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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: net.suicide
Subject: re: Suicide (there's nothing macho about a dead body)
Message-ID: <57@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Dec-85 18:27:04 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.57
Posted: Thu Dec 12 18:27:04 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Dec-85 08:17:06 EST
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 34

I find the current tone of the discussion in  this  group  disturbing.  The
gist  of  what  I'm  reading  seems  to  be there's something macho about a
successful suicide while those who try and fail are spineless  wimps.  That
has  to  be the stupidest attitude I've encountered in some time and I hope
I'm misinterpreting it.

In the course of earning a Master's degree in clinical psychology  I  spent
four  years  with  the  Los  Angeles  Suicide Prevention Center as a crisis
telephone counselor and shift supervisor, among other things.  During  that
time  I  talked with hundreds of people who were considering suicide.  Some
of those people were holding guns in their hands while I talked with  them.
More  than  once I heard the gun go off and the phone drop.  On a number of
occasions I sent paramedic teams out to rescue  drug  overdose  attempters.
They weren't always in time.

You can make all the arbitrary categorizations of suicidal people you want,
but,  when  it  comes  down to an individual case, every one is unique.  To
label those who succeed or fail as cowardly or brave as a group is  foolish
at best and grossly insensitive at worst.

I've listened to a lot of  stories  from  suicidal  people.  Many  of  them
seemed  rational  and  thought  out,  but it was my job to try to keep them
alive and I did.  Even knowing the stories  behind  the  attempts  I  would
never  have  the  gall  to label any of the people I spoke with cowardly or
brave.  I would suspect anyone who felt compelled to do so in ignorance  of
the facts probably has some serious problems of their own.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp(+)TTI
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.             Geniuses are people so lazy they
Santa Monica, CA  90405           do everything right the first time.
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
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