Terminally ill 16-year-old takes his anti-suicide campaign to RTE

jigglypuffstuff

pablomakaveli wrote: »

. They may worry about being labelled a selfish bastard for having those thoughts and might be put off seeking the help they need. I was worried about being judged and mocked and that put me off getting help for a long time and that nearly cost me my life.

Thats a very fair point. I don't think having those thoughts is a selfish thing,

However as far as committing the act is concerned thats where id draw the line.

Its one thing to think about something, its a total different thing to do it

jigglypuffstuff

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

You don't get it, same as he doesn't get it.

I have no doubt that the kid has good intentions and doesn't mean to hurt or offend, but yes, he is trying to guilt people. 'Appreciate what you have'? Hard to do that when you're in the depths of clinical depression. 'Help is always out there' - Eh, not really. I spent over 6 months on a waiting list for a therapist. Had very, very little support from friends and family, most of them having the 'your life isn't that bad! Pull yourself together!' attitude or plain not wanting to be bothered. I reached out to someone and was pretty much told, 'I have my own problems, sort yourself out'. Saying he 'has no choice' about the pain he's in implies that those with depression DO have a choice. Talking about the choice in 'pain he is about to cause', as if people who commit suicide set out to hurt the people they leave behind.

Yes, they are very, very hurtful words.

I think it's you that doesnt get it. Where in that article does he even mention the word depression? This is what he says

''know that there are always other options and help is always there''

What part of that is hurtful?? This kid has no choice but to die, he's urging others who have that choice to make the right decision and seek help!!!

Are you implying that people with clinical depression have no choice whether or not to seek help?

Chronic Button

As someone who suffers depression and has considered suicide, I am not hurt by his words. I see he means well and I really feel for him and his family.

I just want to ask - all politics and differences of opinion aside, genuinely - is anyone reading here hurt by his comments? I won't argue if you are, I am just curious.

My name is URL

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

You don't get it, same as he doesn't get it.

I have no doubt that the kid has good intentions and doesn't mean to hurt or offend, but yes, he is trying to guilt people. 'Appreciate what you have'? Hard to do that when you're in the depths of clinical depression. 'Help is always out there' - Eh, not really. I spent over 6 months on a waiting list for a therapist. Had very, very little support from friends and family, most of them having the 'your life isn't that bad! Pull yourself together!' attitude or plain not wanting to be bothered. I reached out to someone and was pretty much told, 'I have my own problems, sort yourself out'. Saying he 'has no choice' about the pain he's in implies that those with depression DO have a choice. Talking about the choice in 'pain he is about to cause', as if people who commit suicide set out to hurt the people they leave behind.

Yes, they are very, very hurtful words.

You best never look at the Samaritans website if you feel that's the case. One of their main mottos is "You don't have to be suicidal", basically amounting to what the kid is saying regarding choice and the availability of help services.

Would you also accuse the Samaritans of not 'getting it'?

Ten of Swords

pone2012 wrote: »

This kid has no choice but to die, he's urging others who have that choice to make the right decision and seek help!!!

Are you implying that people with clinical depression have no choice whether or not to seek help?

The guy's intentions haven't been called into question by anyone in this thread and I think it can be safely assumed that he genuinely wants to help people.

The divisive issue here is that he is not facing the choice to end his life and therefore he is probably not in the best position to advise people that maybe are facing difficult times and have considered suicide. It is probable that his views will be entertained but ultimately ignored but he may manage to alienate people who feel that he has no real understanding of what he is talking about.

RTE will squeeze whatever publicity they can from this and then in a week or two nobody will remember him.

Turtwig

pone2012 wrote: »

I think it's you that doesnt get it. Where in that article does he even mention the word depression? This is what he says

''know that there are always other options and help is always there''

What part of that is hurtful?? This kid has no choice but to die, he's urging others who have that choice to make the right decision and seek help!!!

