In any event, I'd like to tell you about something I heard while I was in the hospital for depression. A staff member told us in our group therapy session one day that perhaps we should do away with the word suicide because it implies a sense of guilt. He went on to say that we don't blame a person for dying of cancer, or any other disease, and the people who commit suicid have succumbed to a disease. They died of depression.
Hugs to all. Hang in there. And remember that it'll get better.
Thanks, Gary. Hugs to you, too.
And this is exactly what I was trying to say - that if Heath's death was not accidental, it should be said that he died of depression, not of suicide. I actually tell people close to me (and you all are, so I'll tell you, too) that my mother died of depression. While she didn't succeed at taking her own life when I was 12, and she went into rehab for alcoholism shortly thereafter and was clean and sober for the rest of her life, she replaced one addiction with a couple of others - smoking and overeating. She never did get proper treatment for her depression - back in the 70s and 80s when she tried, there was no such thing as SSRIs, and the pills that were available just made her as much of a zombie as the alcohol did.
My wish for Heath, like many (if not all) of yours here, is that it was a heart attack or a stroke, or even - though it would be that much more tragic - accidental overdose or a lethal interaction between prescribed drugs. Mostly because I hate the thought of anyone suffering from depression - I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, let alone someone I admired and respected like Heath. But also because I hate the thought of him forever being stigmatized by ignorant people who don't realize that it's the depression that kills, not some weakness or selfishness or other character flaw.
Topic: Heath Ledger - the grieving thread (Read 728480 times)