Suicide

[Skip1934a]

Always, and it hurts forever. Suicide is a recurrent theme in my work- my last shrink said that it was my passive-aggressive nature manifesting a way to work through my own feelings. My response was "Bullshit. You don't work through the aftermath- you just live with it, and keep breathing, no matter how much it hurts."

Aren't shrinks wonderful. No wonder there are so many fucked up ppl in the world. The believe what the shrink tells them. No mind of their own. You, on the other hand... are right on.

 

[Nirvanadragones]

it's selfish

I disagree. I have a right to decide my own fate. How does that make me selfish? If my pain becomes too much, and death is the only way out, how can that be selfish?

If your day to day existence has no meaning to you, and you believe it has no meaning to anyone else, then suicide is merely an end to your suffering.



Apologies for the thread-jack

 

[Skip1934a]

I disagree. I have a right to decide my own fate. How does that make me selfish? If my pain becomes too much, and death is the only way out, how can that be selfish?

If your day to day existence has no meaning to you, and you believe it has no meaning to anyone else, then suicide is merely an end to your suffering.



Apologies for the thread-jack

I have to say that almost every suicide leaves someone behind who will suffer from the loss. I know that's true in your case. I say 'almost' because there are some who have nobody to leave behind, and are absolutely friendless. But it's not the norm.

 

[Misty_Morning]

If your day to day existence has no meaning to you, and you believe it has no meaning to anyone else, then suicide is merely an end to your suffering.

That is very near sighted. Suffering can end. Death is permanent.

 

[sophia jane]

That is very near sighted. Suffering can end. Death is permanent.

One of the hardest things about depression and that kind of suffering (the kind that would make life meaningless) is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see anything better in the future. It's meaningless, endless, hopeless, so while I understand what you mean about suffering having an end, it often doesn't seem that way if you're so depressed or damaged that you're suicidal.

 

[Nirvanadragones]

That is very near sighted. Suffering can end. Death is permanent.

And the permanency of death can be much more inviting than the possible ending of suffering. (by staying alive)

I have to say that almost every suicide leaves someone behind who will suffer from the loss. I know that's true in your case. I say 'almost' because there are some who have nobody to leave behind, and are absolutely friendless. But it's not the norm.

How do we know that someone will suffer from the loss? Short -term, yes. Long-term? Some people are better off not being around.

 

[SimonBrooke]

Assuming this is research for fiction...

Does anyone know a painless, sure fire, yet undectable way to commit suicide? This person doesn't want anyone blamed for the death but doesn't want people to feel the guilt and horror that is associated with the suicide of a friend/family member.

Injecting a significant bubble of air into a vein will stop the heart valves. This is why medical staff are very careful to get all the air out of a syringe prior to making an injection. The symptoms are identical to a heart attack. Problem - because it's virtually instant, you will not be able to get rid of the syringe (unless you have an assistant).

If a bottle of almond liqueur is left still for a very long time (years), the cyanide in it will concentrate in the top of the bottle and the fist glass poured may well be lethal. Problem - you have to plan well in advance.

Overdose of ordinary paracetamol will work very effectively - I know, it's how my brother in law killed himself (almost certainly accidentally). Problem - it's a horrible way to go, multiple organ failure, slow death, nothing the doctors can do unless they get to you very quickly.

Overdose on high-quality extra pure heroin - quite commonly when good heroin comes onto the market, addicts used to the usual adulterated crap accidentally take too much and die. Problem - it makes you feel so good you won't want to die.

 

[Equinoxe]

That is very near sighted. Suffering can end. Death is permanent.

Suffering can also not end, or rather end solely in death. There are no guarantees. All things are permanent in the sense that dying is permanent.

 

[rgraham666]

If your day to day existence has no meaning to you, and you believe it has no meaning to anyone else, then suicide is merely an end to your suffering.

Having once been hanging from my own belt, I can attest to the truth of that statement.

At that time it seemed I merely had a choice of deaths. The others were the myriad ways a homeless person can die in a Canadian winter. Hanging myself seemed like a blessing.

