iy47ab (02/15/83)
I am sorry; I didn't a) make myself clear and b) wasn't very sensitive in my list: You are right. There's a lot more to it. A dear friend of mine attempted suicide once without telling anyone by taking 200 aspirins. She must have meant it as an *attempt*, or she wouldn't have taken aspirin; but as it was, she suddenly disappeared, and none of her friends knew that she was hospitalized with a sever ulcerated stomach and then put into a mental hospital for about a month. She came home and didn't seem like herself at all. She was too cheerful. Finally one day we were talking, and in a silly, childlike voice that she had been using, she said, "I think I'm going to die now." I said "No way, girl," and grabbed her and gave her a big hug. She started crying and things got kind of confused; this happened during the next week several times again. What could I do? I told her I loved her. I asked her if she really wanted to hurt herself; if she wanted to hurt her parents; if she wanted to hurt me. I suppose I laid a mild guilt trip on her; but it worked. She went into therapyand eventually they moved to another state where there were better facilities for for her. I haven't seen her since (she doesn't write) but her family tells me she is alive and ok. I don't know if there is a prescribed way to deal with these things. I think enid.mit-ccc may be right; you just take it as it goes. Someone wrote to this net a few weeks back who was hurting, and badly. I tried to write to her, but I didn't understand the mail system too well then, and then rabbit!bbimmler and cohorts started making noise on the net and I never got thugh through to her. I think one of the net's purposes is to provide net support for people who are hurting and lonely and alone, and we cannot allow politics to prevent that. If she's listening; I care. I don't know what else to say, except I do care, and please write to me if you need to talk. peace, Lady Arwen !sdccsu3!iy47ab