Are you implying that people with clinical depression have no choice whether or not to seek help?

OK,
First off, it's always possible that this article doesn't accurately represent his views. I've quoted his entire words in the article and boldfaced the bits that I'd have a problem with.

"I realised that I was fighting for my life for the third time in four years and this time I have no hope," he opened up. "Yet still I hear of young people committing suicide and I’m sorry but it makes me feel nothing but anger."


"I feel angry that these people choose to take their lives, to ruin their families and to leave behind a mess that no one can clean up," he added. "I am here with no choice, trying as best I can to prepare my family and friends for what’s about to come and leave as little a mess as possible. I know that most of these people could be going through financial despair and have other problems in life, but I am at the depths of despair and believe me there is a long way to go before you get to where I am. For these people no matter how bad life gets there are no reasons bad enough to make them do this, if they slept on it or looked for help they could find a solution and that they need to think of the consequences of what they are about to do."

"It was given to me as easy as dinner," he said. “A few months left, he said. There it was I was given a timeline on the rest if my life. No choice, no say, no matter. It was given to me as easy as dinner. I couldn’t believe it, that all I had was 16 years here and soon I began to pay attention to every detail that was going on in this town."

"So please as a 16 year old who has no say in his death sentence, who has no choice in the pain he is about to cause and who would take any chance at even a few more months on this planet appreciate what you have, know that there are always other options and help is always there."


Notice how often he used the term choice. How he regarded himself as being in the depths of despair. That people could sleep on their problems.
There's no doubt that his intentions are good. His words, though, not so much.

pone2012

pone2012 wrote: »

I think it's you that doesnt get it. Where in that article does he even mention the word depression? This is what he says

''know that there are always other options and help is always there''

What part of that is hurtful?? This kid has no choice but to die, he's urging others who have that choice to make the right decision and seek help!!!

Are you implying that people with clinical depression have no choice whether or not to seek help?

I would imagine most people kill themselves because they feel depressed or have other mental issues. Just a guess.

If you can't read more into his statement, then I don't know what to tell you.

And as I already said, help is NOT available for a lot of people and even if it is, they're too sick to ask for it.

My name is URL wrote: »

You best never look at the Samaritans website if you feel that's the case. One of their main mottos is "You don't have to be suicidal", basically amounting to what the kid is saying regarding choice and the availability of help services.

Would you also accuse the Samaritans of not 'getting it'?

No, it isn't. There is a world of difference between 'suicide doesn't have to be the answer to your serious mental health issues' and 'appreciate what you have because others have it so much worse'. There is absolutely no logic whatsoever in comparing dying from a terminal illness and 'choosing' to kill yourself. He's irrationally angry that other people choose to end their lives while he wants to live but can't. Totally understandable. But not appropriate to broadcast to the nation. It's just incredibly simplistic and naive.

jigglypuffstuff

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

You don't get it, same as he doesn't get it.

I have no doubt that the kid has good intentions and doesn't mean to hurt or offend, but yes, he is trying to guilt people. 'Appreciate what you have'? Hard to do that when you're in the depths of clinical depression. 'Help is always out there' - Eh, not really. I spent over 6 months on a waiting list for a therapist. Had very, very little support from friends and family, most of them having the 'your life isn't that bad! Pull yourself together!' attitude or plain not wanting to be bothered. I reached out to someone and was pretty much told, 'I have my own problems, sort yourself out'. Saying he 'has no choice' about the pain he's in implies that those with depression DO have a choice. Talking about the choice in 'pain he is about to cause', as if people who commit suicide set out to hurt the people they leave behind.

Yes, they are very, very hurtful words.

Jernal wrote: »

Notice how often he used the term choice. How he regarded himself as being in the depths of despair. That people could sleep on their problems.
There's no doubt that his intentions are good. His words, though, not so much.