I was very fortunate I found the strength to get some help. But it was a close run thing.

As to the original question. Have the character live in a house with an attached garage. Close all windows and doors. Open door between house and garage. Leave car running.

 

[CharleyH]

Ha, I know, but I couldn't resist.

I would expect nothing less.

 

[CharleyH]

The problem then becomes a battle between believability and size.

Now THERE is a persistent porn question - lol

 

[Guest]

I put a pistol in my mouth and pulled the trigger. Changing my mind before I lost it left me with a scar on my cheek and porcelain molars. It was incredibly painful and the first "real" thing I had felt in a long time.

So. I don't recommend your character doing that in your story.

I think Rob's suggestion of carbon monoxide poisoning is the quickest, least painful way for suicide, however since the character has family to worry about, just have her sit in the garage inside her car, all doors sealed to the house.


Edited, I said carbon dioxide at first That's dry ice, dur.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Falling to their death is probably the easiest and surest. You do it so it would look like an accident--falling out of a window or off a roof or something.

Potassium chloride has to be injected to have any effect, so you'd have to get rid of the syringe or means of injection. If you eat it, it's harmless, and in fact your body's already full of it. It's the potassium/sodium ratio that enables your nerves to work, and that's what kills you when it's injected--the electrolyte imbalance in the heart. Forensic detection's very difficult since there's so much potassium already in your body.

Personally, I liked the guy who drilled 6 holes into his head with an electric drill. Apparently he survived the first five.

 

[rgraham666]

Biggest problem with jumping is changing your mind on the way down.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I disagree. I have a right to decide my own fate. How does that make me selfish? If my pain becomes too much, and death is the only way out, how can that be selfish?

If your day to day existence has no meaning to you, and you believe it has no meaning to anyone else, then suicide is merely an end to your suffering.



Apologies for the thread-jack

No appologies needed dear Vana.

Although I do not believe death is a way out, I will concede that for some people they believe it is, but there is always someone who cares. They don't have to be a relative or even family. The local clergy care and would be willing always to help you through anything that makes you contemplate death as the only option.

I do hope you realize all the people which care for you dear one.

 

[champagne1982]

Does anyone know a painless, sure fire, yet undectable way to commit suicide? This person doesn't want anyone blamed for the death but doesn't want people to feel the guilt and horror that is associated with the suicide of a friend/family member.

There is no definite way to confirm the pain factor of dying, unless, like zeb, you are brought back from the edge of it. Successful suicides aren't around to ask, are they?

Make her a diabetic and then she can choose insulin shock. A large dose could be taken just before bed and it would look as if she passed on in her sleep...

 

[Explaura]

I would say combine a few of these..

Like take sleeping pills and leave the gas on.. Or use one of the poisons and also fall out a window..

 

[scheherazade_79]

I don't like this thread

No matter what happens in life, there's always something that makes it worthwhile - even if it's something as small and insignificant as watching the sunrise, or catching an episode of your favourite tv programme, or having a hug from a friend.

I've had experience of a suicide in my close circle, and for the people left the pain never goes away. You end up blaming yourself, wondering what you could have done differently, if things would have had a happier ending if you'd just said something different or been there at the right time.

Unless you're terminally ill and are going to die soon anyway, it's never the right thing to do - especially not when there are a lot of people who love you.

 

[Aurora Black]

It has already been mentioned a few times in this thread, but I'll say it again: Several of us at the AH have lost someone to suicide, and the fact that this thread has popped up (for research purposes or not) so close to the holidays is insensitive as hell.

 

[Skip1934a]

It has already been mentioned a few times in this thread, but I'll say it again: Several of us at the AH have lost someone to suicide, and the fact that this thread has popped up (for research purposes or not) so close to the holidays is insensitive as hell.

Amen and Amen

 

[AppleBiter]

It has already been mentioned a few times in this thread, but I'll say it again: Several of us at the AH have lost someone to suicide, and the fact that this thread has popped up (for research purposes or not) so close to the holidays is insensitive as hell.

