suicide

[JohnnyGT]

Man, reading this was heavy and what’s really eye opening is how many members on here have dealt with, or considered suicide. Think about that for a second. We are a small percentage of a small group of automotive enthusiasts and we have multiple people in one thread sharing their experiences with the topic.

Awareness and acknowledgment. It’s never been a small isolated thing: only socially discussed recently.

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[JohnnyGT]

I am open and honest about this disease so others may feel more comfortable to accept their situations and seek treatment and/or other help.


No one is truly alone unless they want to be.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

I only joined here for the car talk, and I'm generally hesitant to get into much else, but this one got me. It's so unfair to judge someone else's sensibilities and what they are feeling. Suffice it to say, that if you've never been there, you can't quite understand. I went through several bouts of depression when I was younger. You can't just turn it off with a switch. Fortunately, I learned some coping methods - things that work for me - and I've been able to successfully fend off these feelings when they've tried to creep back in, particularly as I've gotten older, but I realize that it's not so easy for others.

It's sad to read a couple of less-than-empathetic replies on here, but that's par for the course, I guess. If one knows what empathy really is, they probably also know that a little goes a long way.

I'm not going to go into everything about me, but I will share two of my strategies for fighting off feelings of depression. The first is exercise, mostly running for me, but I think it could be almost any sustained physical activity. I realize that may not work for everyone, but it's helped me immensely. The second is what I do when I can't shake it so easily, and it's simple, but it can feel so hard, and that's to tell someone. Share it with someone who will listen. This can be a spouse or significant other, family member, or a counselor, therapist, or doctor, and I firmly believe that it's vitally important not to suffer alone. Admitting to feelings of depression is not a sign of weakness. I'm not usually one to ask for help, but just like there are some things that I can't physically do myself, there are non-physical obstacles that can be overcome with help. There's always hope. Love to all who need it.

 

[IPOGT]

And then there are those that prove that ignorance is bliss...

Believe me, Ignorance isn’t all it’s cracked up to be….
Sorry, ex class clown minus a little class.
Laugh more. Don’t ever spend too much time being serious unless you need to be or for others. Do silly, not “stupid” stuff. Find stuff to laugh at and keep looking. Once you get good at it you’ll start feeling a lot better.

 

[ice445]

Unfortunately, people try to kill themselves with our trains at least a few times a year. It's pretty traumatizing to run someone over and turn them into bits and pieces, while having no power to do anything about it. I understand it though, the train is easy, you don't have to press a trigger, you don't have to jump, you just have to stand there. But it still really sucks being unfairly involved.

IMO it's never worth it. Talk to someone if you really want to do it. Anyone. Most people will probably tell you the same thing.

 

[Qcman17]

Reviving this thread to say that a best friend I grew up with committed suicide on September 18th. He had just turned 60 about 3 weeks before that, retired from his job, then organized a family reunion and took his own life all within that 3 weeks or so period.

I went back to my hometown about 225 miles away for his celebration of life and funeral on September 29th. It was a closed casket…..

Don was a great guy and a dear friend growing up and it hit me pretty hard. He is the second person close to me to commit suicide in just over a year as I had posted here about the previous one. This is not a statistic I could have ever imagined.

 

[ice445]

Reviving this thread to say that a best friend I grew up with committed suicide on September 18th. He had just turned 60 about 3 weeks before that, retired from his job, then organized a family reunion and took his own life all within that 3 weeks or so period.

I went back to my hometown about 225 miles away for his celebration of life and funeral on September 29th. It was a closed casket…..

Don was a great guy and a dear friend growing up and it hit me pretty hard. He is the second person close to me to commit suicide in just over a year as I had posted here about the previous one. This is not a statistic I could have ever imagined.

I'm sorry to hear that man, it's a rough world these days. Lots of people are on the edge and we never have a clue.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

My condolences. Its never easy. Lean on those that care about you and you care about. Its very unfortunate people do this. Many seem to be oblivious to the pain they leave behind for those that would in most cases do anything to help.

Reviving this thread to say that a best friend I grew up with committed suicide on September 18th. He had just turned 60 about 3 weeks before that, retired from his job, then organized a family reunion and took his own life all within that 3 weeks or so period.

I went back to my hometown about 225 miles away for his celebration of life and funeral on September 29th. It was a closed casket…..

