Older Bolder Life

Stronger | Leaner | Sharper | Longer - From Older Bolder Fitness

suicide

Would a Quick Phone Call Have Prevented a Tragedy?

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My lovely wife and I live in a little community just north of sprawling DFW metro; at the last census there were only a little over 6,000 residents recorded, though it’s growing by leaps and bounds these days.

We choose to live out here as we’re not really big city folks, and we like driving through agricultural fields (mainly cotton, corn, and wheat) much more than suburbs and skyscrapers coming back “out to the house”. There’s a single high school, they still have a parade through “downtown” for homecoming, and there’s still movie nights now and again on the town square.

Of the things I enjoy the most about our little place is a nifty smallish sports park on the edge of town; it’s nothing fancy, just a cluster of soccer and football fields, ample parking, playgrounds, and some ambitiously designed baseball and softball fields. There happens to be a network of gravel trails in the complex, stretched out over nice gentle hills among a few water features, that I often head to for my early morning, get the day started walks.

Today Was a Little Different…

Pulling into the parking area this morning a bit after 6 AM I noted a cluster of police vehicles parked around a late-model, fancied-up pickup; it was close to my trail for the day, so I inquired of a pair of officers standing close by if any medical help might be needed.

Sadly one of the officers (probably an overly loquacious one given the circumstances) shared that a young man in his mid-30s, apparently a married dentist with young children living a few miles away, had taken his own life a few hours earlier and just been discovered a few minutes before my arrival. The officer went on to share that evidence at the scene suggested marital issues were somehow part of this sad story.

Could a Quick Phone Call Have Prevented This Tragedy?

Behavioral issues weren’t by any means the focus of my career in medicine, though I did practice for years in a field that dealt with individuals and families coping with extraordinary, catastrophic events; during those years I watched and marveled at the resiliency of people (and their loved ones) to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges time and time again. These victories were often damned hard fought, many taking years to fully manifest, and exerted draining, gut-wrenching, and deeply emotional tolls at times. Despite the hardship and effort required, to the person every one of them insisted it was worth it in the end (yes, I asked every single time).

Many of my patients, in the earliest days post their spinal cord injury, severe burn, stroke, or other calamity would talk of losing their will to go on, some even openly talking of contemplating “ending it all”, though with expert support and guidance, almost all passed through the dark days and went on to fulfilling lives.

Whenever I hear stories of a young, vital person taking their own life, I’m still amazed by the sense of loss and bewilderment that follow. There are so many resources available today, even a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1.800.273.TALK) manned 24/7/365, you have to wonder if a quick phone call could have prevented this tragedy today?

If you, or if you know of anyone who does, feel despondent, out of options, or at the end of your metaphorical rope, reach out for help. Please.

Medical Policy: A Slippery Slope if There Ever Was One – “Rational” Elder Assisted Suicide

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On a site dedicated to exploring health and wellness, it might at first glance seem a bit odd to find a link to a source talking about elder assisted suicide.

[As a quick aside, let me make my personal position crystal clear on the topic – I am against all forms and every practice of assisted suicide on moral grounds. Clearly adherents and supporters of the practice can put forth, at least on some level, cogent arguments, however, particularly in the context of the “elderly” as discussed in the links below, I find even the discussion abhorrent.]

That said, one of our goals here is to present occasional medical policy topics that have practical and current standing; given as to how media outlets such as the New Year Times have recently called attention to the issue, and physician friends have continued to report discussions along this line by entities ranging from local medical ethics committees to national professional association level, policy-articulating boards, I felt it reasonable to throw this out there.

Several months ago I was actually sent this link – Promoting ‘Rational’ Elder Suicide – by a physician friend; this friend (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) holds an appointment in a prominent American School of Medicine, heads his specialty department, and has served several stints on medical ethics boards for local centers as well as an ethics task force for his specialty nationally. He also happens to hold a JD in addition to his medical degree; of note, he never actually practiced law.

In his email he lamented that, for a variety of reasons, in his opinion we’re going to see a “significant push toward acceptance of assisted suicide for a an ever-enlarging spectrum of issues, including its routine use in the elderly who have outlived their resources, have diminished functional capacity and ability to meaningfully and consistently contribute to the greater society as a whole.”

Sober food for thought, and yet another reason to optimize one’s health and maximize one’s functional capacity for the long haul.

And back to more uplifting regular programming tomorrow…