*roaring applause*

 

[FallingToFly]

It has already been mentioned a few times in this thread, but I'll say it again: Several of us at the AH have lost someone to suicide, and the fact that this thread has popped up (for research purposes or not) so close to the holidays is insensitive as hell.

Trying to find a light in all this...

The views on The Heart Of The Matter jumped by fifty yesterday. I'm not sure if that's good or not, but it definitely caught my eye.

*hugs* to everyone.

 

[Bayoububba]

Please don't....

Please don't give people any ideas even if is for a story idea, everything we do has unintended cosequenses. For example.....

A couple of years ago, I parked my truck, pulled the pistol from underneath my seat, and walked off to end my miserable existance. I walked out into the National forest where I often hunted and found the place where I often went to think and just be alone. This place was special to me and it felt comfortable. I sat down on a log, put the pistol in my mouth, backed the hammer back and put my thumb through the trigger guard. I can still taste the metallic flavor of the barrel and the smell of gun oil today. As I was going to pull, I heard voices and looked up to see a young boy and his father hunting and could see the horrer in the father's eyes as he saw me. Fortunately, I hid the gun before the boy saw me. That day I changed, I realized that I could have ruined that child's life because of my own selfishness and cowardly action. Please take this into consideration.

 

[3113]

A couple of years ago, I parked my truck, pulled the pistol from underneath my seat, and walked off to end my miserable existance. I walked out into the National forest where I often hunted and found the place where I often went to think and just be alone. This place was special to me and it felt comfortable. I sat down on a log, put the pistol in my mouth, backed the hammer back and put my thumb through the trigger guard. I can still taste the metallic flavor of the barrel and the smell of gun oil today. As I was going to pull, I heard voices and looked up to see a young boy and his father hunting and could see the horrer in the father's eyes as he saw me. Fortunately, I hid the gun before the boy saw me. That day I changed, I realized that I could have ruined that child's life because of my own selfishness and cowardly action. Please take this into consideration.

Amazing and powerful story. Thank you for sharing that.

Okay. I'm going to be the very selfish voice of...well, I don't know if it's reason, but it's a writer.

Look, guys, I have a suicide in my family, too, a relative I adored and was pained to lose. I have a lot of things in my family that trouble me and get to me. One of my cousins--not to distant but thankfully not too near--turned out to be a child molester. And yes, some things are too close and they're going to push my buttons. I'll have trouble reading them or watching them on television.

And they're especially painful to write though if the story demands it, I'll write it.

I'm a writer. And researching reality is what I do. And that includes researching some painful, unhappy, unpleasant things. Like how people kill each other or themselves, how they die as much as how they live.

A lot of people don't understand this. But people here surely should. It's not a matter of insensitivity or bad taste. This is what writers do. We look at people, at the human condition and human nature in all it's complex variety of shapes and forms. We research humanity and we present what we see and feel and have learned in a story. And if that story rings true, however fictional, then we may make people feel different or think differently about their own, very real life.

This is what we're all about, and this story being written might make someone think twice about killing themselves rather than the opposite. We can't know where it's going unless the author tells us the story.

Wherever it's going, however, we shouldn't, IMHO, upbraid a writer for being a writer.

 

[3113]

Does anyone know a painless, sure fire, yet undectable way to commit suicide? This person doesn't want anyone blamed for the death but doesn't want people to feel the guilt and horror that is associated with the suicide of a friend/family member.

I think when you write this, you should keep in mind the Bayou's story. There are two keys to this attempt:

1) Painless
2) Secret

And the suicide can't be sure of either. So while the *suicide* may think that this will work out as planned, it may not do so in reality. Carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, can be made to look accidental, but it give the person some umpleasant symptoms before they die (headaches, vomiting), and so won't be painless.

And afterwards, if there's an autopsy, the suspicion of suicide might be there even if it's ruled accidental. There's no way for the suicide to guarantee anything: that the death will be painless, that it will succeed, that it will be ruled accidental. Which is the emphasis, I think, of most of these posts. That hard as a suicide may try, they're taking a gamble, and if they lose that gamble, it will be hard and painful on everyone.

Just something to keep in mind for the reality of the story.