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“We care about you…” has to be enormously sincere...

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A man suspected of drug trafficking committed suicide Monday morning at the arrival of the police and the Raid in Beziers (Herault), police said.

When the security forces arrived at the site of Cantagal, a camp of caravans and barracks, a man wanted by the police would have closed the door of his caravan before a detonation was heard at the interior, according to the source. He may have shot himself in the head (in despair).
"In principle, no shot was fired by the police," says a police source. The judicial police took over the investigation. The operation launched Monday morning in the region of Agde and Beziers involved calling 12 people in the context of a search for drug trafficking.
https://www.sudouest.fr/2019/09/09/operation-anti-drogue-un-suspect-se-suicide-a-l-arrivee-du-raid-a-beziers-6540315-7.php



The Science magazine Volume 365 issue 6455 explore ways to unravel suicide. It’s a complex issue with many aspects, triggers and reasoned developments for doing it. The magazine also looks at the geography of such (place, states and countries where the most suicides occur), tries to read “inside an anguished brain", study warning signs and pathways to prevention while also probing the evolutionary riddle on why humans harm themselves (masochism(?) and suicide).

Having dealt for many years with this subject, I guess the reasons for people committing suicide are many — from unbearable pain, delusions, deception, abuse to hopelessness.

When Epstein committed suicide, a lot of people breathed a sigh of relief… 

But should we see a similitude between Epstein and Robin Williams? Both men were placed in a situation with seemingly LITTLE CHANCE of improvement — on different time scales. There are mitigating issues though that should be explored.


First Epstein. 

"Billionaire" is a word that’s often thrown around when discussing Jeffrey Epstein, but unlike some of his other common modifiers — convicted sex offender, pedophile — there’s scant proof as to his financial bona fides. The bulk of Epstein’s wealth is believed to come from his money-management firm for ten-figure investors, although his only known client is Victoria’s Secret founder Les Wexner, who reportedly ditched Epstein over a decade ago.

After sex-trafficking charges were handed down on Monday [He "killed himself" since], executive-suite financiers discussed how absent Epstein was from the field: “He’s supposed to run an enormous FX [foreign-exchange] trading firm,” said Enrique Diaz-Alvarez, chief risk officer at Ebury. “But I never once heard of him or his firm or anyone who worked or traded with him.” And as Forbes wrote in a 2010 blog post with a very direct title — “Sex Offender Jeffrey Epstein Is Not a Billionaire” — his money-management firm based in the U.S. Virgin Islands “generates no public records, nor has his client list ever been released.”

As we wait for more information to emerge in the investigation’s coming months, speculation is pouring out on how Epstein made his wealth. To make up for the lack of public information on his revenue stream, people are turning to unverified theories on how Epstein maintained such a sterling financial reputation in addition to his millions. But first we’ll start with the knowns.



Financial Conspiracy Theory #1: Ponzi scheme

Theory #2: Blackmail

Theory #3: Epstein “Belonged to Intelligence”

Theory #4: Offshore Tax Schemes / Money Laundering



Read more:http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/07/how-did-jeffrey-epstein-make-his-fortune.html



So what did Epstein have to gain by killing himself? Well, in my view, nothing much really, even if he thought he could not buy any favours "at this stage"...

Get out of a desperate situation: shame of being paraded as a naughty pimp to the wider world? Hardly, he enjoyed the gig...

Escape his future spent in prison? For people like him with an obvious sociopathic tendency and ability to manipulate people, the chance of managing prison and becoming top dog — eventually being pardoned for not revealing his “clients” — would be high. He would hope.

Going through a lengthy court case in which he and his "little schemes” would be exposed? I don’t (didn’t) know the guy nor his frame of mind but should he have been the happy dishonest bastard he appeared he was, there is a good chance that he would have liked to survive, including vicariously — seeing his victims squirm while trying to expose him — unless the loss of his opulent lifestyle would have been too much. Hum.

Hopelessness? Guys like him seem to always find a way to skew the system, as it appears he did previously. They always live in hope of a better day.

A generous last deed for his friends? Those powerful people who had use his services and would be relieved he died? Most likely not. 

A gesture of redemption to his victims? Most likely not.

Would Epstein have been given “suicide drugs” (say strong depressants mixed with amphetamines or such) in his prison food? How could he kill himself? Hanging??? How? Rope? Trousers belt? Shredded clothes? Suicide watch? Did he know he was not going to be supervised? Was he encouraged to do it? Death by organised convenience? Was he “suicided”?

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Second: Robin Williams. We already have explored his situation. He did not have to kill himself, but chose to, in order to avoid the noticeable degradation of his skills… According to some studies, his suicide may have encouraged a “suicide contagion of 1800 suicides, associated with his death”. 

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According to the Lancet, via Science (23 Aug 2019: Vol. 365, Issue 6455, pp. 725), “Sri Lanka’s pesticide regulations appear to have contributed to one of the greatest decreases in suicide rate ever seen.”

This is important to note, in regard to what pesticides can do, on various levels, including the cost of buying the stuff.

