Suicide

[JDeRouen]

A teacher I work with committed suicide last night. The students are in shock. Here fifteen-year-old daughter, who went to the same high school her mom taught at and where I substitute teach, is devastated. I didn't know this teacher well but we had lunch together several times and she was always pleasant. Suicide... is selfish and cowardly. If you have absolutely no one that cares about you, do what you want, but to leave a bunch of kids - not to mention your own children! - lost and confused and hurting is just wrong.

[toys2cool]

Dam that's freakin sad...It's hard to judge anyone unless you've been in their shoes, you don't know if they suffer from mental illness or whatever..In the end they end up hurting those that love them so much..while their troubles end, their kids will have to live with that forever..

[PNGwynne]

With all due respect for your opinion, I think you are discounting what terrible pain/depression someone must be in to do such a thing despite the relationships you mention.

Suicide is an act of desperation and not always rational. It can be myopic, even cowardly and selfish, yes. But to judge someone you "didn't know well" who was probably just holding herself together to seem "always pleasant" is glibly dismissive of mental illness.

I'm not condoning her action, but perhaps she just didn't/couldn't ask for help. Some empathy instead of dismissiveness from someone close to her might have helped.

[Nostalgiabuff]

so sad. what in life can be so bad that you take your own life

[megoscott]

It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

[JDeRouen]

I have gone through my share of depression in my life. I don't talk about it a lot and don't think I've ever discussed it publicly on here, but, frankly, it's a condition I battle almost daily. I have at time been so depressed I couldn't see straight, but never once have I seriously contemplated suicide. I've gone on and worked to get better, because to do anything less would be a slap in the face to the people that love me. My wife's best friend killed herself about ten years ago and I saw the devastation it brought her family and to my wife. It's a selfish solution, in my opinion.

[Zemo]

With all due respect for your opinion, I think you are discounting what terrible pain/depression someone must be in to do such a thing despite the relationships you mention.

Suicide is an act of desperation and not always rational. It can be myopic, even cowardly and selfish, yes. But to judge someone you "didn't know well" who was probably just holding herself together to seem "always pleasant" is glibly dismissive of mental illness.

I'm not condoning her action, but perhaps she just didn't/couldn't ask for help. Some empathy instead of dismissiveness from someone close to her might have helped.

I agree with you.

[toys2cool]

I have gone through my share of depression in my life. I don't talk about it a lot and don't think I've ever discussed it publicly on here, but, frankly, it's a condition I battle almost daily. I have at time been so depressed I couldn't see straight, but never once have I seriously contemplated suicide. I've gone on and worked to get better, because to do anything less would be a slap in the face to the people that love me. My wife's best friend killed herself about ten years ago and I saw the devastation it brought her family and to my wife. It's a selfish solution, in my opinion.

Not everyone is as strong Joe....while I'm glad you haven't done anything foolish..just remember that not everyone's problems are the same

[4NDR01D]

Also keep in mind, in the head of many suicide victims, they think they are doing everybody else a favor. She may really have felt that her daughter would have a better life without her in it. As selfish as it seems to you and I, it may have been seen from her perspective as the most selfless thing she could do. The brains an amazing thing, but it doesn't work the same for everybody, and there's still so much we don't know about it.

[GHVersion12]

I had one of my best friends in High School commit suicide he was only fifteen years old. I think about him all the time the pain never leaves you even after 17 years. But then I think about the pain he was most likely in at the time. You never know what is in someone else's head or heart unless they let you in.

[JDeRouen]

I know all of that, and I agree in principal, I'm just feeling awful for the kids.

[Mikey]

Suicide will put a black spot on a family for at least a generation.

It's a shame, but it happens

Nobody will admit it but the first thing most people think is (is the whole family mentally ill ?)

edited to add ... i'm not talking about terminally sick people

[hedrap]

Terrible for the girl. Just terrible.

I have incredible pity and sympathy for the woman, because she really didn't know what she was doing. Suicide is not a decision of clarity.

[4NDR01D]

Nobody will admit it but the first thing most people think is (is the whole family mentally ill ?)

What? Really? that thought honestly wouldn't even cross my mind.

[PNGwynne]

I'm glad you got help, Joe--I can respect that, because it's not easy. I know from personal experience as well.