Just saw that Lisa Marie Presley’s oldest son, Benjamin, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. I cannot imagine losing a child. So very sad.
It’s the worst thing in life, and a terrible tragedy.
When my brother died of a suicide after suffering from cancer, my parents were never the same. It is the horrible and I pray everyday for my own childrens health. What a sad thing for Lisa Marie.
So very sad.
A friend lost her daughter to suicide twenty years ago. She has never been even close to the same person she was. She is still very sad, even after many years of therapy.
It will be five years next month that my sister lost her 20-year-old son to suicide. No warning signs, even in hindsight. She said it hasn’t gotten any easier. It’s hard for me, too. He was two months younger than my middle child.
I have no words other than my prayers and my sincere sympathy!
There is a double issue here: loss of a child, and suicide.
@MaineLonghorn , it’s horrible enough, but to have absolutely no warning signs is frightening. I hear that now and then and wonder if my kids are OK.
I have two friends who have recently lost sons to suicide. My father died that way, and one of my kids came close (bipolar 1). You never get over the suicide of a loved one.
The problem is that we see it as preventable, unnecessary death, the result of a moment. And sometimes it is. But sometimes suicide really is the end result of long sickness, just like cancer or any other medical issue. Depression is a brain disease, at least when it is clinical. It helps to think of it this way.
What I hear consistently from my friends is regret and guilt and the feeling that they should have done more, as if they had the power to prevent the suicides. It is devastating to lose a child to an accident or medical illness, but the emotional wake of suicide is so complex and long lasting. And when it is your child, the feeling of responsibility is so much greater.
Professionals and friends and relatives don’t always help. It is actually true that parents are judged for the suicide of their child. So much needs to be done to educate the public on this. This judgment only increases suffering.
Red Flag laws are an important component of reducing suicide deaths. The laws allow a court to remove firearms from someone who is deemed a danger to themselves or others. Attempted suicide by firearms results in death 85% of the time while attempted suicide by other methods results in death 5% of the time. Reducing the number of guns is essential to reduce the number of deaths by suicide.
And separate issue, but now Kelly Preston has died of breast cancer. John Travolta lost his son and his wife. I cannot imagine. So sad.
@jym626 , so incredibly sad about Kelly
Reston. My heart just goes out to all of them. I’m glad they had their 3rd child.
This brings back sad memories. I lost two college friends to suicide. One I was close to. She was sophomore in college at the time. She left me a note, beautifully written, something about many stars in the sky.
I have three friends who lost their kid. One was suicide. The other two were illness and accident. And a person I was doing business with. It was an only child. An accident. We never met before. Something in me triggered his son’s memory. Right there in front of me, a total stranger, he began to bawl uncontrollably Life is tough. I can’t believe most of the time we waste squabbling.
Many of us live with this fear every day. Mental Illness / depression is a real thing.
I fully expect to lose my child. It’s just a matter of time.
@MomofWildChild - your statement makes me incredibly sad. I simply can’t imagine what you must feel each day. I’m very sorry.
Thank you. I hope I’m wrong. Miracles happen, and I do pray a lot!
@MomofWhildChild,
I also hope your are proven to be very very wrong. You are a very strong woman in the face of that sentiment. Crossing fingers.
Sometimes it’s been deemed an accident, but you have your doubts. I’ll never know. I live every day with uncertainty and guilt. We had argued that morning. And then he was gone. Whatever the cause, the longing for your child never ends. It is a dark cloud that hovers over every subsequent event, no matter how happy an occasion it is. I think of DS1 every day, and hope every night that he will come to me in my dreams.
So sorry @JZMOM2