[Content note: suicide, mental illness] A few weeks ago Northwestern lost yet another student to suicide. There’s been pressure building all year for improved mental health services on campus, and I think that pressure will soon culminate in real, helpful changes on campus. At the same time, some have been saying that what we need …
Tag Archive: suicide
Dec 12 2012
Who Is To Blame For A Suicide?
Yesterday I was driving around in my hometown and listening to the radio. The DJs did a segment on the suicide of Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse in a hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated, who was pranked by some radio DJs and tricked into giving out Middleton’s medical information. The DJs on my hometown …
Dec 03 2012
Please Sign My Petition to Remove the “No Respect For Suicidal Teens” Facebook Page
[Content note: suicide] Yup, I’m using my blog to promote something. But it’s a very important something. In my blog post earlier today I mentioned this atrocious Facebook page, which cruelly mocks suicidal teenagers by calling them “selfish” and “ignorant” and inciting them to kill themselves. I had reported it to Facebook, and I just …
Dec 03 2012
The Problem With “Teen Angst” and Why You Should Take Teens’ Mental Health Seriously
[Content note: depression and suicide] There’s a disturbing and pervasive idea out there that the psychological troubles of teenagers are inconsequential and unworthy of attention because they’re just a part of “teen angst” or “growing up” or whatever. I’m thinking about this now because last night I ran across this Facebook page. It’s called “No …
Sep 11 2012
[storytime] At The Edge Of The Known World: What It's Like To Consider Suicide
Somebody, somewhere in the world, kills themselves every 40 seconds. Set a timer on your phone or watch for 40 seconds. When it beeps, another precious, beloved life is gone. Yesterday, September 10, was World Suicide Prevention Day. Although suicide prevention entails important things like improving mental health screening and treatment, increasing access to mental …
Sep 11 2012
[storytime] At The Edge Of The Known World: What It’s Like To Consider Suicide
Somebody, somewhere in the world, kills themselves every 40 seconds. Set a timer on your phone or watch for 40 seconds. When it beeps, another precious, beloved life is gone. Yesterday, September 10, was World Suicide Prevention Day. Although suicide prevention entails important things like improving mental health screening and treatment, increasing access to mental …
Aug 02 2012
Abortion and Suicide: A Spurious Link
In South Dakota, it is now legal to require doctors to tell women seeking abortions that they are putting themselves at risk for suicide. This move is brilliant from a PR standpoint. Unlike banning certain types of abortions entirely or, say, forcing women to undergo invasive screenings that are medically unnecessary, this seems completely apolitical …
Jun 14 2012
Depression is Not Sadness
Yesterday I came across the story of Junior Seau, an NFL linebacker who committed suicide on May 2. He shot himself in the chest and was found in his home by his girlfriend. Although little is known of Seau’s mental health leading up to his death, he had apparently suffered from insomnia for the last …
May 16 2012
What You're Really Saying When You Say that Suicide is "Selfish"
I’m still thinking about the Chet Hanks suicide thing from last week and the various responses to it that I saw online. Specifically, I cited two comments that referred to suicide as “selfish.” “Selfish” has to be one of the most common adjectives people think of when thinking about suicide. Those of us who are …
About the Author
Brute Reason Tumblr
- It’s a pity they took analogies out of the SAT. When you have to do those problems like...It’s a pity they took analogies out of the SAT. When you have to do those problems like toe:foot::finger:hand or whatever, maybe you gain an understanding that this analogy DOES NOT MEAN THAT TOES AND FINGERS ARE EQUIVALENT IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY. So when someone’s using an analogy to explain something to you, perhaps you would actually focus on the argument […]
- "Furthermore, Jannis believes self-segregation is natural because ‘no matter what racial group..."“Furthermore, Jannis believes self-segregation is natural because ‘no matter what racial group you are, you do, um, sort of gather with those people that are alike.’ This may explain why she described interracial marriage as ‘salmons swimming upstream.’” - I am learning SO MUCH about racist white people from Racism Without Racists. […]
- "Why Society Still Needs Feminism
Because to men, a key is a device to open something. For women,..."“Why Society Still Needs Feminism Because to men, a key is a device to open something. For women, it’s a weapon we hold between our fingers when we’re walking alone at night. Because the biggest insult for a guy is to be called a “pussy,” a “little bitch” or a “girl.” From here on out, being called a “pussy” is an effing badge of honor. Because last month, m […]
- "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it."“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it.” - xkcd: Sticks and Stones […]
- On Useful and Not-So-Useful Definitions of RacismOn Useful and Not-So-Useful Definitions of Racism: Richard Dawkins, whose Twitter feed never fails to amuse, has lately been discussing racism–specifically, against white people. Dawkins sounds eerily like my high school self here–desperate to stick to his own definitions of things and reject the definitions of others, all while claiming that everyone needs […]
Contact!
Don't feel like commenting? You can also find/contact me here:
Two things to keep in mind:
1. I am bad at answering lengthy emails. Sorry!
2. I may ask you for permission to blog about our correspondence. However, if you are harassing/abusive/trollish, then I no longer have to ask you for permission. Proceed with caution!
Two things to keep in mind:
1. I am bad at answering lengthy emails. Sorry!
2. I may ask you for permission to blog about our correspondence. However, if you are harassing/abusive/trollish, then I no longer have to ask you for permission. Proceed with caution!
Recent Comments