suicide

have you ever thought about killing yourself? i have. for many, many years i thought that was totally normal. it wasn’t until my life got much better that i noticed the absence of this soothing thought: to just disappear myself … now, when that kneejerk image arises occasionally, i know it’s a warning sign: something’s… Continue reading suicide

tweeting against suicide

in preparation for world suicide prevention today, i listened to some tweets. and then I listened to my heart’s response and wrote it down: spread the word, save lives, get people talking! yes, let’s TALK about it! who can YOU talk to about this today? and not just on world suicide prevention day. today is… Continue reading tweeting against suicide

schizophrenia, involuntary admission and family members

the following is a press release from vancouver’s north shore schizophrenia society.  since no-one seems to have picked it up yet, i’m publishing it here.  it addresses the important question of when involuntary admission for serious mental illness is applicable, and the involvement of family members. vancouver coastal, in a review of the death by… Continue reading schizophrenia, involuntary admission and family members

links: psychology, morality, social media and dogs

in my long-suffering attempts to organize my internet life better, i’m going to see what it’s like if i post the occasional link article.  so here’s a stroll through the links open on august 1, with the first paragraph of each post so that you can get an idea what it’s all about.  you may… Continue reading links: psychology, morality, social media and dogs

stigmatization through silence

you don’t have to spend a lot of time leafing through therese borchard’s beyond blue: surviving depression and anxiety and making the most of bad genes to find some mention of suicide. here, for example i understand why people who haven’t experienced severe depression believe that a mother who commits suicide is extremely selfish and totally… Continue reading stigmatization through silence

suicide and … what? do words make sense here?

i’m sitting here checking my email after a lovely weekend away. my daughter is doing the dishes to hedley’s “for the nights i can’t remember”. my husband is exercising on the Wii. and i just opened an email from an artists’ email list i belong to. norm tucker, a fellow vancouver artist and writer, committed… Continue reading suicide and … what? do words make sense here?

how many suicides are ok, mr. minister?

last week, the british columbia government (the one that pumps millions and millions of dollars into the 2-week olympics next year) made cuts “changes” to the budgets of about 90 (ninety!) health agencies in the vancouver coastal health region alone. the changes cuts will mean no harm to services, says minister kevin falcon. it’s hard… Continue reading how many suicides are ok, mr. minister?

suicide prevention

today is the last day of suicide prevention week. to honour those who have attempted suicide and survived, those who have lost loved ones, and the lives of people who have chosen this sad way out, i’ve collected a few worthwhile links on the topic. if we put them all together, here are some ways… Continue reading suicide prevention