Anthony Bourdain - RIP

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Originally Posted By: NGRhodes
Have suicide rates increased or is it media attention in general or just because its happened to the rich and famous? I don't honestly know.


If you have observed society in general over the last 50+ years, especially in this country, none of this should come as a surprise.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shot...ed-dramatically

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/07/health/suicide-report-cdc/index.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/...ng-suicide-rate

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-y...m=.339bc0700433
 
Originally Posted By: IndyFan
Interesting how we think fame and wealth would make suicide or even depression less likely. The lesson that seems to be right there in front of us, over and over, is that you can't buy happiness, as much as we dream that we could. We also won't find it in speculating and judging someone who makes such a tragic decision. How could we possibly know whether it was a selfish act or an act of deperation to relieve pain and anguish so severe, he couldn't feel anything else? Only God knows. I feel for his daughter and family. I can't imagine their pain, either.


It would be interesting to see a stat that showed how many of these people had suicidal tenancies before they became rich and famous...
 
I can't believe the emerging theme in this thread alluding that suicide is always a conscious, clear minded, rational choice and the person deserves to be scorned as some sort of bad guy or gal.

My wife of 23 yrs took her life by intentional overdose on March 8, 2012. In September 1995 she was diagnosed "Major Depressive Disorder- Recurrent, Rule Out Bi-Polar" That's an exact quote from her medical records which were obtained by the coroner after her death to guide the autopsy. She despised the diagnosis and wanted with all her heart to be "normal" but it just wasn't going to happen because IT IS A DISEASE. Yes, you read those all caps correct, and yes they were meant for you and you know who you are. She probably got prescribed about every anti-depressant out there, over the years. Prozac was big in the 90's and that was the first dart they threw at the Depression dart board, hoping to hit the bulls eye. The names of the meds over the years escape me at the moment. Zyprexa. Effexor. Citalopram... quite a few different ones.

The last suite of meds they had her on was: Welbutrin XL 300mg (max FDA dose), Vyvanse 60mg (70mg = max FDA dose), Temazepam (unk mg), and Ambien (for sleep).

Yes, Ambien.

Go ahead and Google "Ambien and suicide", or "Ambien zombies" and etc. Never mind that in response to the high suicide rate on Ambien the FDA moved to require a labeling protocol to warn medical professionals to use caution when prescribing it to patients with diagnosed Depression.

I wonder if Anthony Bourdain was taking Ambien for sleep? Or some of the other celebs had been prescribed it in treatment?

The toxicology tests from the autopsy showed that my wife had standard dose of Ambien in her blood. For crying out loud, Ambien is classed as a 'Hypnotic" in the pharmacy classifications, yet they prescribed it to someone with (at the time) a 16 yr diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (first prescribed in late 2011 few months before she killed herself)

Reason for the Vyvanse (amphetamine) was in 2010 they'd added Adult ADHD to the diagnosis.

You see, some people struggle with mental illness their entire life and it eventually takes them. It's a DISEASE of the bio-chemistry of the brain that can be terminal same as any other DISEASE of the body.

Like some of these celebs, you would never guess there was a struggle from my wife's outward personality she managed to maintain to friends and family and clients (outside sales career). She was attractive and took good care of herself physically and had these captivating blue eyes, exercised, ate sensibly, etc. She did everything right physically to live well and be successful. She sought treatment like you're supposed to. Her looks and her outward personality helped her succeed in outside sales rep work, she could sell!! But she was dealt a tough hand of cards to play in the brain chemistry game, and is not the only person in her family to have that challenge. Some DISEASES run in families.

So before you RUSH TO JUDGMENT when hearing or reading of a suicide, pause and consider all the potential factors that you yourself may know nothing about with regard to that person's life experiences and the cards they were dealt in natural brain chemistry imbalances.

Yes, you are correct when you say suicide leaves behind wreckage and strife for the survivors and in that respect it's easy to point a finger at the person responsible regardless of what that person had going on with the ganglions, synapses, and neurons and the serotonin, dopamine, and more that regulates how everything works upstairs.

And no need for any "sorry about your wife" condolences, appreciate the gesture but I'm past it and engaged to marry a wonderful woman I met early 2015.
 
We as a society are becoming weaker, and far less self sufficient. We are always looking for something, or someone else to blame when things don't pan out in our lives. Today more than ever before, we want the easy solutions that always seem to come from a bottle. Be it for depression, weight loss, sleeplessness, or not having enough energy. We search for a pill to swallow, or something to drink that will "cure it" quickly and effortlessly on our part.