Perhaps his choice of words aren't the best that I can agree upon

Well regarding suicide it is most definitley a choice. If an individual who has clinical depression/ suicidal thoughts does not make an attempt at suicide then it wont happen. Whereas this young man has no choice its coming whether he likes it or not and theres nothing he can do to stop it.

Also I think he meant suicide specifically when he said sleep upon it, well thats how I interpreted it anyway

pone2012

pone2012 wrote: »

Perhaps his choice of words aren't the best that I can agree upon

Well regarding suicide it is most definitley a choice. If an individual who has clinical depression/ suicidal thoughts does not make an attempt at suicide then it wont happen. Whereas this young man has no choice its coming whether he likes it or not and theres nothing he can do to stop it.

Also I think he meant suicide specifically when he said sleep upon it, well thats how I interpreted it anyway

It's just so naive. Like that silly 'suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem' thing. As if people decide to kill themselves because someone put an empty milk carton back in the fridge. By the time someone gets to the point of killing themselves, I think things are already pretty damn horrendous for them.

Saying things like they should 'sleep on their issues' is just condescending. As is saying that 'nobody's problems are that bad' and 'there's a long way to go before you get to where he is'. How on earth does he know what other people have been through? He has no right to judge others like that. Terminal illness is terrible but so are lots of other situations. It's not a bloody competition.

jigglypuffstuff

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

I
Saying things like they should 'sleep on their issues' is just condescending. As is saying that 'nobody's problems are that bad' and 'there's a long way to go before you get to where he is'. How on earth does he know what other people have been through? He has no right to judge others like that. Terminal illness is terrible but so are lots of other situations. It's not a bloody competition.

You'll get no argument from me regarding the importance of mental health. Its the most neglected part of health in Ireland from what I see. I often see it down to social determinants however. Right back as far as the old ''its not ok for a man to cry'' line of thinking.

In general many (not all) people tend to not worry about things until its too late. For example

People don't want to stop drinking until they are already alcoholics

People don't want to stop smoking until they have cancer

People dont want to talk about their feelings until it goes too far and some sort of explosion/ implosion of emotion happens

These may all seem like different problems but the principal behind what im saying stays true. In some cases people dont even want to acknowledge things. Hell it took me months before i realized i had any issue, longer to admit it to others and even longer again before i decided to start tackling the issue. I dont want to announce here some of the things i did but reflecting makes me realize just how neglected mental health is.

In any event were are talking extremes here where lives are at question. but just to ask. Can depression itself actually kill you? What I mean is take every other variable out of the equation and just look at depression. Can it?

My guess would be no it cannot directly (open to correction/debate) and I think thats the point he's trying to make. That people in that case have the chance to fight back and at least try, however large or small the chance is it's still there. Whereas he knows that he has not got such a choice and is doomed to it.

I will agree one thing though, he has not been in everyone's shoes, but if the kid helps a few people up from a dark place what harm? If you were in his shoes at his age, would you be able to directly speak about you feelings so well as to not offend anyone?

Nothing in this post is out to offend anyone and im not saying depression isnt serious, ive seen it first hand destroy people! including a friend who commited suicide.

Im just putting my interpretation of what I think that lad was trying to say out there.

beks101

pone2012 wrote: »

i have no sympathy for people who refuse to get help. thats like complaining about being hungry with a fridge full of food.

Ah yes, Irish mental health services, so flush with funding & resources. Lying around just waiting for someone to come and own up to their mental health issues so they can fix them up and throw them back into society.

What incredible naïveté and ignorance.
I find it astounding that someone can remain so completely clueless & dispassionate towards those who suffer from mental illness and how the human mind works, while studying that very subject at university level. And what's more, with a view to furthering your studies with what I assume is intention to eventually work in the field? Scary.

