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Words escape me.

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by novelist_wannabe, Jan 23, 2011.

  1. Sxysprtswrtr

    Sxysprtswrtr Active Member

    Sorry to hear this news, novelist_w.
    Depression is a scary thing and I wish more people would seek counseling -- even when it's that severe.
     
  2. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    Last night, I heard more details about what happened, and I wish I hadn't. He texted his estranged wife what amounted to a last will and testament and asked her to tell his parents and kids that he loved them. She was vacuuming and there was a delay before she got the message. She went to their house and, according to what I heard, heard the shot. She went in and found him, the passed out. Their son wasn't far behind. He found them and thought they were both dead. I can think of few things more awful.

    Depression is indeed scary, and I think with a lot of people the real difficulty is recognizing it.
     
  3. sportsguydave

    sportsguydave Active Member

    NW: My thoughts are with you. I have experienced it as a journalist and from friends doing it. Both sucked.

    Years ago in Texas, I interviewed a high school baseball coach who had until recently been a college coach, been put through the wringer, life a living hell, and finally got out. He went back to coaching high school. I interviewed him after a game on a Tuesday night, and he seemed great...like the weight of the world had just been removed from his shoulders. We parted, shook hands, I went back to the paper, topped my pre-written story with his latest result and a few fresh quotes, put the paper to bed.

    Coach Alvarez, meanwhile, apparently went home and hung himself.

    The next day, I found myself called in to speak to the police, who had read my piece and deduced that I was probably the last person to see him alive. Through some follow-up stories with mental health professionals, I learned that a sudden uptick in mood in a severely depressed person is a major red flag ... and sometimes a harbinger of impending suicide. As it was laid out for me, they know the pain will soon be over ... hence the improved mood.

    I keep that in mind, and flashed back to that day recently when my boss was laid off and seemed just a bit too "okay" with it. I've still got him under somewhat close watch (he lives upstairs).
     
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