Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with suicide and psychology

Witnessing the suicide of a stranger

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:55:05 -0800

How do I find other people who have witnessed the suicide of a stranger? Last week I was driving over the SF Bay Bridge and watched someone get up on the railing and jump off. I found out later that he died and was picked up by the authorities.

I did all the things I was supposed to do - called 911, checked in with the authorities, let myself cry before driving a vehicle etc. I've been in touch with friends who are therapists and gotten plenty of hugs and loving people to support me.

But the image of him getting up on the side of the bridge and the way his body looked as he jumped haunts me. I know it's probably too early to expect that it go away. I'm just struggling with what meaning to find in it all and how to find people who won't judge what I am experiencing.

I've looked for support sites online and have found a number of places that are for friends or family who have had someone they love commit suicide. But I don't even know this guy's name. I wouldn't want to be intruding on what is obviously a very sensitive time for someone who has a friend or family member die.

Part of what is making this challenging for me is that I don't know much about what happened, or why it happened. There is not much more information I can learn. I also have found that while some family or friends have tried to be helpful, they have had a tough time not assigning blame, being judgmental or otherwise putting their own issues about death and suicide onto my plate. Which feels even more confusing and alienating.

I'd like to find people to talk to who get what I'm going through. Are there support groups or online places for people who have witnessed the suicide of a stranger(s)? I think it might be really helpful to talk to someone else who has experienced something similar. Can anyone recommend a place to get support? I've googled but I'm not coming up with anything useful.

I welcome any thoughts or suggestions. email:zerzik at gmail dot com

Any stories of successfully breaking a depressive cycle?

nímwunnan — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:55:23 -0800

Any advice -- from experience please -- for breaking a friend's cycle of depression, hospitalization, and attempted suicide? A friend of mine has struggled with serious mental health issues as long as I've known her, but until the last few years was mostly keeping her head above water. She's gotten much worse lately, having been in and out of the hospital for most of the last year, and she's been treated with nearly every option available in the conventional mental health system. I'm worried that she's going to continue to spiral down, and the dioramas and cartoons I make for her don't really qualify as clinical treatment. Given the nature of my question, I'm certainly not hoping someone will suggest some concrete solution I hadn't thought of that is bound to work. I'm just interested to hear if anyone else has dealt with a similar situation, and if you encountered any methods of breaking the classic depressive cycle in such a way that gives the sufferer at least a little more power over his/her own situation. Not interested in hearing about new drugs or anything involving ECT -- that's been covered.

C'mon, doesn't everybody do it?

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:23:10 -0800

How often do you contemplate suicide? What's your score on the Beck Depression Inventory? I contemplate suicide on a fairly regular basis, my score on the Beck Depression Inventory is about a 36, some days it is hard to get out of bed, blah blah blah. Supposedly this means I am severely depressed. However, it's hard for me to believe what I feel is all that different from what everybody else in the world deals with.

So is it? MeFites, what do you feel in your day-to-day life? Do you see the "classic signs of depression"? What's your Depression Inventory score, if you don't mind me asking? And are you diagnosed with depression or do you consider yourself depressed? Are my results really that abnormal?

It's hard for me to justify talking to a therapist or doctor about this if it's something everyone has to deal with. I don't want to go through the trouble and the medications if it's something that simply requires a bit more willpower.

Helping a Depressed Friend

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 22:49:16 -0800

Tonight, one of my housemates checked into a safehouse. Unbeknownst to anyone else in the house, he's been cutting himself, and he's suffering from heavy depression/suicidal thoughts, mostly due to school and being away from home.

What can I do to help out? Things to do when he gets home? What would be nice to bring him while he's getting help? For anyone who's been in this situation, what did you find especially helpful/uplifting?

Suicidal thoughts & therapy

grumblebee — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 09:36:58 -0800

If someone admits to having suicidal thoughts, what (if anything) can be done to them? [More inside.] I have a friend (really -- a friend -- not code for "me." I'm fine.) who has admitted to having suicidal thoughts. I think he's pretty far from actually doing anything, but he thinks about it.

The good news is that he's going into therapy. The bad news is that he's afraid to admit to his therapist that he's contemplated suicide. I think it's important that he does. But he's afraid that the therapist can have him committed.

I don't think a therapist can do this. From what I gather, it's actually really hard to commit anyone (unless they're a danger to others) without their consent.

Does anyone know if I'm right? Surely no one can do anything to you because of your THOUGHTS.

And out of curiosity, what if my friend did make an attempt? At what point can "authorities" step in and force him to do whatever? And what IS whatever? Go into a mental institution? A hospital? A jail?

If it makes a difference, I live in New York.