Suicide

[optimisticnad]

Can someone tell me and describe to me ACCURATELY what happens when you slash your wrists? I want one of my characters to commit suicide like that but it just doesn't sound convincing. Any good websites? Anything other than 'He slashed his wrists and then died' would be useful! Lol.

Many thanks everyone.

I'd be interested in other suicide methods, nothing outrageous. This character isn't the type of person who will shoot himself in the head. Maybe poison? But not drug abuse, unless its....'medicine' like, he wouldn't do drugs.

I found this on the internet, and I'm absolutely disgusted that stuff like this are available. And no! You can't give the freedom of speech debate blah blah and justify it! Here's the link

everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=642704

[Koa]

I found the link both creepy and hilarious. Seriously, I silently laughed in several occasions even if it gave me the creeps.


(You might want to print out this writeup and keep it next to the tub as you do this).

As for your question, well do you want it to be very technical? I think your link does help ;) I mean I've never given much thought of the technicalities, but I was quite obsessed about the whole thing back in the days of the dark poetry of my youth. Once I wrote one thing that I never finished (wait, I never finished anything :lol:) that described quite closely the joy of this person while she was dying, but it wasn't really technical (I barely remember, I was probably 17 at the time). I also wrote poems with this theme, one of which is somewhere at the bottom of this site... Poison is interesting, one of the two things I did finish was about this guy drinking something but in theory you don't know it was poison until the end, but I don't know since no one ever read it LOL. But again it wasn't techical, I guess I was more into the mental processes to care how it really happens. Ah, the good old days when I was able to produce thoughts...

[ClaesGefvenberg]

Not me, and perhaps it is not such a good idea to describe that in too much detail?


I found this on the internet, and I'm absolutely disgusted that stuff like this are available.That sites like this one (and worse) exist is not news to me, but I share your feelings about them: Disgusting. Even though it is not illegal (as far as I know), I wish that people would exercise at least rudimentary self censorship. But, alas... :(

/Claes

[AimusSage]

Ack! I have no experience with the matter, and don't want to have experience with it either, having said that, I could care less about that website, and only read the first few lines. If I wanted to kill myself, I'd never slit my wrists, it's so uhm... messy.

[papayahed]

I don't have much experience in the matter, that website eicks me out! If I was going to commit suicide I would probably go the way of sleeping pills or some type of perscription drug followed by a bottle of Vodka, it seems easier.

[Koa]

But can that site be taken seriously? :rolleyes:

[Shalot]

Maybe you could interview some people who have actually tried it, if you want to be realistic. (of course, they wouldn't have been sucessful attempts, but still...)

[Koa]

Maybe you could interview some people who have actually tried it, if you want to be realistic. (of course, they wouldn't have been sucessful attempts, but still...)


from that very site


When I was just a tyke, 8 or 9 or so, my mother told me how to slash my wrists. "Down, not across", she told me. I am not making this up.

Mom: "If you cut across, it doesn't work. you bleed a lot slower, and it's a lot more painful. You're supposed to ALONG the wrist, so you cut open all these veins."
Me: "But.. Mom.. how do you know that?"
Mom: "Well.. I tried to kill myself a couple of times when I was a teenager..."

Observations:
1. Although I, as a child, was told how to go about slashing my wrists in an effective, painless (or less painful) manner, I'm still alive now.
2. Had my mother known how to slash her wrists in this way, she probably would have died, and I would not be here.

The moral implications of this make my brain hurt.

See, I learnt that the way we usually think of it is actually wrong. And since a suicide attempt, I firmly believe, is 90% of a cry for attention, it makes sense that many fail that way.

[aeroport]

Dark humor, to be sure...
Other issues to keep in mind before you slash your wrists:

Have you written a proper suicide note?
If you do use bath oils, make sure they aren't the kind that use aromatherapy to make you feel better about yourself. That would be counterproductive.
If you live in a dorm, or if you have any family members in the house, make sure that you have locked the bathroom door. This is not the kind of procedure that your friends can help you with.
And above all else, remember: have fun.

I don't know about that stuff. Weird...

[Themis]

I'd be interested in other suicide methods, nothing outrageous. This character isn't the type of person who will shoot himself in the head. Maybe poison? But not drug abuse, unless its....'medicine' like, he wouldn't do drugs.


Do you really want your character to die? If so, I've heard that a hot bath is a 'good' idea when the person's slashed his/her wrists. I think the blood flows more freely then and dying doesn't take that long.

I remember (though maybe not all that accurately) my grandmother (a doctor) once told me so after we'd seen it in a film and she insisted that someone who's slashed their wrists didn't just drop that a few minutes later but that it took a long time.

