sad

[llywela]

A student committed suicide in one of our university libraries today - went up to the 5th floor and jumped out of a window. The site first aider tried CPR, but it was no good, he was dead. Such a waste of a young life. That poor kid, how awful must he have felt, to do something like that. But I'm more sorry for his parents, the rest of his family, his friends...and the staff and students who witnessed his death jump, especially the first aider who tried so hard to save him. :(

If anyone out there has ever seriously contemplated suicide, please try to spare a thought for those left to pick up the pieces, and don't do it. :(

Comments

[wildcard-sej.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, that's exactly what it is - a young life wasted. And so awful for everyone involved who has to deal with the outcome. *hugs*

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

I doubt he was heartless--he may well have felt that his family/friends would have been better off without him or that he was simply a burden to them. Or he may have been so consumed by his own pain that he couldn't see beyond it, he couldn't see that he was hurting anyone else or that he was leaving anyone behind. Pain blinds you, and the urge to kill yourself is like a mutated survival instinct--death seems like an escape from pain rather than an ending and an act that will hurt people beyond yourself.

I'm sorry this happened. He was a very unlucky man, and it's a shame he was unable to see any other way out.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I didn't meant to sound unsympathetic, Ros. I feel desperately, desperately sorry for the lad and how awful he must have felt to have jumped out of that window, I know he didn't do it to hurt anyone but because he couldn't see anything beyond his own pain. It's just that I also feel desperately sorry for everyone else involved - for his parents, for the other students who saw what happened, who are in the middle of exams and probably also stressed out and struggling already, and for my colleagues, especially the first aider on site who is now devastated that her best efforts weren't enough to save him and who now has to live with that memory and see the spot where it happened every day. It's just such a horrible thing - an action that for the individual leads to oblivion and an end to suffering, but leaves nothing but pain in its wake.

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry Jo--I really do know you are sympathetic and understanding, and I'm sorry if I implied otherwise. I know things must be awful for everyone involved in a suicide and that it's a horrific and frightening thing to happen, not to mention witness. It's such a shame the first aider feels so devastated by it too, especially when she clearly did everything she could.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Poor Annette - the lad jumped out of a 5th floor window, no one could have saved him. But it's terribly upsetting for her anyway, because she had to try - how could anyone not? Such a public place for it to happen. I can't help wondering if he'd planned it that way, for whatever reason, or if it was more spontaneous, if maybe multiple pressures came to a head somehow and something just snapped and the opportunity was there. His poor parents. :(

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

HOrrible for you all. So sorry. But here's the thing ... when you're in the head space that screams, End It Now, you're not rational, you've lost all perspective and, quite often, you're convinced that everyone you love will be better off if you're not around. It's not a matter of being objective about life. All you have is subjectivity, and pain, and the belief that you will never not be in pain ... and thus you're overwhelmed.

Prayers for you all.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I do know all that, I really do. I know depression, I've struggled with it myself. I know how hard it can be to see past it. But sadly being unable to recognise the impact your choices make doesn't make that impact any less severe. So today my thoughts are with my friend and colleague who had to try to resuscitate a young lad who was splattered all over the ground outside her workplace, and now has to live with that memory, see the spot where it happened every day - and with the students who witnessed what happened, students who are in the middle of their exams right now, many of them probably also stressed out and struggling, now with an additional trauma to try to cope with. They are going through all that because of a choice that someone else made. I feel desperately sorry for the lad. But his tragedy has had and will have a huge impact on a hell of a lot of other people, and that also makes me sad.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply I don't feel for the collateral damage that decision has caused. There are losers all around in this. It's truly horrible. And I think the anger you feel because of the mess that's been left, the people that are hurt, is completely understandable and justified, even though rationally you know this poor kid wasn't rational in jumping.

It's just terrible, terrible, terrible. You're in my prayers.

[siluria]

I'm sorry to hear that *hugs* We had one outside our building when I was at University, which wasn't a nice experience for anyone.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

It is such a public place to do it and such a...well, a dramatic way of going about it, really. I know if I'd been in the room when he jumped, I would now be torturing myself thinking 'if only I'd looked up from my book a little earlier, if only I'd seen what he was doing, if only I'd realised he was serious and not messing about, if only I'd been able to grab him in time', etc. Poor kids, in the middle of their exams, as well. Poor staff. Poor everyone.

[rachelinga.livejournal.com]

I'm low-level randomly suicidal, but I read an article on Cracked.com (really!) that made me think. Suicide is a way out of a bad situation, but after you die, you may be in a worse situation that you can never leave. Even if you don't believe in a Hell or Hades or whatever-- an eternity of nothingness would be awful.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

That's definitely true. All suicide does is spread the pain around onto other people - and you aren't even guaranteed the oblivion you seek anyway. Better to seek help instead, even if that does feel so much harder. Things are rarely as bad as they seem, although when you are mired deep in depression it is hard to understand that. :(

I hope you can find a way through your problems to a more positive future.

[kelzies.livejournal.com]

Oh no, that is just truely horrible for everyone :( A young life wasted indeed. Very, very sad. *HUGS*