Questioning Suicide

At age 17, Brad stood next to some railroad tracks watching the trains going by, contemplating ending his life. His felt that, “If this is all there is, then I’m ready to get it over with.” Thankfully Brad did not follow through. Suicide is a permanent and tragic conclusion to a problem that is often [...]

Are you or someone you know thinking about suicide? Please check these resources including toll-free help phone numbers: http://mag.thelife.com/interactive/Suicidehelp.html Immense sadness and emptiness surrounds you. It seems as though there’s no purpose left for your life. Have you ever felt this way? God truly loves you and has a passionate desire to bring you comfort [...]

What happens to one’s soul/spirit after suicide?I recently had a close friend commit suicide and I am so worried that she will still not be at peace with herself. She had an anxiety disorder due to a troubled childhood and although she loved life, her friends, and her family, she just could not be independent [...]

Jack will jump off the bridge today. He won’t stop traffic as he leaves this world. He’s not a publicity seeker. At mid-span he’ll slide over the safety railing onto a protruding support beam and plunge fifteen stories to his death. Last week he dropped a stone over the edge to time the fall. Seven seconds. A [...]

Though I'd had an average childhood, my experiences as a teenager left me feeling humiliated, confused, withdrawn and without any sense of self-worth.

Too often people are tempted to put a band-aid on a problem instead of really fixing it. That was the thought that came to mind when I read an article in the Globe & Mail titled “Suicide barrier on Bloor Viaduct worked, but jumpers went elsewhere”: The Bloor Viaduct suicide barrier, a $6-million feat of [...]

Is it more than the blues? If you have these symptoms, you may be depressed. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms of depression, seek help immediately from a professional counselor or physician. Depressed mood on most days for most of each day. (Irritability may be prominent in children and adolescents.) Total or [...]

Connect With a Community

While living in Geneva, Switzerland, Susan learned the critical importance of community. She saw how people—even ones in important corporate and international agency jobs—all needed to connect. In an environment with high rates of depression, divorce and suicide, she understood: If people didn’t connect, they literally were not going to survive living there. Related Does [...]

Why Isn’t Fame Enough?

When Mandy walked through the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art she was struck by his brilliance but also by the sadness and despair that she saw in his collections. She says, “For someone who had so much fame and greatness in his art, I wonder why he decided to end his [...]

  I turned on CNN this morning and there was more news of bullying and suicide and it broke my heart. In the past couple of weeks we’ve lost Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Billy Lucas and earlier this year Phoebe Prince.  I wish that was an exhaustive list but there are others.  Bullying [...]