It's not your job as a Psychology student to judge the actions of people who suffer from suicidal thoughts. It's your job to try to understand what happens in their brain & resulting behaviours to get them there, with the hope of helping & improving their condition. You don't help a suicidal person by guilt tripping, berating and laying blame on them. Surely you know that?

jigglypuffstuff

beks101 wrote: »

Ah yes, Irish mental health services, so flush with funding & resources. Lying around just waiting for someone to come and own up to their mental health issues so they can fix them up and throw them back into society.

What incredible naïveté and ignorance.
I find it astounding that someone can remain so completely clueless & dispassionate towards those who suffer from mental illness and how the human mind works, while studying that very subject at university level. And what's more, with a view to furthering your studies with what I assume is intention to eventually work in the field? Scary.

It's not your job as a Psychology student to judge the actions of people who suffer from suicidal thoughts. It's your job to try to understand what happens in their brain & resulting behaviours to get them there, with the hope of helping & improving their condition. You don't help a suicidal person by guilt tripping, berating and laying blame on them. Surely you know that?

You should realize that was my personal opinion and not a ''professional one''

And furthermore theres a difference between being a little depressed, and severly clinically depressed

I should have pointed out what i was speaking about more clearly i think its obvious which of the two i was referring too.

If you'd like a professional opinion id look elsewhere as ive not got that much psychology under my belt, and also my interest lies in social psychology not clinical as ive previously stated ive seen enough mental issue for one lifetime

Hmm scary that I wish to do research at a University when im finished??

how so?

confuseddotcom

I'm only on page 2 of 15 and I think I've heard / read enough. Fair enough it might be crass and harsh but the truth hurts. There's no sugared-coated-way of saying this but the fact is suicidal people do have a choice to live. They mightn't feel like they do but, they do! No matter what way ya look at it, the only time that I'm aware of, that you can't choose to live is being terminally ill. That's it. There is no argument here. If you're suicidal ya might feel like you're given a death sentence alright, but it's not and never going to be the same as being terminally ill, because it's not a definite that you will die although you might feel like you want to. There is a chance although maybe slight, that you'll survive, that you'll come through, that you'll, (gasp!) even yes even come out the other side! It's not the same at all. That's all there is to it. That's what he is highlighting. He doesn't have those "possibilities."

As for wading-in to take insult to him just stating facts as they are, albeit by default in-sensitive, he's not making a choice to be voluntarily in-sensitive, it's the nature of the topic not him. :pac: So put the dummy back in! Although he certainly has had his fair share of life's experiences valid for one lifetime.

I think it's rather un-fair to be stereotyping him just because of his age. He is basing his intentions that he is highlighting on his life and in-voluntary lifestyle so far, regardless of whether he has sixteen years behind him or sixty. Why judge him just because he is ONE teen?

Even families of people who committed suicide say there was absolutely no need for them to do that, and although it's a horrible thing to have to say; - the thing is, there wasn't a need for them to at all. He mentions, that not by choice, he's now having to mull-over, look-after, tidy-up, take care of his affairs, - whatever way ya want to phrase it, for when he's not around, where-as someone suicidal is mulling over their choices to continue on with life or end it, even despite leaving everyone and everything behind them. Two different things. Families say if only they had any idea how much there was no necessity whatsoever for them to go and do something like that. Because sadly, there wasn't / isn't! (It's that they think there is. Perhaps a topic for another day.)

So, no, no cause for argument. I'm not dissing depressed people in any way at all, heck I hate existence myself! BUT, It has *nothing* got to do with him, that the choosing to live bit is the toughie for suicidal people who have a crappy life and don't feel able to go on and don't want to - maybe that is what should be discussed, and the fact remains that the choice is still there for them. It's not there for him. He's not mulling over his choices. He is mulling over the next stage what happens next after / when he's gone. A suicidal person may feel they can't go on, but, someone who actually can't, is someone with a terminal illness.

Steve O

Feel bad for his situation but he is fcuking clueless.


He's young though.

beks101

pone2012 wrote: »

You should realize that was my personal opinion and not a ''professional one''

Personal opinions on mental health issues in society & within the health care services are at the crux of this whole thread.

