6 ms·
Just an anecdote but at the depths of a bout of depression I had several years ago I decided to watch “the bridge”, a documentary profiling people have committe
by sbilstein 7y ago
Just an anecdote but at the depths of a bout of depression I had several years ago I decided to watch “the bridge”, a documentary profiling people have committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
Suicidal ideation absolutely increased for me and I even drove up to a bridge in Spokane just to “think about it.” I thought about jumping for about 10 minutes before I got in my car, drove home, and set up some time to talk to a therapist. I absolutely can see how a movie can push someone over the edge. I was lucky to get home and see my roommate had invited a few friends over...took me out of my thoughts long enough to recognize just how close I had gotten.
- berbec 7y agoI'm very glad you got the help you needed. There are reasons to keep going!
- numbers 7y agowow, thank you for writing that. Must be hard to recall something so personal. I'm sorry to hear about you going through that in any way at all from the beginning. I hope you're doing better now.
- sbilstein 7y agoThank you. I’m definitely doing better now :) running my own startup and happy with my dog and partner. Suicidal thoughts and depression are phases you can heal from with therapy, support, and potentially medication. I feel strongly for people who are down—you can get through this!
- sharkweek 7y agoThank you for sharing your story - glad to hear you are doing better now. I truly appreciate people who are open about their mental health journey because of how much help and validation it can offer others. Sending positive vibes your way!
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- gwbas1c 7y agoGosh, I found that movie so depressing I just had to turn it off. I very rarely stop watching a movie halfway through.
- stronglikedan 7y agoMisery loves company, unfortunately.
- stronglikedan 7y agoInteresting downvotes, considering that statement is the entire gist of the results of the study, as well as a counterpoint to the parent comment and the reasoning behind the grandparent comment.
- toomanyrichies 7y agoWhile the film's subject matter is certainly intense, I had a positive take-away from it as well, which is that a large percentage of people who experience a failed suicide attempt are glad they failed. This was the logic used to justify constructing suicide prevention barriers on bridges. If you take away the immediate opportunity for people to take their own lives, a few determined people may find another way, but many more will give up their attempt.
- Smithalicious 7y agoIsn't this just (literal) survivorship bias? I'd think that people that want to kill themselves very much would try again until they succeed, leaving only people who did not desire to die as strongly to report on how they felt about their failed attempt.
- mikeash 7y agoA failed suicide attempt at the bridge is still a traumatic event that puts you in the hospital. It will take some time before you have the opportunity to try again, and if you succeed, the fact that you failed in your previous attempt will be known to anyone doing a study.
- craze3 7y agoThat is great film but it had the opposite effect for me and everyone I talked to who watched it. They tell some pretty scary stories in it...
- thatoneuser 7y agoGlad you pulled yourself out friend. Thank you for the insight. I always hated when kids would say "kill yourself" or similar in high school for this very reason. Hope you're doing well.
- duderific 7y agoMan...nobody said that when I was in high school (30 years ago). Times have changed.
- tudelo 7y agoThe Internet has definitely increased the proliferation of such behavior.
- tjr225 7y agoHas it? Do we have any reason to believe this is definite? Moreover, do we have any evidence that this behavior didn't exist or existed at a lesser scale 30 years ago? Maybe the GP simply did not see it happening. Either way it seems like speculation, maybe it should be presented as such instead of stating it as fact?
- gatherhunterer 7y agoInsisting on evidence that proves a negative claim is an impossible standard. In the absence of evidence one can assume that a statement is anecdotal, especially when information like location and timeframe are not included.
- tjr225 7y agoI guess I could have been more clear- I don't believe these anecdotes reflect reality, and I don't think they really bring anything of substance to the conversation. It's borderline alarmist at best.