[Sca-cooks] Suicide

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

just got home and saw this email....
i hope that by the time i send this things are looking WAAY better........

Depression, whether chronic or short term, is a potentially lethal illness
and needs to be treated like one.  i have lost too  many of my friends
because no one took "depression", or the subtle symptoms, seriously.....
its just insomnia, its just iredness, its just stress.......
bull hocky!

when you are dealing with depression you treat it exactly like finding a
lump in your brst or any other serious medical issue.  you get to help as
fast as possible, get it diagnosed, and determine good treatment as fast as
possible

in depression, like cancer, early treatment means survival.

i am glad you survived... *please* treat this like taking antibiotics.. dont
just stop treatment until you and your doctor have knocked it out for good.
if that means monitoring for life, so be it, but likely it just means
watching your condition until it is thoroughly mopped up.
Kirsten Houseknecht
Fabric Dragon
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
www.fabricdragon.com
Philadelphia, PA     USA
Trims, Amber, Jet, Jewelry, and more...

I worry about you, wear a reflective sweater...
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Gunter" <countgunthar at hotmail.com>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 11:27 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Suicide


> Okay, I do appreciate everyone's concern. I did make a serious suicide
> attempt in February. I came home from Estrella and took several bottles
> of sleeping pills with alcohol. Just before I passed out I managed to call
> 911 and they traced the call. I've been told I died on the way to the
> hospital and they revived me in the ambulance. I spent a week in the
> ICU because the doctors worried that I would go into organ failure.
>
> It's nothing I'm particularly proud of and, if I had the opportunity,
would
> not have done. Life hasn't gotten particularly better because of the
> attempt.
> I'm not proud of it but I also won't hide from it. It was a part of my
life
> and
> it happened. I mainly did it because of ongoing problems in a relationship
> gone
> very, very bad and dysfunctional but also because life in general pretty
> well
> sucked. Things were actually getting a little better but when you are in
> pain
> you don't notice the flower outside the door.
>
> I'm doing better now. Things aren't great but the main source of my pain
is
> no longer around. My friends came and took me back to Texas. The woman
> in question is no longer even communicating with me. Once we had a talk
> and she decided that, even though she loves me, life without me is better
> than trying to build a life together I'm able to accept it and move on.
>
> I do appreciate all the worry and support you have shown on list and in
> private,
> and my offhand comment was certainly not meant to be the bombshell it
> evidently
> was. It's just an aspect of my life that I now am suffering the
consequences
> for.
> At least I'm a good person to talk to about death and suicide now.  :-)
>
> Things are hard right now. For many of us, but we can all lean on our
> friends when
> the going is difficult. I'm having to do that a lot lately and it's hell
on
> my pride. But
> I'm getting there. I'm now fighting again and looking for work. I'm
getting
> counselling
> and planning on attending school. In many ways I have been reborn and am
> looking at
> a new life. Maybe I'll decide that I hate computers and can be just as
poor
> but happy
> doing something I want. Death gives you an interesting view of life.
>
> Again, Thank you for your concern.
> I'm fine.
>
> Yours,
>
> Big Dum Gunthar
>
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