Suicide prevention hotlines are busier than usual since the economy has taken a tailspin, say experts. Unfortunately, the economic downturn has also resulted in cutbacks, from grants to charitable donations, which may directly affect these much-needed suicide prevention services. As a result, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is stepping up to provide emergency cash to help through these times.
Suicide and attempted suicides affect more people than you might realize, and when the economic downturn results in upheavals, such as lost jobs and homes, the numbers rise. According to a SAMHSA press release,
“This is a critical …read more

In November 2008, Washington State became the second state in the United States to allow for doctor-assisted suicide. The first was Oregon, which has had this law since 1997. Currently, a third state, Montana, has such a law as well, but it’s before the Montana Supreme Court for final judgment.
According to this article, Washington state to enact assisted suicide law , written earlier this year, this law allows for “aided dying,” not “euthanasia” or “assisted suicide”:
“Aided dying is neither euthanasia nor suicide,” said Terry Barnett, president of the Washington branch of Compassion & Choices advocacy group.
“It’s not euthanasia because …read more

Last night, CNN’s Anderson Cooper told of a second 11-year-old boy taking his life after bullying at his elementary school became too much for him to handle. Jaheem Herrera, of Georgia, had cried about not wanting to go to school, that he was called gay over and over to the point he just didn’t want to hear it again. Complaints to the school seemed to fall on deaf ears.
But on April 16, Jaheem appeared happy when he came home from school with a glowing report card. It may have been a glimmer of hope for his mother Masika Bermudez that her …read more

My heart broke when my husband told me earlier that an 11-year-old boy committed suicide and was buried today. Why I asked him, even though part of me knew it must’ve been from a bully. Why else does an 11 year old do that these days? This is such a thing that should never happen and no parent should ever have to go through it.
According to this young boy’s mother, he was constantly getting picked on at school. Kids made fun of him, called him gay, said he acted like a girl. Eventually it took a toll, he didn’t …read more

With the recent death of Sylvia Plath’s son, the question of inherited suicide has been once again raised in the news. A recent article at CNN says that a “first-degree relative — a parent, sibling or child — of a person who has committed suicide is four to six times more likely to attempt or complete a suicide” themselves.
One reason for this could have to do with thinning of the right cortex of the brain. This thinning could be one reason why certain people are able to adapt more easily to emotional events than others. It’s also …read more

There isn’t a poet around who doesn’t know the story of Sylvia Plath. Known for deeply moving poetry that provides a woman’s perspective, Plath had an emotional life and marriage with fellow poet Ted Hughes. In 1963, she put her head in a gas oven and took her own life. Her small children slept in the next room.

Now her son Nicholas Hughes, just 47-years old, has also taken his own life. Hughes was single and had no children of his own. He had recently left his job as a marine biologist to open a pottery …read more

I struggled with whether to post this glimpse of Scott Terrill’s life. I would hate for his family to think that I’m sensationalizing this whole ordeal and the pain that this family is going through, as a result. However, my heart feels the need to shed light on this subject as an example of what the feeling of hopelessness can lead to and the portrayal of people on reality television shows. Please take this post for what it truly is, a chance to educate people and bring hope out of an extremely tragic situation. My heart hurts for Scott and his …read more

It is with a heavy heart that I report the news of James Scott Terrill’s passing. We received a comment, late July 4th, from a reader who informed us of Scott’s suicide. I would like to say that we have no confirmation that it was, indeed, a suicide. All that was found, regarding this tragedy, was an obituary from Georgetown News:
James Scott Terrill, age 37, died Friday, July 4, 2008, in Georgetown.He was born in Lexington on April 6, 1971, to Margaret Kenley Terrill Ng, of Georgetown, and the late Charles Ralph Terrill. He was a member of Safe Harbor …read more