[SleepyWitch]

i don't know the first thing about suicide and don't want to know either...

maybe the method also depends on why your character wants to commit suicide?
is it because he's depressed?
does he want to draw attention to himself/is he obsessed with the idea of suicide(or finds it aesthetic in some way)..--> in that case he'd chose something grand and spectacular ??? i.e. slashing his wrist is a good idea precisely because of the mess

i suppose he'd also have flashbacks of his life while he is dying? so you could alternate those with what's happening to his body... maybe what is blood does (oozing out/ gushing/ trickling) could be somehow related to the events he remembers/ symbolize these..?????


if it's supposed to happen in a rather accidental way ("nothing outrageous") he could just 'fall' off a bridge or the gallery at a theatre or something..
sometimes even people who are absolutely not suicidal but who have a slight fear of heights feel an urge to jump down when they're on top of tall buildings etc... even though they don't WANT to jump they feel kinda compelled to, as if an outside force was telling them to do it.. or it's a bit like a premonition that this is going to happen no matter whether they want it or not....
you could have an ambiguous situation like this where it's not totally clear your character actually wanted to do it

[Madhuri]

What happens when a person is commiting suicide by slashing wrists?

I have no idea, i'll have to experience it to tell you how I felt, and I have no plans for doing so in the near future.

Oh, but, I can surely tell you some 1 lakh ideas of murdering someone. I plan that all the time for people who are annoying, in my head ofcourse :p They are all fresh in my mind, let me know if you need those...I will be glad to help.....ofcourse not to murder anyone, but to give you the idea :p

:D

[optimisticnad]

Thank you ALL for replying. I wasn't expecting so many comments!

I don't know if that website is meant to be funny, it just creeped me out and made me a little mad.

Slashing wrists isn't easy, especially the second wrist. And it takes up to hours to die. And sometimes people don't die.

Koa: I would love to know more about the dark poetry of your youth!


perhaps it is not such a good idea to describe that in too much detail?

You're probably right Claes, I just wanted to give it at least a taint of realism, like for once I know what I am talking about!

Sleepywitch: he's not exactly depressed, hes wifes dead, hes old, should be retiring but money issues, not much of a future to look forward to. I wanted him to slash his wrists because he has to a) stay close to his wifes dead corpse, b) nothing grand would suit him. c) it would take hours for him to die and he needs that time.

Thanks Themis for the hotbath suggestion but like I said, i need to him to die close to his wife.

Amess: what would be an 'unmessy' way of committing suicide?

sHALOT: what if they turn on me? Lol. And where would I find them....?

Once again thank you ALL for replying, its great knowing I have another support system here, not just the people in 'RL'-whatever that means. This seems real enough for me.

i've put my first draft on my blog, its called 'just a few minutes'. Any suggestions for improvement would be more than welcome, as long their said in a non-hurtful way. :-)

[Asa Adams]

Put yourself into other peoples shoes; one's who have actually tried such a terrible form of suicide. Its hard to come to any conclussions, but think about yourself trying to cut your veins open. This makes a good writer. Remember this-"Down the street, not across the road"

[optimisticnad]

thats great advice! thanks.

im just putting up the story now...

i know we have a short story competition here, im not sure if i should submit or not.

[Koa]

Sleepywitch: he's not exactly depressed, hes wifes dead, hes old, should be retiring but money issues, not much of a future to look forward to. I wanted him to slash his wrists because he has to a) stay close to his wifes dead corpse, b) nothing grand would suit him. c) it would take hours for him to die and he needs that time.




Somehow the wrists thing doesnt seem to me to suit an old person with no future... I'm still for poison :D

[SleepyWitch]

sleeping pills! the effect only sets in gradually doesn't it?
and an old man would have sleeping pills anyway, so it would be easy for him to overdose. no mess, either :)

[Schokokeks]

and an old man would have sleeping pills anyway, so it would be easy for him to overdose. no mess, either :)
And it's good they only let you loose on children and not the elderly :p :D

[SleepyWitch]

And it's good they only let you loose on children and not the elderly :p :D

:redface: :angel: mmmwhuuaaahaahaahaaa

[mtpspur]

Had a roommate on Guam do it. He was sitting at the desk while I'm on my bed reading when a fellow from down the hall poked his head in the door and noticed what was up. For the record he had slashed his wrist left to right (horizontal) across the vein to get a slow flow going. If you're serious do a vertical cut as another young man did a few years later while VERY drunk (he had gotten a Dear John letter and took it personally). The first young man really just wanted off the island--we had both arrived same wekend and he didn't last two weeks. The other more serious fellow ended up at a VA hospital. Cleaning the blood up in his room is still a 'special' memory done TWICE as only I and a friend would do it. The curse of living in the dorm and working the Orderly Room. Hope this helps. Trying not to get moody but I think it's time to play mah jong again. Nothing personal.

