Thank you wrestletonic. I am improving, though weirdly my left eye has turned black as if I were punched in it but I wasn’t.
Anyway, as I said, I don’t consider Robin Williams in the same category because of his diagnosis. People with MS have a significantly higher probability of committing suicide. His suicide was likely connected to his disease. It’s tragic, but it wasn’t a inherently selfish act. He was sick, sick in the head. Combined with depression and all his other afflictions, he is more of a tragic statistic. He wasn’t trying to hurt anybody, he was suffering beyond our understanding and he wanted his pain to end.
Pain drives people to the brink. I am not talking about the bumps and bruises of life, but about chronic never ending perpetual suffering with no relief.
Robin Williams was a tragedy, but I don’t believe it was selfish. He wasn’t crying for help, he was just crying.
Good. Keep an eye (no pun intended) on yourself for a few months. I took a deck plate to the head (about 9500lbs.) once, and there were some unexpected lingering effects. slightly more erratic behavior, mild depression, etc. for a couple of months.
I think you’re incorrect. They most certainly do. I know I did when I nearly killed myself as a young fella. It’s not that people don’t think about it as a selfish act, it’s that the selfish nature, the amount of hurt that would be done to others, is not sufficient to prevent the act.
As for the Robin Williams thing… I don’t think I’ll ever be surprised to hear about any comedian’s dark side. Whether it manifests as suicide, drug abuse/overdose, sexual predator, or whatever… comedians almost universally have serious demons. I can’t say that it’s inherent to being a great comedian, but it’s damn close. As someone who uses humor to a great extent to cope with my own demons, I can relate to it.
Thanks Skyzyks! You took a 4 3/4 ton plate to the head? Ouch. At least your story is better than mine. I tripped on my steps and flew in to an adjacent wall. Thankfully it wasn’t a stud, or I might have broken my neck. It was a trip and fall, but I hit hard.
Right now I look like Rocky post fight. What’s weird is this is 13 days post accident and my whole left eye swelled that long after the fact. I am definitely bringing this up to the doctor.
I am still wonky, I still have trouble with short term memory, associations and time. The emotional roller caster has at least let up a bit. But it is hard to think. These posts are taking me a while to type, but its a good distraction.
I agree from the standpoint that the person with the blade to their wrist or gun to their head isn’t thinking it to be a selfish act. But in general it is, but not in every case… The suicidee isn’t thinking about it that way. And there are a myriad or reasons people decide to take their own lives… When I said it was selfish, I meant it more in a clinical sense. Meaning that person on the brink isn’t thinking about what it will do to others. Heck, some believe they are doing to the world a favor by leaving it.
When I was in that position (considering it) I had somehow convinced myself that nobody would even notice. Hence, if I were to have done it. I would have gone somewhere very remote where nobody could find me and then just be gone.
It’s hard to believe I was that depressed, now. I am certainly glad I never went that far.
Yeah, but it wasn’t like a dead drop or anything. I was building bottom sections of barges and the crane operator swung a plate in high and fast, then jolted the crane into the opposite direction real quickly. This caused it to swing. I was welding the previous plate down, so when it swung, POW right in the noggin. I woke up in berserker mode not knowing exactly what happened (hood was down), just that it was bad and crane guy needed an ass beating.
I gotta tell you though, I’m kinda disappointed. Not a single person responded to this with anything like “Well that explains a lot…”.
Also, I wouldn’t just toss around diagnosis all willy nilly, but that delayed bruising probably warrants a call to the doc.
I am seeing 2 doctors. My GP and a specialist. I have an appt. Friday. I am taking it seriously. I am on short term disability as a result. So yeah, I am seeing doctors…
you misunderstood me. I’m saying that the person committing suicide is fully aware that the act is selfish. They feel selfish. They still do it because the alternative of living is too unbearable.
When I wanted to kill myself, the selfish was central to my thoughts. I WANTED to know that people would miss me. I wanted people to be hurt. That’s why I don’t agree with your assessment.
Only related because it’s about suicide but this is one of the better ted talks:
