one's body / mind chemistry in strange and profound ways.

And look what he was being prescribed for his bi-polr disorder:
A benzodiazapine!

Benzos make depression worse. Not necessarily...every case and individual is different.Sometimes a benzo is prescribed for a short period in order to get the brain of a seriously manic person calmed down.We don't know how,or why this man's doctor went about treating him the way he did...it is,and should be confidential stuff!

[The Pipast]

[quote=The Pipast;5061908]^ You're right,the 'human' race is despicable all around the globe!

You know I could take your statement personally,but prefer to just let it roll.
I'm surrounded by wonderful people who love each other.Sorry if your life doesn't reflect love for your self.Maybe you've been watching too much TV?
I dunno.
Hey dude...this whole issue really isn't about me,you,or any other members here who happen to have weighed in on this topic.You're right though,you could indeed choose to take my statement personally(although I don't know why you'd be concerned if you KNOW my description doesn't apply to you,nor anyone you love)...that's your perrogative to do so,but please skip the assumptions about someone you don't know from Adam,K? ;)

[eBay]

Sadly,I'm not in the least bit surprised by any of this.The only difference between many Americans and terrorists is that the said Americans lack the courage to actually physically do anything. IMO...as a people 'we' are DONE! :(

I'm thinking that it's more about the nature of the Internet. Nothing is real here and in a sense it can't be. This is just a two dimensional representation of things in reality. People watching it just think it's some sort of TV show. There's no substance to what goes on here often. It's just like this thread. We all talk. I actually have done suicide triage so I know a little but who the hell am I anyway? It's all words on a page and I could be totally full of sh**.

Also, most people don't have the ability to actually empathize so they don't have any frame of reference into this behavior. It must seem like a strange jibberish to them when they hear it. It might scare them a little too. Then because everybody's free to talk here, they start running their mouths and what comes out is rediculous.

But if you look beneath it you see that most people are afraid. It might touch something within when they are confronted with someone really suicidal and it frightens them so the externalize it outward to remove the pain of self insight.

I'm not sure that we're done exactly here. I've seen this sort of thing for 45+ years now and it's really just run of the mill. It's the same in other countries because people are the same all over.

[Scott Peterson]

My human side: Disgusting on every level. Detestable. Repulsive and tragically sad.

My cynical side: Movie deal in two weeks. Watch. (Being ironic).

:(

[davecan]

We are a society that is both intensely afraid of death AND extremely fascinated by it.

This incident is sad and I believe it does reflect badly on "us".