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In some instances, people suicide because they don’t understand what life is about… Don’t we all… So who could blame them, especially when they barely survive, with no joy and no other purpose than to struggle slowly towards a certain death. 

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Religious hope often becomes a double edge sword should kids having been molested by priests, thus want to become angels quicker or reject outright god that allowed them to be subjected to such shame.

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So where to now? Euthanasia and assisted suicides have become lawful in some states and countries. Here the problem is not misunderstanding what life is about, but about the quality of life, such as barely surviving in pain for an extra few years with tubes and pipes coming out of all our orifices while being drugged sky high, as we’ve got no idea who we are anymore. 

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So how to prevent suicide, especially youth suicide? The Romeo and Juliet syndrome is one that has plagued lovers for yonks. Idealisation of exclusive romantic love can be devastating.

Surviving tragedy can also induce suicidal thoughts. 

When doctors are more likely to top themselves…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-22/doctors-and-surgeons-suffering-anxiety-depression-in-secret/10926920

Loosing properties or a partner. 
PTSD can become a factor (Veterans in the USA committing suicide)

Under some conditions, finding the will to live is hard, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE.


So far there a few experts who can prevent suicide apart from counsellors who can be contacted on the phone. I do not know their “tactics” on how to make people who are depressed revalue their life. I do not know their success rate, in regard to people committing suicide after having been counselled. 

“We care about you…” has to be enormously sincere...

 

 

More to come...

 

 

revaluing the self...

Valuing the self is the key, but the pathways to this are basically elusive, when people are "in a state". The circumstances that have brought the devaluing of the self are numerous and complex, including victimisation, becoming aware of religious bullshit and the usage of drugs. Being lied to by other people is often double-edged — and the solutions to get people out of depression are mostly DELUSIVE. 
In the USA, Lifeline phone number is cumbersome. Some experts want this number to be simplified to say 988 or such. More than 47,000 people died by suicide in the USA in 2017, while Lifeline got near 2.5 million calls so far this year. Generally, the average of suicide had dropped worldwide but it had increased in the US by 33 per cent since 1999. 
So what to do? 
See:
caring about ourselves and others...

 

http://yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/35987

 

 

 

... and the french police...

Suicides of the police: Will Castaner find a solution?

The other big area that Christophe Castaner seems determined to seize upon is that of suicides within the police forces of which he is the boss. Since January 1, [2019] 51 national police and 11 gendarmes have committed suicide, according to the the association Uniforms in Danger. The situation becomes dramatic for this employer of law enforcement. In comparison, last year showed 36 suicides in the national police and 33 in the gendarmerie by December 31, 2018.

 

Read more:

https://francais.rt.com/france/65651-quartiers-reconquete-republicaine-p...

 

 

Read from top. Translation by Jules Letambour.

 

 

 

 

young people are seeking help but not finding it...

"After sitting there for an hour, eventually someone who was at the party came in and gave me some support. I was in a real mess."

'People are seeking help but not finding it'

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for young people in Australia, and figures out on Tuesday warned that we could see a 40 per cent spike in suicide rates over the next decade.

While advice to reach out and seek help is well-founded, youth mental health expert Patrick McGorry told Hack that people - like Andrew - are doing that already. 

He said the system is failing them.

 

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/people-not-getting-suicide-...

 

 

Read from top.

 

Best.

.. and when the pastors do it...

A California megachurch pastor who spoke openly about his battle with depression died by suicide Monday night, church officials said.

Jarrid Wilson, 30, was a pastor with the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in Riverside, where he gave impassioned sermons on mental health issues, according to church officials.

“Jarrid also repeatedly dealt with depression and was very open about his ongoing struggles,” senior pastor Greg Laurie wrote Tuesday on the church’s blog. “He wanted to especially help those who were dealing with suicidal thoughts. Tragically, Jarrid took his own life.”

The circumstances surrounding his apparent suicide were not immediately released.

Hours before his death, Wilson took to social media about mental health struggles.

 

Read more:

https://nypost.com/2019/09/11/jarrid-wilson-megachurch-pastor-dead-by-su...

 

Read from top.

 

We shall not give up. We care — even if we do not understand... 

 

One of the major problem with self-ruminating on "mental health, depression" and talking about it, is the disproportion of time spent (becoming a habit) with the feelings of being visited by the "black dog" versus experiencing the joy of living. The joy of living for creative people should be expressed as a decided "positive anger". Depression saps energy. Anger generates energy (adrenaline). Positive anger develops energy that is targeted at creation rather than destruction (that includes self-destruction). It's a battle at first, but the HABIT of joy needs to be reinforced, even if at first if appears to be delusive. In all cases, the system (government/support groups — non religious), friends and family should provide materialistic support: good food, shelter and enough cash as not to feel victimised by just "being alive"... Soothing music, doing menial tasks such as cleaning our "space", or a bit of work, can reinforce the essential need of stylistic survival: ACTION = REWARD. The reward is a treat — or realising life's good.

avoiding thought loops...

R U OK co-founder Graeme Cowan has been overwhelmed with support and messages of solidarity after sharing a suicide note he wrote in the depths of his depression 15 years ago.