If someone inherently believes that suicide is "selfish" and yet it's their job to study, research, help those suffering & progress the mental health services provided to these people - then that's scary. It shows a distinctly rigid, dispassionate, closed mind towards a sensitive subject when the very opposite is needed.

Steve O

Chronic Button wrote: »

As someone who suffers depression and has considered suicide, I am not hurt by his words. I see he means well and I really feel for him and his family.

I just want to ask - all politics and differences of opinion aside, genuinely - is anyone reading here hurt by his comments? I won't argue if you are, I am just curious.

Not hurt but a bit annoyed. I mean he's young and his opinion may change over time but it is people like him that don't educate themselves on a subject before preaching that really get to me.

The comments on the independent website are something else.

starlings

beks101 wrote: »

Personal opinions on mental health issues in society & within the health care services are at the crux of this whole thread.

If someone inherently believes that suicide is "selfish" and yet it's their job to study, research, help those suffering & progress the mental health services provided to these people - then that's scary. It shows a distinctly rigid, dispassionate, closed mind towards a sensitive subject when the very opposite is needed.

in fairness, that is not the job of someone who takes a few modules in Psychology.

beks101

starlings wrote: »

in fairness, that is not the job of someone who takes a few modules in Psychology.

It may eventually be, given the expressed intention of continuing with an MA

confuseddotcom

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

It's just so naive. Like that silly 'suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem' thing. As if people decide to kill themselves because someone put an empty milk carton back in the fridge. By the time someone gets to the point of killing themselves, I think things are already pretty damn horrendous for them.

Saying things like they should 'sleep on their issues' is just condescending. As is saying that 'nobody's problems are that bad' and 'there's a long way to go before you get to where he is'. How on earth does he know what other people have been through? He has no right to judge others like that. Terminal illness is terrible but so are lots of other situations. It's not a bloody competition.

I don't see it as condescending at all. Sure it needs all the attention and directing and highlighting that it can possibly get, certainly not being hidden away to have better services and care available for Mental Health. Well he is in a similar situation to know what it's like. Of course other situations are horrendous, but it's still the case that it's not and never going to be "as bad" as the DEFINITE death of a terminal illness. There is a way out that isn't ending life. I don't think anyone said it's a competition. What needs the momentum here is development and help and assistance that the focus be on choosing to live.

starlings

beks101 wrote: »

It may eventually be, given the expressed intention of continuing with an MA

Nope, pone2012 has said his/her interest is not in clinical psychology.

jigglypuffstuff

beks101 wrote: »

It may eventually be, given the expressed intention of continuing with an MA

Theres alot more to psychology than clinical you know. My interest lies in social psychology and to a lesser extent developmental.

My name is URL

eviltwin wrote: »

He hasn't a clue about anyone else's life, anyone's else's pressures or what their limitations are.

And neither do you, or I.. or the hive-mind that is the internet. So stop preempting what others might think about what some kid says on a poxy TV show.

Emotional blackmail.. you honestly think that's what the fella is about?

Who is he hurting with what he says? It's all a bit subjective isn't it?

You might be hurt when someone says that committing suicide is an ultimitely stupid and selfish decision to make.. Others may be disturbed when people tell them it's normal, an inevitability or something that they should expect.

Middle ground seems to be at a premium.

Bajingo

Deleted User wrote: »

Being terminally ill doesn't mean that someone can't still be an unempathetic ass. And most 16 year olds are unempathetics asses.

Very true, but it somehow allows them to get onto a national platform and shout out their unempathetic ass comments to the country. Depression is an illness, a complicated one and I think what this kid is saying is as intelligent as me saying that he is selfish if he dies of his terminal illness (to be clear this is not what I am saying). Young people suffering from these mental illnesses need help and support not further criticisms especially not from gobby kids who haven't a clue!

jigglypuffstuff

Bajingo wrote: »

Depression is an illness, a complicated one and I think what this kid is saying is as intelligent as me saying that he is selfish if he dies of his terminal illness (to be clear this is not what I am saying)

Then what exactly are you saying??