I've lived with insomnia for well over 40 years. (Look at the time of my posts in regards to my time zone if you doubt that). I have had numerous doctors over the years who wanted to, and in fact did, prescribe me with every prescription sleep aid known to man. Ambien, Amitriptyline, Lunesta, Restoril, Halcion. Name it and they wrote me for it at one time or another. All in order to "help me". I never had a single one of them filled.

Why? Because prescription sleep aids are nothing but a short term solution to a long term problem. And you don't have to be a doctor to know this. It's common sense. You become physically and psychologically dependent on them. Then you have an even bigger problem. Same with prescription pain killers. I've had them prescribed to me after orthopedic knee surgery, (2). Inner ear surgery. And 2 hernias. All of which were very painful. I took them for a few days, and flushed what was left and lived with the pain. It wasn't easy, believe me. Most people take them all, and refill them until they no longer can. That is asking to become addicted. Proof is today opiate pain medication is one of the most abused drugs in this country. Prescription or otherwise. Thousands die every year.

It was very hard to do the things I outlined above. But I knew by not taking them, I would be better off in the long run. Today in many cases, we are discovering the cure is worse than the disease. The problem is by the time we discover it, it becomes too late. The mess that is required to be cleaned up is even bigger. All of this can be laid at the doorstep of a society that has become weaker.
 
My post was more of a self-pep talk, based on my own personal struggles. Not 20 years ago, ten years ago or many months ago; now. I grieve for those I’ve lost and have begun to remember things better left buried deeply. I thought I was strong, but I struggle.

I stand by my statement that suicide is the cowards way and out, however. No one can fix someone so low, but there are paths forward that are a lot less painful. I’m walking that path with my family, not alone; that makes all the difference for me.

I’ve worked my butt off my entire life. I earned every single thing I have. We didn’t have money for college, so I went to a military academy for “free”. I’ve made it very far in life and have nice things. That doesn’t stop one too many things from knocking me down and putting a knee to my neck (figuratively speaking)
 
Look at this description / definition of the sleep aid Restoril. And tell me who in their right mind would not just fill a prescription for this garbage, but actually take it? And I don't care if the Chief Resident Physician at the Mayo Clinic wrote it for me. And yet thousands do every year. This is just one drug. And we wonder why this nonsense is happening on such a grand scale?

Temazepam
Brand name: Restoril

Sedative

It can treat insomnia.

Controlled substance

Can cause paranoid or suicidal ideation and impair memory, judgment, and coordination. Combining with other substances, particularly alcohol, can slow breathing and possibly lead to death.
 
Well I take temazepam everyday and I credit it with improving my quality of life 100%. Not everyone's experience is the same. The people that know me well recognize the me that sleeps is mentally healthier than the me that didn't. I went to a specialist in sleep and not my regular doctor. Many factors and methods were tried until this course of action was prescribed.
 
BeerCan, I don't doubt that it helped you. When people have issues they are told to seek help. Be it Insomnia, Depression, or Cancer. Mental Illness and even Personality Disorders are rooted in biology, not some "not being tough enough to tough it out", so to speak. I agree that we should not seek or rely upon pharmaceuticals for the first hiccup in our health or outlook, etc. But when our life starts to suffer or we have issues that holistic approaches aren't fixxing, then what are we to do? Suffer and be diseased without trying the next step which is seeking professional help be it medical treatment or psychiatric treatment, etc. If you're feeling off key and let it go, then eventually feel bad enough to go to the MD and tests find Cancer, would you not let the medical community treat it or are you going to "tough it out?" Of course you're going to seek medical treatment. No difference for people who suffer personality disorders or other forms of mental unwellness.

When you seek help and the cure is worse than the disease then the disease may eventually take you if you cease treatment with the cure, and if you continue with the cure it may degrade your quality of life more than managing the disease. Or the cure, at least in the case of psychotropic pharmaceuticals, may lead you down a deadly path by those label warnings coming true.

So tell me, which path is the answer?

I am convinced that Ambien was the "cure" amongst the so called cures that caused the suicidal action of my wife. She had never once threatened suicide or spoken of feeling that it could ever be an option she would choose. Just boom, and she did it. My brother took Ambien for a while, until one night where the neighbors called in a 911 run because he was standing in the street at 3am in his boxer shorts shouting at people that weren't there. Deputies called me and told me my brother just had an Ambien zombie experience. He quit the stuff the next day. People have driven to wal mart in the wee hours in their underwear on that stuff, in a zombie like state of semi consciousness or waking sleep. It's a hypnotic and it's freakin' poison as far as I'm concerned. Should have been pulled from the market yrs ago.
 
