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Not just a “guy” but an Iraqi war veteran suffering from PTSD. This is a tragic loss for his family and our country.

Grayling813 wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:57 pm Not just a “guy” but an Iraqi war veteran suffering from PTSD. This is a tragic loss for his family and our country.

I would be willing to bet he was suffering from PTSD. He had lost his job, which I bet was a "shut down" created issue, and his girlfriend. Many people go through such things and don't kill themselves. Not being alive when the troops came home from WW2 I don't know how they dealt with the stress but Iraq and Afghanistan veterans need to be offered better assistance. It happens way to often. This fellow just happened to do it in front of an audience.

I responded to many suicides as a Paramedic. They were almost all college age people. Gun shots, hangings set them self on fire, over dose. The absolute worse thing I heard or saw was the surviving family's screaming and crying. This final act destroys the family. We would have to wait for the Police to get there and preserve the scene. I was never so glad to be able to get out of there. All you can say is "I'm so sorry"

howdy wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:44 pm I responded to many suicides as a Paramedic. They were almost all college age people. Gun shots, hangings set them self on fire, over dose. The absolute worse thing I heard or saw was the surviving family's screaming and crying. This final act destroys the family. We would have to wait for the Police to get there and preserve the scene. I was never so glad to be able to get out of there. All you can say is "I'm so sorry"

I know where you're coming from ... I did fire fightin' and ambulance back in the 70's, both volunteer and paid. The fire fightin' was a breeze (mostly), but the ambulance work was what caused me to move along. We had our share of suicides - successful and not successful - mostly late teens and early 20's sort from the local brothel. A few were older aged, but fortunately we didn't seem to have any formerly military PTSD types. The former military types would be hard to get over though.

What got to me the most was completely innocent, small children getting severely injured or killed. Saw too many.


jd

howdy wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:44 pm The absolute worse thing I heard or saw was the surviving family's screaming and crying.

I think hearing the screaming and crying of my friend's mother when we visited the site where he took his own life will forever haunt me.

It is terrible. One of the kids that our daughter baby sat for came to his parents' home and used a gun to kill himself in front of them. I cannot image how someone could ever get over witnessing something like that. Just knowing about it has affected our daughter for years. But then I think of the number of families who have their kids murdered in front of their eyes. I cannot imagine ever recovering from that either.

Our family has known too many other families who have lost loved ones to suicide. In several cases, the cry for help from the troubled person was known and all possible means available, short of locking that person up, were attempted to no avail. Mental illness is the worst part of our medical organizations. In dealing with the mental problems of a family member, I've found very few professionals who were capable of having any impact. I think that PTSD is one of the least understood conditions. Unlike depression or bi-polar disorder, there do not seem to be a lot of specific drugs to help. Administering any of those drugs seems to be more art than science.

My daughter told me yesterday that she had read somewhere his mom was on the feed when he did it. I pray for his entire family. What a horrible thing.

03Lightningrocks wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:12 pm

Grayling813 wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:57 pm Not just a “guy” but an Iraqi war veteran suffering from PTSD. This is a tragic loss for his family and our country.

I would be willing to bet he was suffering from PTSD. He had lost his job, which I bet was a "shut down" created issue, and his girlfriend. Many people go through such things and don't kill themselves. Not being alive when the troops came home from WW2 I don't know how they dealt with the stress but Iraq and Afghanistan veterans need to be offered better assistance. It happens way to often. This fellow just happened to do it in front of an audience.

I talked with a former co-worker who was a veteran and former drill instructor about this. He said now days when you leave from overseas, you are put on a plane and in less than 48 hours you are back home. In WW2, they came home on a boat and had weeks among each other to decompress. That was his opinion.

jason812 wrote: Fri Sep 11, 2020 11:15 am

03Lightningrocks wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:12 pm

Grayling813 wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:57 pm Not just a “guy” but an Iraqi war veteran suffering from PTSD. This is a tragic loss for his family and our country.

I would be willing to bet he was suffering from PTSD. He had lost his job, which I bet was a "shut down" created issue, and his girlfriend. Many people go through such things and don't kill themselves. Not being alive when the troops came home from WW2 I don't know how they dealt with the stress but Iraq and Afghanistan veterans need to be offered better assistance. It happens way to often. This fellow just happened to do it in front of an audience.

I talked with a former co-worker who was a veteran and former drill instructor about this. He said now days when you leave from overseas, you are put on a plane and in less than 48 hours you are back home. In WW2, they came home on a boat and had weeks among each other to decompress. That was his opinion.

I remember hearing the same of Vietnam veterans back in the Seventies. People tend to forget but we had a few back then kill themselves or others. There was a couple who were friends with my parents. My dad was killed but that man made it home. A few years after he killed himself. They didn't have a fancy word for it back then.