Don was a great guy and a dear friend growing up and it hit me pretty hard. He is the second person close to me to commit suicide in just over a year as I had posted here about the previous one. This is not a statistic I could have ever imagined.

 

[CrazyHippie]

It’s unloaded and bullets packed away.

I’ve been so down for months and can’t understand why.

Depression is a bitch. Brain chemistry is stupid. Genitive apparently.

Found out 3 of my aunts and uncles have it too.

If you're going through this and can't shake it, please, please reach out to your doc for help. There's no shame in it and it will help. I hope that you feel better soon.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see the date. Hope youre feeling better!

 

[CrazyHippie]

Reviving this thread to say that a best friend I grew up with committed suicide on September 18th. He had just turned 60 about 3 weeks before that, retired from his job, then organized a family reunion and took his own life all within that 3 weeks or so period.

I went back to my hometown about 225 miles away for his celebration of life and funeral on September 29th. It was a closed casket…..

Don was a great guy and a dear friend growing up and it hit me pretty hard. He is the second person close to me to commit suicide in just over a year as I had posted here about the previous one. This is not a statistic I could have ever imagined.

So sorry that this has happened. I hope that you can find peace over it. It's good to reach out - so many of us are here for you. Let me know if you need to chat privately.

 

[Bikeman315]

Reviving this thread to say that a best friend I grew up with committed suicide on September 18th. He had just turned 60 about 3 weeks before that, retired from his job, then organized a family reunion and took his own life all within that 3 weeks or so period.

I went back to my hometown about 225 miles away for his celebration of life and funeral on September 29th. It was a closed casket…..

Don was a great guy and a dear friend growing up and it hit me pretty hard. He is the second person close to me to commit suicide in just over a year as I had posted here about the previous one. This is not a statistic I could have ever imagined.

So sorry to hear this Cam. Prayers and good thoughts coming to you and Don‘s family.

 

[Qcman17]

So sorry that this has happened. I hope that you can find peace over it. It's good to reach out - so many of us are here for you. Let me know if you need to chat privately.

Thank you! And yes some good people here including you!

 

[Qcman17]

So sorry to hear this Cam. Prayers and good thoughts coming to you and Don‘s family.

Thx Ira yeah its been a tough year or so witnessing these things. This one affected me in another way as well. We were both 60 and so I am within perhaps 6 to 18 months to retirement depending on what I choose to do and he had just retired.

It is something that I am very much looking forward to and I found it extra troubling that he made it to the point where he should be able to really enjoy life on his terms the most but obviously not. My heart goes out to anyone who ever loses a friend or loved one in this way. It goes against the natural order of things.

 

[sk47]

Hello; Not sure my story fits in very well but a suicide is involved. Backstory is I married the first time in 1966. Both my first wife and I were 19 and likely too young. We stayed married for around 13 years and divorced around 1979. Short story is she had a boyfriend so that ended the marriage. Not much happened after that as we had no children together and there was no alimony.

A little over a year ago I got a phone call from that first wife. She had outlived her most recent husband. She wanted us to spend some time together. I was invited to see the house she had designed. We were both 75 years old and had been apart for over 40 years.

I declined politely as what resentments had existed were long ago diluted by time. I did think about a reconciliation for a couple of weeks. Discovered there was still some buried resentment dredged up by the short phone call. I realized I would be asking for some answers that would pretty much be unpleasant to know about as well as awkward to talk about. So, after the one phone call I let it go and did not make further contact.

Around ten months later got a phone call from a woman i did not know. She asked if i knew the person who turned out to be my ex wife. My ex had married her brother and she was dealing with the ex wife's estate. She basically wanted to know if anything needed to be settled with me. I told the sister all that was long settled.

The sister had a lot of questions once she found out who I am. We talked a long while. During the call she told me my ex had killed herself. This is where my story likely does not fit so well. I did wonder if things might have turned out different had I gone for a visit. I pondered about how much, if at any level, I ought to feel guilty. Did not take long for me to be comfortable with my decision to not go see her. I was not a cause of her decision to take her life.

I figure it was the long amount of time apart that mattered the most. The person i cared about was lost to me 44 years ago. Guess the bit about time is the only worthwhile contribution to this thread. I was sad to hear about my ex-wife's demise but had worked thru the hard emotional loss decades ago when we divorced.
Hope i have not waster everyone's time.

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