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Do you think it wasn't acknowledged specifically because it was suicide, or was it an overall culture of not addressing the cause of death in general? Because t

Do you think it wasn't acknowledged specifically because it was suicide, or was it an overall culture of not addressing the cause of death in general? Because the second one sounds fine to me.

BoorishBears 5y ago
How is it fine? Causes of death are not fungible, dying in a freak accident and dying from suicide in a high pressure setting should not be treated the same. Especially since we know that suicide can act like a contagion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207262/#_sec_0078_ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207262/#_sec_0078_ and the demands of the program they were in were almost certainly a factor
- maleldil 5y ago
  If it's specifically with suicide, then the company has a stigma with mental health, which is not okay. However, if it's always "teammate died" with no extra information, I can respect it. Your teammates are not entitled to know your cause of death. That's a personal thing, but you aren't there any more to choose if it's okay to share.
  - BoorishBears 5y ago
    If there's whispers the cat is out of the bag... the most respectful move is to simply address it and extend counseling Your cause of death isn't a personal thing either by the way, it's a matter of public record in most states (and of course word tends to get out with something as emotional as a death)
    - watwut 5y ago
      Colleagues are entitled to details of mental health issues nor other issues someone who just killed himself had. If there is public record, they are entitled to that and nothing more. The death person and his/her family have their own right to privacy and it trumps curiosity of collegues.
      - BoorishBears 5y ago
        This isn't about the curiosity of collegues?? Again, this isn't some random suicide, these are people in a known high pressure environment already aware this person committed suicide. The organization can pretend nothing happened (even though everyone already knew), or they can take charge and try and help these people cope with that devastating news and help anyone who might already be in a bad place... Once you're dead you're dead, that's why causes of death aren't personal... there's no person left. The organization doesn't even have to frame it in of terms this person's death, just a simple call out that "if anyone is struggling with this loss or needs help come to us". Anything is better than pretending it didn't happen.
        watwut 5y ago
        Some of those are close people ... others are not. Some might be are bullies who contributed too. That would not be rare either. > Once you're dead you're dead, that's why causes of death aren't personal... there's no person left. The family and actually close friends are left. And people who are about to die deserve to know their privacy will remain private too.
- philwelch 5y ago
  It’s exactly because suicide is socially contagious that it makes sense to stigmatize it and not openly discuss it.
  - BoorishBears 5y ago
    That makes zero sense at all. People learned this person committed suicide and the organization decided not to address it. That is strictly worse than addressing it no matter how you slice it.
    - philwelch 5y ago
      The organization is liable for their own communications. They aren’t liable for the rumor mill. It doesn’t have to make sense objectively; the organization’s actions only have to make sense from their perspective and incentives. OTOH, I’ve worked at office buildings that provided a clear view of a jumper, and there were formal communications that counseling was available to anyone who witnessed the jumper and felt they needed it. Which sort of underscored the fact that jumpers in the middle of busy downtown areas aren’t broadly reported to anyone who wasn’t likely to have directly seen them in the first place.

Do you think it wasn't acknowledged specifically because it was suicide, or was it an overall culture of not addressing the cause of death in general? Because the second one sounds fine to me.

BoorishBears 5y ago

How is it fine? Causes of death are not fungible, dying in a freak accident and dying from suicide in a high pressure setting should not be treated the same. Especially since we know that suicide can act like a contagion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207262/#_sec_0078_ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207262/#_sec_0078_ and the demands of the program they were in were almost certainly a factor

maleldil 5y ago
If it's specifically with suicide, then the company has a stigma with mental health, which is not okay. However, if it's always "teammate died" with no extra information, I can respect it. Your teammates are not entitled to know your cause of death. That's a personal thing, but you aren't there any more to choose if it's okay to share.
- BoorishBears 5y ago
  If there's whispers the cat is out of the bag... the most respectful move is to simply address it and extend counseling Your cause of death isn't a personal thing either by the way, it's a matter of public record in most states (and of course word tends to get out with something as emotional as a death)
  - watwut 5y ago
    Colleagues are entitled to details of mental health issues nor other issues someone who just killed himself had. If there is public record, they are entitled to that and nothing more. The death person and his/her family have their own right to privacy and it trumps curiosity of collegues.
    - BoorishBears 5y ago
      This isn't about the curiosity of collegues?? Again, this isn't some random suicide, these are people in a known high pressure environment already aware this person committed suicide. The organization can pretend nothing happened (even though everyone already knew), or they can take charge and try and help these people cope with that devastating news and help anyone who might already be in a bad place... Once you're dead you're dead, that's why causes of death aren't personal... there's no person left. The organization doesn't even have to frame it in of terms this person's death, just a simple call out that "if anyone is struggling with this loss or needs help come to us". Anything is better than pretending it didn't happen.
      - watwut 5y ago
        Some of those are close people ... others are not. Some might be are bullies who contributed too. That would not be rare either. > Once you're dead you're dead, that's why causes of death aren't personal... there's no person left. The family and actually close friends are left. And people who are about to die deserve to know their privacy will remain private too.
philwelch 5y ago
It’s exactly because suicide is socially contagious that it makes sense to stigmatize it and not openly discuss it.
- BoorishBears 5y ago
  That makes zero sense at all. People learned this person committed suicide and the organization decided not to address it. That is strictly worse than addressing it no matter how you slice it.
  - philwelch 5y ago
    The organization is liable for their own communications. They aren’t liable for the rumor mill. It doesn’t have to make sense objectively; the organization’s actions only have to make sense from their perspective and incentives. OTOH, I’ve worked at office buildings that provided a clear view of a jumper, and there were formal communications that counseling was available to anyone who witnessed the jumper and felt they needed it. Which sort of underscored the fact that jumpers in the middle of busy downtown areas aren’t broadly reported to anyone who wasn’t likely to have directly seen them in the first place.