[UA] Suicide countdown

[Rayburn, Russell E.]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: ua-bounces at lists.unknown-armies.com
[mailto:ua-bounces at lists.unknown-armies.com] On Behalf Of Magnus Lie
Hetland
>Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 9:34 AM
>To: The Unknown Armies RPG Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [UA] Suicide countdown
>
>But... This is getting really off topic fast, I guess.

Not so much, IMHO... after all, going full-bore whackado is an integral
part of UA, so discussions of madness and suicide seem at least vaguely
on topic.

Of the three suicides I've known, I have (somewhat) detailed information
only on two.

One was a 12 year old girl.  Taunted and teased by her "peers", she
broke into dad's gun cabinet and ate a bullet as he was getting ready to
take her to school.  

About two years after her death, Dad was cleaning out their home in
preparation to move.  He found a note, undated and unaddressed, written
by his dead daughter.  She complained about being taunted and tormented
in school by girls because she was fat.  So I suppose you could call
that note a cry for help, or something... it might have been if someone
found it.

The next was a 15 year old boy.  Hung himself in a closet.  No note, and
to this day no indication of what he was upset about... at least, not to
my knowledge.  I do think autoerotic asphyxiation was ruled out, since
his death was categorized as suicide, not as an accident / death by
misadventure.

Lastly, there was a 42 year old woman.  Mother of 2, she was an active
alcoholic.  Locked herself in an apartment, away from hubby and the kids
in the 'burbs, with a case of scotch ( iirc ).  She drank enough in a
short enough period of time that she passed out and died from alcohol
poisoning.  No note.  No indication she wanted anyone to know what she
was planning, or wanted anyone to stop her.

So I think I'm with Greg on this one.  Trying to generalize just doesn't
look like it works.  Sure, with the advantage of hindsight you could
cherry-pick statements/actions the now deceased made and say they were
an indication... but I tend to think that anyone who blatantly makes
suicidal statements wants attention.  The others want to die.