General General

Person A: I think what you're doing is selfish!

Person B: I don't give a fluck what you think.

Person A: I think that that is so selfish!

Person B: Big deal.

Person A: I demand that you think that my thought that you are selfish matters to you.

Person B: I decidedly refuse to do so.

Person A: You're so selfish...

woodoo

I can't believe this terminally ill guy is getting a hard time for saying what he did. He has the unique viewpoint of being terminally ill. That in itself has probably caused him to feel significantly depressed. He has no choice he is going to die, someone with depression has a choice, they can choose not to kill themselves, choose to undergo treatment etc. There is no comparison.

I happen to believe that suicide is selfish. It leaves a terrible mess behind. Ask any terminally ill person what they would do for another chance at life. They would go to the ends of the earth. Yet they see someone with depression, a problem that can quite often be solved or managed taking their own life. How do people expect them to view that.

woodoo

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

No, he's bitter and angry that other people 'choose' to end their life when he can't choose to continue living his and is trying to guilt such people into feeling grateful that they don't have a terminal illness. It is basically just another form of 'hey, why don't ya just snap out of it, weakling? I have it SO much worse than you and I carry on'. The same thing most depressed people have heard over and over. I understand why the kid might be feeling this way, but he should NEVER have been given a platform to air his ill-informed views. It's extremely damaging and dangerous and shows a total lack of understanding and empathy regarding mental illness.

He does have it much worse. I think you are underestimating just how hopeless and grim terminal illness is for someone that wants to live. They have no hope, not even on their good days. Death is a certainty. The same does not apply to depression.

woodoo

woodoo wrote: »

He does have it much worse. I think you are underestimating just how hopeless and grim terminal illness is for someone that wants to live. They have no hope, not even on their good days. Death is a certainty. The same does not apply to depression.

I could tell you you're underestimating how hopeless and grim depression is for someone who wants to die. They have no hope, even on their good days. They feel no joy, no satisfaction from life.

My name is URL

We should be outraged by the fact that Brendan O'Connor gets to speak on national television.. never mind the child.

Insect Overlord

It begins...

P_1

He's entitled to his opinion, I'm just as entitled to ignore it tbh

karma_

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

I could tell you you're underestimating how hopeless and grim depression is for someone who wants to die. They have no hope, even on their good days. They feel no joy, no satisfaction from life.

The point is that those who want to live can't and those that can won't. You can dress it up all you want, you're still going to be wrong.

CaraMay

Shame on those of you who have abused that young man. Look at his face on tv and you should have nothing but sympathy for him. He is a good guy and thinking of others ahead of himself.

Lord Trollington

Have to say I agree with the young chap.

He's facing death. We all know we'll die some day. This chap knows its coming soon.

What a horrendous position to be in. My heart goes out to him and his famile

Insect Overlord

CaraMay wrote: »

Shame on those of you who have abused that young man. Look at his face on tv and you should have nothing but sympathy for him. He is a good guy and thinking of others ahead of himself.

Really?

"20 years ago it didn't exist in society".

The kid has no idea what he's on about.

My name is URL

This all seems a bit exploitative now.. cameras zooming in and spluttery leading questions by the rapey looking presenter...

karma_

karma_ wrote: »

The point is that those who want to live can't and those that can won't. You can dress it up all you want, you're still going to be wrong.

You can dress it up all you want, you're still going to be ignorant. It's ridiculous to even compare these two situations. You just don't get it.

P_1

In a way suicide could be considered as a person having the ultimate control over their body. Is it selfish? I guess it depends on who's perspective you look at it from. If a person decides to end their own life then who is anybody to judge that person really.

Bajingo

pone2012 wrote: »

Then what exactly are you saying??

