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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (Jerry Hollombe)
Newsgroups: net.suicide
Subject: re: suicidal tendencies
Message-ID: <191@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 17:06:44 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.191
Posted: Mon Jan 21 17:06:44 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 28-Jan-85 05:48:34 EST
Organization: TTI, Santa Monica, CA.
Lines: 63

>From: ken@turtlevax.UUCP (Ken Turkowski)
>Subject: suicidal tendencies
>Message-ID: <634@turtlevax.UUCP>
>
>Are there any signs that I should watch out for?  How can I tell if
>someone I know is having suicidal tendencies?  Suppose s/he does have
>these signs, how do I help stabilize them?

1. Who to watch for:

	High risk populations (in no particular order):

		Male teenagers
		Alcoholics (especially adult male alcoholics)
		Older men
		People with prior histories of suicide attempts

2. What to watch for:

	Sudden change in mood.
	Sudden calm after a period of depression and/or dispair.
	Giving away personal possessions.
        Clues in speech  (comments  about  troubles  ending  soon,  out  of
                context farewells, etc.)

3. What to do:

	Be supportive.
        Contact friends, relatives, and SO's in general to form  a  support
                group for the person (don't try to do it alone, you'll burn
		out).
	Recommend counseling or therapy.
	Refer to professional help or at least local hotlines.
	Don't be afraid to discuss the situation or mention suicide.

4. For yourself:

        You are NOT responsible for another  person's  life  decisions.  If
        you  care  about them, then do what you can for them.  If they kill
	themselves anyway, that is their decision and you are not at fault.
        Trained  professionals  can  frequently  miss  tell-tale  signs  of
        suicidal behavior (hindsight is a  terrible  thing).  You  can  not
        read other people's minds.


I may have left out a few minor things, but  these  are  the  basics.  Hope
they're helpful.

BTW, don't panic if you think you see some of these signs in a  person  you
know.  Some  of  the  above symptoms turn up as ordinary behavior in people
who aren't remotely suicidal.  Talk to the person.  Find out  what's  going
on  with  them  lately  and  over  the  last  few  weeks/months.   Probably
everything's ok.  Possibly you can prevent or aleviate some grief.
-- 
==============================================================================
   ... sitting in a pile of junk on the runway, wondering what happened ...

The Polymath (Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp TTI                               If thy CRT offend thee, pluck
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.                      it out and cast it from thee.
Santa Monica, California  90405
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
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