Originally Posted By: grampi
I just can't figure out why these people who seem to be living a fantasy life take their own lives. For years I wondered what it would be like to be rich and famous, but lately I'm wondering if I wouldn't be able to handle it either...


Fame and wealth doesn’t necessarily makes a person happy within...
 
No, I don't know the reasons why AB hung himself. If he didn't leave a note , perhaps auto erotic asphyxiation?
27.gif
 
Alcoholism, prescription drug dependency, and suicide are ALL on the rise in this country by large percentages. You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to determine we are on the wrong path. People need to start questioning this stuff before they start swallowing it, based on what some doctor tells them.
 
Look at all of these so called "Energy Drinks". They are for sale everywhere. Red Bull is a multi billion dollar corporation. Monster, Rock Star, NOS, 5 Hour, and literally dozens more. They are nothing but massive overdoses of sugar and caffeine. And we thought Mountain Dew was bad. Talk to any cardiologist and they will tell you they are among the absolute worst things you can possibly drink. It doesn't matter. People buy them by the trainload.

There are people who can't get through the day without them. They even mix them with alcohol. (Red Bull and vodka is a very popular drink in a lot of clubs). It's insane. But it's a fact. These drinks didn't exist 30 years ago. If you got tired you drank a cup of coffee, or else took a nap. But today, just swallow something tailor made to get you going again. And don't worry, you'll be just fine.

It's no wonder you have depressed people taking whatever a doctor prescribes for them. And do so without questioning it. And in the process are offing themselves left and right as a direct result. I'm surprised it's not worse. Which it will get before it gets better.... If it ever does.
 
By your comment even 40+ yrs of insomnia wasn't enough for you. That sounds very sketchy but whatever. Your blanket take-no-prisoners condemnation of prescription sleeping aids reveals your own rigid thinking. Not all become "physically & psychology dependent" from their use. Not even close. Further, how would YOU know anything regarding such effects & dependencies since you never tried a single one despite being described five? Why brag about being prescribed five? In light of this, making such a statement is absurd.

Ditto for "prescription pain killers". First, they're not all in a single drug class. Second, not everyone who takes them becomes addicted. Third, you're (fortunately) not king of the hill, nor in a position of power to determine what choices are available to others. Fourth, not everyone shares your fear of medications. Your rant is just more rigid, B&W thinking. Do you also decline Novocain before dental work?

I've taken both Ambien and prescription pain meds, and muscle relaxants when necessary. No 'zombie' walking. No visual nor aural hallucinations. No weird dreams. No drama. Do I need them everyday? No. Am I addicted? No. Did they help? Absolutely!

You see not everyone exhibits an addictive personality, nor do ALL humans have the SAME response to these and other medications. Pharmacology isn't that simple nor are people nor is Life.

While entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

Give it a rest and give the rest of us a break............

Originally Posted By: billt460
We as a society are becoming weaker, and far less self sufficient. We are always looking for something, or someone else to blame when things don't pan out in our lives. Today more than ever before, we want the easy solutions that always seem to come from a bottle. Be it for depression, weight loss, sleeplessness, or not having enough energy. We search for a pill to swallow, or something to drink that will "cure it" quickly and effortlessly on our part.

I've lived with insomnia for well over 40 years. (Look at the time of my posts in regards to my time zone if you doubt that). I have had numerous doctors over the years who wanted to, and in fact did, prescribe me with every prescription sleep aid known to man. Ambien, Amitriptyline, Lunesta, Restoril, Halcion. Name it and they wrote me for it at one time or another. All in order to "help me". I never had a single one of them filled.

Why? Because prescription sleep aids are nothing but a short term solution to a long term problem. And you don't have to be a doctor to know this. It's common sense. You become physically and psychologically dependent on them. Then you have an even bigger problem. Same with prescription pain killers. I've had them prescribed to me after orthopedic knee surgery, (2). Inner ear surgery. And 2 hernias. All of which were very painful. I took them for a few days, and flushed what was left and lived with the pain. It wasn't easy, believe me. Most people take them all, and refill them until they no longer can. That is asking to become addicted. Proof is today opiate pain medication is one of the most abused drugs in this country. Prescription or otherwise. Thousands die every year.