This is what I am saying, 'I think what this kid is saying is as intelligent as me saying that he is selfish if he dies of his terminal illness' .

This is not what I am saying, 'he is selfish if he dies of his terminal illness', because this would be a stupid thing to say, as stupid and ill informed as what this kid has said about people with suicidal thoughts.

Turtwig

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Really?

"20 years ago it didn't exist in society".

The kid has no idea what he's on about.

That's because we covered a shed load of it up. Even today the statistics are still fudged. Just, thankfully not as much.(We hope!)

Lord Trollington

P_1 wrote: »

In a way suicide could be considered as a person having the ultimate control over their body. Is it selfish? I guess it depends on who's perspective you look at it from. If a person decides to end their own life then who is anybody to judge that person really.

Absolutely ludicrous.

jigglypuffstuff

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

It's ridiculous to even compare these two situations.

Yes you are correct, because one is an illness which can be managed in most cases with the correct help, and the other is an absolute death sentence which you can do nothing about....

CaraMay

CaraMay wrote: »

Shame on those of you who have abused that young man. Look at his face on tv and you should have nothing but sympathy for him. He is a good guy and thinking of others ahead of himself.

Who is abusing him? I do feel sympathy for him. I'm sure his intentions are very good. I'm sure he didn't mean to offend anyone. He's just very naive and misguided and doesn't understand the first thing about mental illness. Shame on RTE for putting him on TV.

P_1

Lord Trollington wrote: »

Absolutely ludicrous.

How so?

At the end of the day it is your life and only one person should have the power to chose what to do with it.

karma_

Kallie Crashing Bongo wrote: »

You can dress it up all you want, you're still going to be ignorant. It's ridiculous to even compare these two situations. You just don't get it.

Ignorant?

You're the one who is placing depression on a par with terminal cancer. While it is a terrible affliction it's not on the same graph.

I've seen the chemo and the radio wards in this country jam packed with patients. I've watched someone whither away and succumb to terminal cancer, it took everything from them from their hair to their dignity, and it wasn't painless.

Few things terrify me more these days, and I would wish it on no one. Yet we have eijets in this very thread say they'd rather have cancer than depression? Yes that angers me but it's really just a fool with no experience of either.

pone2012

pone2012 wrote: »

Yes you are correct, because one is an illness which can be managed in most cases with the correct help, and the other is an absolute death sentence which you can do nothing about....

I have known quite a few terminally ill people who weren't arsed about dying and didn't put up much of a fight. The people who really want to live are those who have things to live for - supportive family, a circle of friends, interests. People who really enjoy their lives. Of course such people want to keep living, that's logical. Why isn't it logical for you that someone with a sh*tty, miserable life who can't feel any emotions and sees no reason to keep going would want to die?

jigglypuffstuff

I hope everyone here who throws the claims around that this kid knows nothing studies psychology . if not then you are just as clueless as you claim this young man to be

Because if you think suffering from a mental illness makes you understand mental health you are most definitely wrong.

Its already been stated personal experience does not equate to understanding

My name is URL

P_1 wrote: »

In a way suicide could be considered as a person having the ultimate control over their body. Is it selfish? I guess it depends on who's perspective you look at it from. If a person decides to end their own life then who is anybody to judge that person really.

Why should they not be judged? People get judged for far more innocuous and menial **** every day.

How about when people with severe clinical depression or other mental difficulties decide to murder their own children before killing themselves? Should they not be judged... should it not be discussed for the fear of upsetting a few people?

Tigerandahalf

That was a powerful interview. V impressive young man. Life is short.

However you can never know what goes on in a person's head and what tools they have to deal with it.

CaraMay

What came across was his attempts to make his passing as painless (if at all possible) for the people he leaves behind. He knows how devastating this will be for them and is pointing out that others can save their family and friends from utter devastation by not committing suicide. Makes sense to me.