[RobinHood3000]

The Samurai at least know what they're doing. Seppuku is so much more effective.

This is, of course, ignoring the moral implications of suicide to begin with.

[grace86]

I remember (though maybe not all that accurately) my grandmother (a doctor) once told me so after we'd seen it in a film and she insisted that someone who's slashed their wrists didn't just drop that a few minutes later but that it took a long time.

Hehe...if it would take a few minutes the person would probably have just enough time to say "Aaah!!! What the heck have I done!!" and call the hospital...:D

Yeah, don't know any of that from personal experience...nor would I be interested in that kind of thing.

I do agree though that your character's mode of death, if cutting his wrists, might be a little dramatic for a "good ol' Joe"...it seems like he would have to have bigger problems.

His problems are big...but in a way natural. His wife died, and he has no money....it would seem like he'd be going out in a way that wouldn't exactly suit him...but then again, how old is he?

[optimisticnad]

The Samurai at least know what they're doing. Seppuku is so much more effective.

This is, of course, ignoring the moral implications of suicide to begin with.

shock.

where hav u been mister?

how u been? u must make an effort to be around more!

[Koa]

what if he just lets himself die? one day he doesn't get up from bed, doesn't eat doesn't drink etc... or is it too slow and too much time to think?

[optimisticnad]

yep too much time to think.

thank you anyway

[kiz_paws]

Although this thread is a 'done deal' (as in, Opti already has her story ending), in reading it I just wanted to say a few things.

First, I have to say that despite my thinking that I have secured a reasonable grip on life, there are still things that really do shock. As in, there is a website that explicitly covers all the angles in a proper wrist slashing...

I could not help but wonder, had someone very close to me read that article when they were tormented in their early teen years, what might have taken place. Sadly, we can read such things and write them off as dark humor or whatever, but if someone who was truly down and out and meant business (thinking this was the only way), would proceed in that direction. And get the step-by-step method AND be told at the end to 'have fun'. Not funny, sorry, not even in the least.

What I found chilling is that in that how-to article, there is no mention whatsoever about "are you sure this is what you want" ;or "for help and counselling link to xxxxx"; or anything positive/life promoting...

* * * * * * * * * *

Opti touched on the sentiment that one needs to write as realistically as possible because there will always be a reader who will say "nah, that writer doesn't know what they are talking about" -- i.e. I have never gone under the hood of a car and twiddled about to come up with a miraculous fix to that junk I call a car. So then, how could I, in good conscience to my readers, start to write about such a thing and not wind up being laughable. You know? So yes, a writer really does have to do their homework to have as flawless a tale as possible.

But that site...... woo ... scary ....

[optimisticnad]

Although this thread is a 'done deal' (as in, Opti already has her story ending), in reading it I just wanted to say a few things.

First, I have to say that despite my thinking that I have secured a reasonable grip on life, there are still things that really do shock. As in, there is a website that explicitly covers all the angles in a proper wrist slashing...

I could not help but wonder, had someone very close to me read that article when they were tormented in their early teen years, what might have taken place. Sadly, we can read such things and write them off as dark humor or whatever, but if someone who was truly down and out and meant business (thinking this was the only way), would proceed in that direction. And get the step-by-step method AND be told at the end to 'have fun'. Not funny, sorry, not even in the least.

What I found chilling is that in that how-to article, there is no mention whatsoever about "are you sure this is what you want" ;or "for help and counselling link to xxxxx"; or anything positive/life promoting...

* * * * * * * * * *

Opti touched on the sentiment that one needs to write as realistically as possible because there will always be a reader who will say "nah, that writer doesn't know what they are talking about" -- i.e. I have never gone under the hood of a car and twiddled about to come up with a miraculous fix to that junk I call a car. So then, how could I, in good conscience to my readers, start to write about such a thing and not wind up being laughable. You know? So yes, a writer really does have to do their homework to have as flawless a tale as possible.

But that site...... woo ... scary ....

Not a done deal! I;m thinking he doesnt need to do anything grand like suicide. I'm a big fan of little things big meaning so trying to come up with an alternative ending.

i know exactly what you mean about still being shocked, you think uv heard it all and seen it all in this day and age but theres always something that takes you by surprise. and im glad to be honest. it means we havent yet become indifferent zombies because thats how i feel sometimes, you hear awful stuff on the news but ur so used to it u dont really think twice about it do you?

writing without research is....pointless. Real life incidents count as research too! Like you say, you need to do your homework.

