Suicide of a (laid off) TV reporter -- story written by his wife

http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/about-a-suicide-the-passing-of-rick-dawson/Content?oid=2769283#.UwTJfmJdVA2

An amazing piece. Two things stood out for me:

1. Men, as always, struggle with getting treated for depression.

2. It's very easy to fall into a downward spiral when your life's work is taken away from you.

These stories seem common, sadly, but every one is a punch in the gut.

 

It really was good. Got to the heart of it pretty quickly. It is sad, but there's such a force to the words that you can see, if the guy had just taken a few steps toward hope instead of being swallowed whole by depression, he stood a good chance of making it through.

I've known many who took the steps, a few who didn't, and a few, probably most tragically, who tried to take some steps but the rotten people in their lives made damn sure it didn't matter.

But I think the first time someone you know commits suicide, the initial reaction tends to be: "What? Seriously?" and then, an hour or maybe just a few minutes later, a sad kind of recognition sets in, followed by deep sorrow.

 

Wow, that was a powerful piece of writing.

The description of depression as a veil which affects both the person inside and the people outside of it from seeing things was 100 percent accurate.

As Alma noted, the deep sorrow comes from knowing there is almost always a path to recovery, but the veil often prevents us from finding it.

 

I wonder if as many folks will be affected when I finally sack up and walk off the cliff...

 

This is a strong, sad piece, on a sad, important topic.

I'll bet, these days, a lot of people in journalism can relate to it.

A few years ago, this could have been me. Save for some care and support I received from family and a few other important people in my life at the time, and save for some strength I found within myself, it might have been me.

What strikes me is how tied money and financial difficulties often seem to be to suicides in our society, even though it is almost never the root cause of depression. It can safely be said to be a tipping-point factor that I think truly reflects how important having money is in our society.

Unfortunately, it usually takes the process of going through and coming out the other side of depression to gain the hard-won perspective of how little it really matters.

As for the issue of dealing with a suicide of someone you love, this reporter's wife says she isn't angered by her husband's suicide, just saddened.

I'd wager that it is just a matter of time before she does feel angry about it, even at her husband.

 

Was this a bad joke or a serious comment?

 

Both. I've checked out mentally and emotionally for the past couple of years but just haven't gotten the sack to end it. Literally, the only reason I haven't done it is because my children are too young to understand.

 

Really didn't mean to hijack the thread....

 

Best possible reason for hijacking it. You need help. Walter is right on, so please do as he says - call your doctor right away.

 

DeskMonkey1, if this story and thread pushes you to get the help you need, then that's great. The whole point of the piece is that her husband slowly, very slowly, declined in a deeper depression until he felt he could no longer climb out. Seeking mental health help doesn't make you weak. Unfortunately, there's still such a stigma about it that a lot of people don't get the help they need.