Your Depression and Bipolar Disorder Source

Knowledge is Necessity

How prepared are you?

"Suicide attempts are high even in healthy populations."

Main articles page.

Go here.

More Suicide Prevention Articles

Suicide Prevention - Part I

Suicide Prevention - Part II

Night Falls Fast

Staying Alive

Daughter of Suicide

 How Good Is Your Support System?

The young man became so preoccupied with suicide that his concerned friends moved in and stayed with him day and night, making sure to remove knives and guns from his presence. As he stayed awake, agitated and delirious, they maintained a vigil for more than a week. Later, after the crisis abated, a friend invited the man to live in his lodging and helped start him on a career in law.

The young man later went on to become sixteenth President of the United States - Abraham Lincoln. But that was then. Vice President Dick Cheney may have let the whole world know that his heart is as reliable as a dot com’s earnings performance, but if he ever so much as took St John’s wort to ease a mild case of the blues, you could safely bet your entire 401(k) the public would never find out.

The Abraham Lincoln story is part of a book, entitled New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder (Prima Health) by Jan Fawcett MD, Bernard Golden PhD, and Nancy Rosenfeld, which should be considered a beginner's guide for those newly diagnosed or their families. 

The book’s chapter on suicide, however, is worth closer examination:

Suicidal ideation and attempts are high even in healthy population groups (16.3 percent and 5.5 percent respectively). The risk increases 1.3-fold for those with major depression or alcoholism. Although many studies show 15 percent of those with bipolar commit suicide, a recent English study found the rate to be six percent, with the greatest risk early in the course of the illness. The risk of bipolar suicide is highest during the depressive phase of the illness or during episodes of dysphoric mania (a mixed state).

Panic attacks and depression are a particularly lethal combination. One study of 954 hospital patients over 10 years found 62 percent of those who killed themselves had panic attacks together with major depression.

According to studies by Elie Robins, 70 percent of patients who committed suicide mentioned the thought during the year prior to their death. Robins also found 60 percent of patients communicated suicidal ideation to spouses and 50 percent to friends, but only 18 percent to doctors and others. Accordingly, the authors advise:

"That means that if a loved one, relative, or friend talks to you about suicidal thoughts, that person may not be leveling with their doctor or therapist about such thoughts. If there is evidence of preoccupation, a suicide plan, or talk of lethal means ... take it seriously and consider it an emergency situation."

The authors also warn to be suspicious of those who experience sudden and dramatic recovery, as they may have already made their decision and are pretending to be improved. Gradual recovery is a far more reliable indicator.

Finally, bear in mind: Abraham Lincoln had a great support system. How reliable is yours?

For three free online issues of McMan's Depression and Bipolar Weekly, email me and put "Sample" in the heading and your email address in the body.

Suicide Prevention articles   All articles

Post your opinion  here.

Pre-order my book on Amazon

Pre-order now

Newsletter

Your online source for issues that matter to you.

For free samples, email me and put "Sample" in the heading and your email address in the body.

Find out more.

Bookstore

Shop for depression and bipolar books online here.

"I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell."

This guy had a support system. What about you?