My current homework is: funeral food. What kind of stuff is there? I need something classy and expensive?

[kiz_paws]

Funeral food ... well, I have gone to several funerals and have been in the planning stages of a couple (sadly), and the food served at a funeral in these parts is coffee/tea/cold beverage choice; dainty sandwiches or bun halves with a nice topping (egg salad/chicken salad/tuna salad/etc.); and then dainty sweets (small, bite-sized tea cakes, mini tarts, small cookies, etc.). Tasteful serviettes (I believe they are called napkins in other places) are made available too.

This is what is typically served immediately following a funeral, either in the funeral parlor or in the church banquet hall (if funeral is in a church setting). After a funeral, when family/friends gather, there could be a whole lot more involved (including liquor, etc.), but I didn't think that was what you meant...?

Hope that this is what you were looking for, and if not ... well, then I have a red face, lol! :)

[Koa]

I could not help but wonder, had someone very close to me read that article when they were tormented in their early teen years, what might have taken place. Sadly, we can read such things and write them off as dark humor or whatever, but if someone who was truly down and out and meant business (thinking this was the only way), would proceed in that direction. And get the step-by-step method AND be told at the end to 'have fun'. Not funny, sorry, not even in the least.

What I found chilling is that in that how-to article, there is no mention whatsoever about "are you sure this is what you want" ;or "for help and counselling link to xxxxx"; or anything positive/life promoting...

* * * * * * * * * *



But I think that's what makes it funny. Had there been a disclaimer, you would know that they are serious. This way is just so crazy that you can't take it seriously. It's called defamiliriasation in English I believe (oh yeah there it is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamiliarization), it's a literature device, you tell something totally weird like it was normal, or something normal like it was weird. That's why I think the site was funny, because it went ahead that way, while adding something serious would have made it scary...
True though that to a weakened mind, I mean a troubled one, been there, thought about that, it might give weird ideas... but I don't think it'd be to blame, if someone wants to do it they'll do it anyway, and if they get convinced by something like that, well something was really wrong... it's like blaming crap on metal music or things like that... a website can't be the source of all evil. Although I admit that I didnt know that the proper way was not the one we commonly believe to be, and if you try too hard that way it might be dangerous...

****
funeral food, mmm my granny made sandwiches...it felt a bit stupid...

[mtpspur]

I plead guilty for a grave lack of considering the implications of my post. Never dawned on me the how-to of it educating the misinformed. Won't happen again. This post hit hard on a number of levels. Irritation at my roommate's stunt to leave the island. The other fellow not handling a 'Dear John' letter well. The waste of human life or the attempt thereof. Good catch Kiz Paw--Again sorry.

I'll be more careful in future.

[kathycf]

I plead guilty for a grave lack of considering the implications of my post. Never dawned on me the how-to of it educating the misinformed. Won't happen again. This post hit hard on a number of levels. Irritation at my roommate's stunt to leave the island. The other fellow not handling a 'Dear John' letter well. The waste of human life or the attempt thereof. Good catch Kiz Paw--Again sorry.

I'll be more careful in future.

I think, although I could be mistaken that kiz_paws was referring to the article in the opening post of the thread, mtpspur, and not your post. I had read the article in question before optimisticnad edited her original post to remove the link.

Opti, one such book that may be helpful in your research is Night Falls Fast by Kay Redfield Jamieson. Not only is Dr. Jamieson a professor of psychiatry, she has dealt with the pain of her own suicide attempt. This is a transcript of an interview with her on Public Television.

PBS transcript (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/july-dec99/jamison_12-15.html)

New York Times article. (http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/10/24/reviews/991024.24solomot.html)

One thing to keep in mind is that suicide is often a murky issue. It is not simply about attention seekers or those wanting to "end it all", or even "I am going to kill myself to get back at them". Sometimes a suicidal person may be in so much pain that they simply want the pain to end, and death seems the only way to accomplish that. It may be that the goal is the allevation of suffering, and death is only the means to meet that goal, not the goal itself.

Just a thought.

[Nightshade]

Umm I guesss its a done deal but you know what confuses me why people slash thier wrists acrosssideways when it would be so much more effective a quicker to do it lengthwise. But definatly ot a method Id choose.

[Craig049]

Umm I guesss its a done deal but you know what confuses me why people slash thier wrists acrosssideways when it would be so much more effective a quicker to do it lengthwise. But definatly ot a method Id choose.