Key points:
  • Mr Graham's post has gone viral, sparking an "overwhelmingly positive" response
  • Today marks the 11th R U OK day, after the inaugural event in 2009
  • Mr Cowan has advice for people feeling like a "burden" and for those caring for someone with depression

 

Mr Cowan is now a leading motivational speaker and posted his note to social media this week in the hope it would spark a conversation that could ultimately save lives.

It has since gone viral, being viewed or reposted more than 70,000 times with people sharing their own stories of hope and survival.

"I was just amazed … it's just overwhelmingly positive," Mr Cowan said.

If you need to talk to someone, call:

 

"I've had so many comments, and from people of the world, just saying that this is a really, really important discussion.

"Because people are all touched by it. It might not be specifically suicide, but it's definitely depression or anxiety or post-traumatic stress."

As R U OK Day — a national day of action to encourage people to reach out to others who may be struggling — is held for the 11th time today, Mr Cowan said the message was as vital as ever.

'You get stuck in thought loops'

It was 2004 when Mr Cowan found himself at his lowest point and decided to act on his suicidal thoughts.

His family found his unconscious body and the handwritten note, and was able to call for help and save his life.

 

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-12/r-u-ok-founder-graeme-cowan-share...

 

 

Read from top.

in need of help...

Coming from a broken family in Indonesia, Sandersan Onie said he had occasionally experienced negative thoughts, but it only got worse when he moved to Australia in 2015 to study.

Key points:
  • Pressure to succeed and financial burdens had led many students toward suicide
  • Data crucial to identifying where the problems are is not being collected
  • Cultural, financial and language barriers often prevent international students seeking help

 

"For months I never felt happy at all," said Mr Onie, who is now completing a PhD in psychology at UNSW.

"I could be full of laughter when catching up with mates, but suddenly I would feel so horrible without any reason at all.

"Then there was a moment, when I sat in a church and I thought 'I think I want to end my life'."

 

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-10/suicide-prevention-day-pressures-...

 

 

Some hormonal and chemical variations can induce depression — which for all intents and purposes is a reduction of "energy" level in the body, not just the brain. This lack of energy can happen suddenly, sometimes by lack of some essential elements in food, but often triggered by conflicting information (even subconsciously) such as learning something that is contrary to our stack(s) of beliefs. This contrariety can become unresolved and distressful because we care, until we don't care any more but by this time we may be depressed. Depression is a deep manifestation of non-caring for our self. We may need to let this conflict go (non-caring early) and move on to other subjects that can provide positive stylistic feedbacks: ACTION = REWARD... and repeat until hormonal balance is restored. "Care" is restored.

 

The mind and the body are totally linked. See Non-Reactive Defocusing in order to displace torpor, fatigue. thought-loops and lack of motivation often brought by a "one-tracked" mind on the way to a cul-de-sac. 

 

See: 

caring about ourselves and others...

 

Creating a ritual of happiness is one of the techniques used by Megachurches such as Hillsong. We can do it with our own self by ritualising some of our performances, while keeping windows of creative unritualised actions, through positive "anger"... "keep the juices flowing" is a crude expression but it tells of the adrenaline flow. 

elements of our culture and psychology...

Probing an evolutionary riddle

Elizabeth Culotta


Science  23 Aug 2019:

Vol. 365, Issue 6455, pp. 748-749


A startling evolutionary hypothesis considers why humans harm themselves—and how they've kept themselves safe for millennia.


While co-organizing a symposium a few years ago, a distinguished evolutionary psychologist named Nicholas Humphrey sought an expert to explore a mystery dating back to the time of Charles Darwin. “Natural selection will never produce in a being anything injurious to itself,” Darwin wrote in On the Origin of Species.

But in humans, natural selection apparently did exactly that. Suicide is the leading cause of violent death, striking down about 800,000 people worldwide each year—more than all wars and murders combined, according to the World Health Organization.

Humphrey, an emeritus professor at the London School of Economics, knew that a handful of evolutionary thinkers had offered ways to resolve this paradox. But he couldn't find an explanation he thought fit most instances of suicide. So he decided to explore the topic and give the presentation himself.

Applying an evolutionary eye to epidemiological data and human cultures, Humphrey concluded that suicide was likely the tragic byproduct of a vital adaptation: the sophisticated human brain. While publishing a paper on his work after the conference, he found that another researcher had similar ideas. A psychotherapist named Clifford Soper, now in private practice in Lisbon, had done Ph.D. work concluding that the ravages of suicide are a consequence of human intelligence and have shaped our minds and cultures.

Such arguments may clash with the medical view that suicide is driven chiefly by psychiatric illness. And some clinicians may worry that people at risk could misinterpret the ideas as suggesting suicide is “natural.” In fact, Humphrey and Soper propose that if what makes us human has put us at risk, it has also saved us. They argue that, faced with the persistent threat of suicide, humans have developed a set of defenses, such as religious beliefs, that are crucial elements of our culture and psychology.

 

Read more:

Science magazine AAAS..

 

 

 

 

 

Read from top.