Suicide.
11-14-2004, 03:22 PM
#11
Hi Rob, this is Suzanne....a french sociologist named Emile Durkheim studied the breakdown of rules and norms in society, he called this 'anomie'. A feeling of anomie occurs when there is a breakdown of social norms and its condition, where norms no longer control the activities of members in society. Individuals cannot find their place and feel they have no clear rules and norms to guide them. This can be actual or perceived by the individual. So, feeling out of place, detached, not able to keep up with changing conditions,and never ending life adjustments can trigger these feelings of helplessness. A person can be successful, seemingly well adjusted, but if they perceive their world as being out of whack they can fall into this condition of anomie. I guess a complete helplessness and desperation that most people cannot even fathom presents itsself and it must seem to the person as insurmountable.
11-14-2004, 04:55 PM
#12
Thread Starter
This thread has been developing exactly the way I had hoped it would. There are some very good answers with some very good information. Everyone has contributed good comments. Thank you. I hope there are many more responses tomorrow.
My only two experiences with suicide came via my extended family. A number of years ago a distant cousin in her 30s committed suicide. I didn't know her well enough to even begin to understand what could be the cause, but I did know her mother, my aunt. My aunt was so shaken by this that she had a nervous breakdown with 18 months of the suicide. She was institutionalized for a breif period and has never fully recovered. She now lives in a nursing home near her other daughter, and for the most part is not in touch with reality. The woman who committed suicide was my aunt's youngest daughter, her baby, and my aunt never recovered.
The other suicide was a cousin who I knew reasonably well. He was one of a set of twins, and although a little slow, managed to graduate from college and land a job with the government. Unknown to us, he had bouts of depression all of his life but his doctors seemed to be able to put it under control with medication. The problem is, when he would feel well he would stop taking his medication. He met a woman about 15 years ago who was very much like him, and the two got married. They couldn't have children and so about three years ago they adopted a baby girl. Everything seemed fine. A year and a half ago, my cousin left a suicide note and drove his car off of a bridge on his way to work. His father, my uncle, was my father's brother. I was together with him and my aunt recently at my father's funeral. They are in their late 70's and are trying very hard to put everything into perspective but they are having a very hard time coming to terms with all of this. Uncle Stanley and Aunt Francis have aged more in the last year and a half since their son's suicide than they have aged in any 10 year period before. Aunt Francis wanted to say something a few times, and just couldn't get the words out.
Suicide is very, very hard on the survivors.
I know that this is a little different direction, talking about the effect of suicide on the survivors, and I apologize for meandering, but this too is part of the topic, and one to think about.
My only two experiences with suicide came via my extended family. A number of years ago a distant cousin in her 30s committed suicide. I didn't know her well enough to even begin to understand what could be the cause, but I did know her mother, my aunt. My aunt was so shaken by this that she had a nervous breakdown with 18 months of the suicide. She was institutionalized for a breif period and has never fully recovered. She now lives in a nursing home near her other daughter, and for the most part is not in touch with reality. The woman who committed suicide was my aunt's youngest daughter, her baby, and my aunt never recovered.
The other suicide was a cousin who I knew reasonably well. He was one of a set of twins, and although a little slow, managed to graduate from college and land a job with the government. Unknown to us, he had bouts of depression all of his life but his doctors seemed to be able to put it under control with medication. The problem is, when he would feel well he would stop taking his medication. He met a woman about 15 years ago who was very much like him, and the two got married. They couldn't have children and so about three years ago they adopted a baby girl. Everything seemed fine. A year and a half ago, my cousin left a suicide note and drove his car off of a bridge on his way to work. His father, my uncle, was my father's brother. I was together with him and my aunt recently at my father's funeral. They are in their late 70's and are trying very hard to put everything into perspective but they are having a very hard time coming to terms with all of this. Uncle Stanley and Aunt Francis have aged more in the last year and a half since their son's suicide than they have aged in any 10 year period before. Aunt Francis wanted to say something a few times, and just couldn't get the words out.
Suicide is very, very hard on the survivors.
I know that this is a little different direction, talking about the effect of suicide on the survivors, and I apologize for meandering, but this too is part of the topic, and one to think about.
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