Suicide definitely isn't the answer. but what i think, on your topic of cutting the wrist, is when they cut acrosssideways, they die slower, and like to watch themselves bleed as they die... I dont know if that's true or not, but it seems reasonable to me

[kathycf]

Not a done deal! I;m thinking he doesnt need to do anything grand like suicide. I'm a big fan of little things big meaning so trying to come up with an alternative ending.


I don't know if Opti is considering the suicide angle still for her story or not. She had a link to a website that deals with the whole vertical slash vs horizontal slash (she found it doing research, I think). It was in her opening post in this thread and she later deleted it.

@ Craig049; I don't agree with your opinion. I think people choose a method because they have heard about it before. Suicide may be a masochistic endeavor for a few people I suppose (watching themselves bleed, having death come slowly) but I tend to think many suicidal people are just the opposite...they want to AVOID pain as much as possible.

[Bakiryu]

It depends on what kind of person they are. People who really want to die cut down or as deep as possible. Emo wannabes or people who just like pain cut across and shallow slices.

[mtpspur]

There is so much I could add to this subject being personally acquainted with FIVE individuals - two of them extremely close to me-- no sucess but the mental scars remain. I'm not balanced on this topic--I waver between rage and despair and the drama queen has no fun. By the by-blood clots quicker on the across cuts--one of them knew that too but it didn't make accepting the action easier instead made me more panicky. Some stories need to stay buried. Sorry for the rant but I had to vent. Again sorry. Thanks Kathycbf for the encouragement however.

[kathycf]

I don't think you have any thing to be sorry about mtpspur, although I glad what I said was helpful to you. I think I can relate to your feelings on this subject having dealt with similiar issues related to family members. I think that is why I did not post in this thread earlier. It just isn't something I can go into detail about, so sorry if it seems I have a case of the vagues here.

Those similiar issues lead me to change my major to psychology (although that has somewhat changed as well) and I have taken a number of abnormal psychology classes in an attempt to understand this issue better.

I guess the upshot is, reading about suicide or seeing it on TV or a movie does not prepare you for the range of emotions that can be experienced when dealing with the issue in one's own personal life.

[Bakiryu]

It's hard to explain it on words, I mean, you can't just say 'oh, i tired to kill myself'. Most of the people I know have gone throguht this including myself. You know how you feel but is not something that can be described in words, books don't even come close.

[Logos]

It was in her opening post in this thread and she later deleted it.
Actually...because its an all-ages forum and all and its a pretty explicit site, I purposely changed the hyperlink to plain text to make it a little less easy for people to get to the site ;)

[kiz_paws]

I think, although I could be mistaken that kiz_paws was referring to the article in the opening post of the thread, mtpspur, and not your post.


Yes, thanks, Kathy, I was not referring to mtpspur's post, thanks for clearing this up. :) BTW, I want to offer my kind thoughts and hugs to you, mtpspur, for having to deal with such issues. I am a survivor of a friend, my lifes-blood, who made attempts, and I shan't continue. So yes, I guess I have kind of a gut reaction to sites that discuss the how-to's. Perhaps I should see this in the eyes that koa sees, and say that they surely cannot be serious, and yet..... I dunno... guess it is a sensitive subject.

But nonetheless, Opti has stated that she hasn't quite concluded how the fellow (or if the fellow) is going to 'do it', so that he dies close to his wife.

Opti, since you are looking for viable things, I had a thought. A close family member of mine succumbed to cancer a year ago. Behind him remained super heavy duty pain killing drugs -- narcotics, actually. Perhaps your protagonist decides to just ingest a couple of these -- as you mentioned that the wife had cancer, so she likely had medication of this nature close by? This would give the protagonist the avenue to which he is bent on, and in a, well, less messy fashion...?

Just a thought, as a fellow writer I wanted to give you another angle... :)

[kathycf]

Actually...because its an all-ages forum and all and its a pretty explicit site, I purposely changed the hyperlink to plain text to make it a little less easy for people to get to the site ;)

Oh, ok. I had seen that she edited her post (where it says last edited by so and so ) so I assumed she did it.

Good call on that Logos. I did go to the site in question and it was pretty heavy duty stuff.

[mtpspur]

To Kathy and KizPaws--You both are super - logos too (but for other reasons). I suspect the drama queen was getting it's due. There is a certain pride and selfishness involved with suicide that I find strangly fascinating and repellent. The difference between Judas and Peter I belive. I respect the honesty that occurs on this site that it's kept real and yet with respect to the reader--a mode of writing I hope I live up to. I belive in being very honest in my postings (warts and all) though I notice the downside stories tend to linger with me then the victories.

To both of you--again thanks and with respect--Rich