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The Tragedy of 'Personal Dumping'
I too am responding to Patti Pfeifer's column published on March 6, 2012 regarding suicide.
I hate to whip out the big guns, but here they are. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (since 1991)/Supervisor, an elementary school counselor, a board member of the local chapter of Touched by Suicide, a volunteer crisis counselor for the Denton County Medical Reserve Corp, a mother of two super daughters, and a survivor of a 1978 suicide attempt that involved three times the lethal dosage of aspirin while in college in 1978. (If you think this method is less messy, dream on) I had had about 19 years of self-loathing. The most kind and most selfless act I could do for my boyfriend, family and friends was to eliminate myself. Twisted? Irrational? Of course, yes. That is how severe depression operates.
Ms. Pfeifer, please understand that when humans have severe depression, they are not rational. They are in immense pain and at times can only see one way to relieve that. Others attempt to self -medicate including using alcohol or other drugs to minimize this pain. It is apparent that you are uninformed about addictions as well as how depression displays its ugly head. Addicts have biologically conditioned their bodies to receive a drug, when the relief does not come, the drug is increased. Some drugs (as heroin) are impossible (yes, impossible) to withdraw from without the assistance of other medications. You insulted many people by suggesting that an "accidental" overdose is an oxymoron. Addicts are not meaning to play roulette with drugs. The brain demands this added chemical and in some cases the body will react violently without it. Please talk to counselors, addiction specialists, go to an AA meeting, do something to educate yourself before insulting many recovering addicts in a very public way. Your ignorance on this topic and your choice to verbalize your thoughts are damaging to others.
Your insensitivity and lack of understanding are reflected in your statement about people "foolishly" throwing their lives away. Do you really blame a diabetic for having difficulty processing/producing insulin? Kidney dialysis patients should be scolded for having malfunctioning kidneys, if one was to follow your reasoning. Depressed people are in a horrible dark tunnel with no light at the end. There comes a very sad point where there is only one way out.
You certainly may disagree with my comments, but please have some consideration for those left behind when their loved ones kill themselves. Your snide tone and scathing comments cut into the hearts of tortured survivors everywhere.
Please meet some survivors of suicide. Talk to some professionals in this area. Please do not use this very public forum for your personal dumping in regards to this topic.
Sherri McCarthy, M.A., LPC-S
Denton County
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