It was very hard to do the things I outlined above. But I knew by not taking them, I would be better off in the long run. Today in many cases, we are discovering the cure is worse than the disease. The problem is by the time we discover it, it becomes too late. The mess that is required to be cleaned up is even bigger. All of this can be laid at the doorstep of a society that has become weaker.
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
By your comment even 40+ yrs of insomnia wasn't enough for you. That sounds very sketchy but whatever. Your blanket take-no-prisoners condemnation of prescription sleeping aids reveals your own rigid thinking. Not all become "physically & psychology dependent" from their use. Not even close.


It isn't a question of it, "being enough for me". It cannot be cured with prescription sleeping pills. If it could insomnia would be non existent by now. And I really don't care if it sounds "sketchy" to you if I don't accept a B.S. "cure" by taking them. It is easier to deal with it. Not to mention safer.

It's a proven fact we are proceeding down the wrong path with prescription drugs in this country. We are becoming a nation that is consuming prescription drugs at a very high rate. Addiction to anti depressants, prescription pain medication, and sleep aids are off the chart. It is far worse today then it was just a decade ago. Just because a little is good, doesn't mean more is better, and too much is just enough.

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Further, how would YOU know anything regarding such effects & dependencies since you never tried a single one despite being described five?


I can read a newspaper. Do your own research. This information is out there. The physical and mental destruction being caused by the over prescription of these drugs is everywhere. How many people have to die before you awaken from your slumber and realize it? Perhaps you should put the bottle down long enough to come out of your coma.

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Ditto for "prescription pain killers". First, they're not all in a single drug class. Second, not everyone who takes them becomes addicted. Third, you're (fortunately) not king of the hill, nor in a position of power to determine what choices are available to others. Fourth, not everyone shares your fear of medications.


I don't "fear medications". But by you denying the obvious with your whole, "all is well" attitude, you are being flat out ignorant.

"From 1999 to 2016, more than 200,000 people died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids were five times higher in 2016 than 1999."

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html

Do you think this is all happening because people aren't becoming addicted?

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
While entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.


So you like facts? Well here are some that you need to smarten up and absorb.

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/prescription/abuse-international-statistics.html

"Every day in the US, 2,500 youth (12 to 17) abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time."

"Prescription drug abuse causes the largest percentage of deaths from drug overdosing."

"Depressants, opioids and antidepressants are responsible for more overdose deaths (45%) than cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and amphetamines (39%) combined."

"Of the 1.4 million drug-related emergency room admissions in 2005, 598,542 were associated with abuse of pharmaceuticals alone or with other drugs."

But let's not worry, because they work good for some people. Wake up! And as you can tell be the dates, most of this information is over a decade old. It has only gotten worse, much worse since then. So you will have to spare me if I don't buy into your attempt at trying to blow sunshine up everyone's rear, about how all of this really isn't a problem. And how wonderful all of this stuff is working on our society. Listening to people with your attitude, gives a good indication of why it's happening.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Why? Because prescription sleep aids are nothing but a short term solution to a long term problem.

I drink Sleepytime Extra. It's not a narcotic.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Look at all of these so called "Energy Drinks". They are for sale everywhere. Red Bull is a multi billion dollar corporation. Monster, Rock Star, NOS, 5 Hour, and literally dozens more. They are nothing but massive overdoses of sugar and caffeine. And we thought Mountain Dew was bad. Talk to any cardiologist and they will tell you they are among the absolute worst things you can possibly drink. It doesn't matter. People buy them by the trainload.

There are people who can't get through the day without them. They even mix them with alcohol. (Red Bull and vodka is a very popular drink in a lot of clubs). It's insane. But it's a fact. These drinks didn't exist 30 years ago. If you got tired you drank a cup of coffee, or else took a nap. But today, just swallow something tailor made to get you going again. And don't worry, you'll be just fine.

It's no wonder you have depressed people taking whatever a doctor prescribes for them. And do so without questioning it. And in the process are offing themselves left and right as a direct result. I'm surprised it's not worse. Which it will get before it gets better.... If it ever does.


Good Point !
 
Originally Posted By: onetwoothreee
I drink Sleepytime Extra. It's not a narcotic.


I've tried that. (The Sleepytime Tea that is). Along with Melatonin. It has only a very marginal effect. I usually don't have an issue with falling asleep. It's staying asleep. I rarely do for more than an hour or 2 at a time. I've gotten to the point now where I won't lay in bed awake for more than 30 minutes. After that I'll just get up and do something.

Admittingly all of this is much easier to deal with since I've been retired. My time is my own. If I'm up for most of the night, I can take a nap whenever I feel like it during the day. This obviously was not possible when I was working. I had to offset the effect of a sleepless night by drinking coffee all day. Now I just have a cup or 2 in the morning, and that's it.
 
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