Comments on: Please Sign My Petition to Remove the "No Respect For Suicidal Teens" Facebook Page

By: hypatiasdaughter

hypatiasdaughter — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:48:18 +0000

#11 Gee, jasmyn, why stop at people who have mental illnesses? Why not encourage kids with heart defects, cystic fibrosis and cancer to kill themselves? They’re bloody inconvenient to family and friends, too.
If your sister suddenly developed diabetes, and needed treatments and a special diet would you have been so angry? Why the anger because the breakdown is in how her mind works?
Sorry, but I don’t see any difference between someone who has an illness in the body and an illness of the mind, whether it is caused by a genetic defect, an injury or a failure of some body system. We just are decades behind in diagnosing and treating disorders of the mind.
My mother, who is in her mid-80’s, has been bipolar since she was 18. She has tried suicide many times and received shock treatments all her life (yep, they still do them). She really only became stable when she was put on Lithium decades ago.
I am awed by the courage she has shown all her life, carrying this burden and the shame that so often goes with it. If she was born without legs and valiantly soldiered on, we would admire her for fighting so hard for normalcy. We should show the same respect for people who are fighting disabilities of the mind.

By: johnminser

johnminser — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 17:08:07 +0000

It’s back up and pissier than ever. I also asked FB to take it down on the grounds that it encourages self-harm (by bullying already at-risk kids).

By: jenny

jenny — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:34:53 +0000

In reply to jasmyn.

Effexor prescribed to a Bipolar person? The suicide attempt could possibly be a direct result of the effexor.

I have very mild bipolar tendencies and take effexor (mostly for social anxiety)

I went through an “ornery phase” for a while before the meds started working, but rather than suicide I was tempted to commit arson.

When the meds did start working I was approaching hypomania for a while. It was no big deal, but I can see this med might not be a great choice for full blown bipolars.

That said, I find it interesting in one sentence you complain your sister was making it “all about her”, then in the next you complain about having to babysit during college break. Perhaps ‘all about me’ runs in the family! Your bipolar sister nearly died and you just bitch and moan! WTF!

As for the petition I admire the motive, but I don’t think I would have signed it. At least not without trying other things first.

By: nyarlathotep

nyarlathotep — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:29:24 +0000

It’s back up: https://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Respect-For-Suicidal-Teens/527422947277609

Thanks for posting about this, by the way. I’ve twice seriously considered suicide*, one time about two and a half years ago after my first year of college and once about a month ago. The most recent occasion finally forced me to recognize my depression and seek help for it. On both occasions, a suicide prevention hotline likely saved my life. I don’t know if I would be here today if on either occasion I’d come across this page or something like it before making the decision to call the hotline.

This kind of thing disgusts me beyond words.

*By which I mean I’d decided how I was going to do it and was in the process of writing a letter of explanation and last wishes. The thoughts of suicide came and went more frequently, but only twice did I resolve to go through with it.

By: rilian

rilian — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:12:17 +0000

I like this blog, and I’ve liked some of the links you’ve included. I’m glad you came to ftb.

By: ibbica

ibbica — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:46:47 +0000

In reply to jasmyn.

“…no one has any obligation to look at the page.”

No-one has any obligation to host such a page, either.

“Unless they’re using the page to list people who have attempted suicide so they can be mocked and harassed, I honestly don’t see the problem.”

You “don’t see the problem” with people encouraging others to kill themselves, as long as it’s not explicitly directed at one specific individual? I encourage you to re-think your position.

“Perhaps insensitive remarks or jokes are how they’re dealing with the anger though.”

“Perhaps” these individuals should not be freely provided with the resources to spew hatred at others.

By: jasmyn

jasmyn — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:16:54 +0000

If you really want to make a point, delete your facebook page. In the process, there’s an exit survey. Tell them you find their policies deplorable.
That being said, I can see why these kids are angry. When I was 18, my sister attempted suicide. She was bipolar and took her entire bottle of Efexor XR. I think it was a total of 51 pills. She wasn’t living at home, so some of her friends drug her to my parents’ house. The pills had been in her system for nine hours before she made it to the doctor. It was too late to pump her stomach or to do anything. Everyone just had to sit and wait while she was slipping in and out of consciousness having grand mal seizures. She was at the hospital for several days before she was transferred to an in-patient psychiatric care facility.
During all of this, I was livid. I was angry that someone could be so short sighted and try a permanent “solution” for a temporary problem. I was angry that she had made everything about her again even though she’d chosen to do drugs and run away from home. I was angry that I was stuck babysitting my other sister (she was 6 at the time) for my entire Christmas break instead of getting to enjoy some time away from college. I was angry about a million other things too.
I don’t agree with the sentiments that were said to be on this page. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to kill him/herself. Perhaps insensitive remarks or jokes are how they’re dealing with the anger though. Unless they’re using the page to list people who have attempted suicide so they can be mocked and harassed, I honestly don’t see the problem. It’s insensitive and tasteless, but no one has any obligation to look at the page.

By: timothybrannan

timothybrannan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:44:17 +0000

In reply to Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner.

Putting my money where my mouth is.

http://freedomofnonbelief.blogspot.com/2012/12/teen-suicide-and-internet.html

By: Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner

Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:19:03 +0000

In reply to timothybrannan. Good for you. :)

By: timothybrannan

timothybrannan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:18:15 +0000

In reply to Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner.

That’s not exactly my reasoning…

But I see your point though.
Hell if I had a dime for every boycott or petition I signed on to.

I wonder though if in this case it might been better to keep them around and then say get a sponsor to donate to The Trevor Foundation in a big public show of support.

In any case Facebook took them down for now. I read the page, not the worse thing I have seen on the net, and I thought it might even be a Poe.

I didn’t sign the petition, but I’ll sign a check and drop it in the mail to Trevor or one of the local suicide hotlines.