It's Been Almost Two Years

in #life5 years ago (edited)

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I lost a friend to suicide. Before that I lost a friend to overdose. And before that to a traumatic car accident. Some less informed argue ODs are suicides. Not when the junkie boyfriend tells you "she took less than half what she normally takes." She died from fentanyl.

Back to my friend who did die from suicide, she was a remarkable person, artist, & Steemian.
Here's the graphic art, "City Song", and beautiful galaxy painting from her.
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Her coloring books are no longer on the market & I have them both. Coveted because they conveyed some people are messed up and deeply traumatized. She was gutsy; no one else was gonna tackle the projects she did in her books. Also conveyed that what a woman looks like "down there" is beautiful. No one has any business making comments about it & if you're intimate with someone who is making you feel uncomfortable about downstairs, get rid of them. They don't belong in your life.
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Back to my header photo. I argue that the right column isn't just "suicidal" & encompasses suicidal ideations as well. Ideations are wishes to die or no longer be here. Actively suicidal means you're planning it. I have a trauma background too and have had ideations. It's true, to the public at large being suicidal and expressing it is viewed as attention seeking. However, it is NOT, it's a cry for help, that is all too often ignored.

When I've had ideations and expressed it, I was largely ignored and people were irritated with me. After all, who would do that? Someone who is alone, isolated, and has no shoulder to lean on. It's also true these feelings are easily dismissed. NEVER dismiss someone feeling this way. It's the worst thing you could possibly do. I've had a few suicidal friends & I have never dismissed them because I know how bad that hurts and if you aren't strong enough; you might not survive it.

Finally since it's seen as attention seeking nobody thinks they'll actually do it. Until they do. Point is don't dismiss people. You may end up regretting that for the rest of life. **However, if someone chooses suicide, it is NOT your fault.
You may regret not taking them seriously but suicide is a deeply personal CHOICE.

Thanks for reading and the floor is open for comments & discussion. Thanks to The Depression Project for supplying head graphic.
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I don't think people will ever stop missing Laura.

How is mousey doing?

Posted using Partiko Android

As far as I know Mousy is well. I no longer live in MN and it was Laura's wish for her roommate to take care of Mousy.

This here is a really hard thing to discuss... because we don't have words for it.

Americans don't talk about their feelings. English doesn't have words to describe the difference between suicidal and suicide.

A suicidal person often has few friends, even worse, they push people away.
Even worse, they may have lots of fake friends, and so they go home after a party where they felt even more alone.

The state where people commit suicide is called apathy.

Funny is that anti-depressents and tranqualizers actually put you DOWN, into apathy.

The stage just up from apathy is anger.
So, if you dealing with an angry friend, and you try to calm them down by telling them they just have to live with whatever made them angry... well, now they are one step closer to suicide.

Further, if you are trying to talk some up from suicidal thoughts? You have to go through anger. It is very likely that the person you are trying to help is going to explode on you. Maybe violently.

And suicide periods usually come in threes. So not only do you have to do this once, you have to do this three times.

Wish my upvote was worth more. Looking back she did go through apathy. Furthermore she moved to an isolated area had no friends in said area. Had many online friends and "IRL" friends but they were too far away. Her life ended at 29. She gave up. Throughout her life i learned of dozens of attempts. She told me about them. There were times she was attempting regularly. I see what you are saying about violence during these periods and it's something i didn't think of before.

A powerful and emotional post I to have had a friend commit suicide many years ago and although I wasn’t that close to him or even in the same country at the time it did hit me and make me think about many of the things you mention in this post and I too will never ignore warning signs thinking it’s attention seeking but try to be a support and to listen

Thanks for this great post and being an active member of @steemusa !tip

Im sorry for the loss of your friend. Close or not close it's still difficult.

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I am sad for the loss of those dear to you. :c/

As a society we have a lot to learn about fundamental compassion.

At the risk of seeming self-promoting, I would suggest that any who have a friend that they are worried about - or who themselves are in a dark place - take a look through and/or send on a post that I once wrote.

May both the fallen and those for whom the precipice is in sight (or for whom the clouds simply blot out the sun) find the peace that they need.

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