Shared Links (weekly) Nov. 5 2023
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The War on Suicide Is Making Things Worse– An interesting look at how forcible committing someone might make things worse.
The War on Suicide Is Making Things Worse– An interesting look at how forcible committing someone might make things worse.
One problem with blanket rules for everything is that there will always be a situation where the rule harms someone. Parental consent rules are one example. Sure, it’s great when parents are involved in their kids’ care. It’s ideal, even.
That assumes they have good parents, though. When the thing a kid needs protection against is the parent, you can’t demand the parent’s consent for that.
As I realize that those of us in the US will be turning the clocks back to standard time this weekend, and those of you in other Northern Hemisphere countries may have done the same last weekend, it’s important to remind ourselves of what that time change, and change in the amount of daylight to follow, can mean for folks.
So, I’m sharing a link and an image from the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) to remind us that SAD is a thing, and it can be mild and treated by taking some small actions, or it can truly interfere with living our lives and might require something more than eating healthier. Either way, keep this handy and know when the season might be affecting you.
We have always kind of known that the estimates for all survivors is low because of underreporting, especially for men, where reporting is actually pretty uncommon. What this study is suggesting is that the numbers we typically rely on, are significantly lower than the reality.
So yes: those of us that are hurting want you to pray for us. Pray for your family member who’s depressed. Pray for your fellow church member whose anxiety has kept then from attending in weeks. Pray for the person who you’ve heard is battling an addiction or a manic episode or any other thing. And…
What I find interesting about this, beyond the obvious take that many people out there are not doing well, is that if you asked this same question to many of your friends, coworkers, and acquaintances, you probably wouldn’t see the same thing. There’s something about trauma-dumping to a fictional character that allows us to be honest without fear that we are too much for people to deal with. I worry about it all the time. If you asked me how I am on any given day, 99% of the time, I’d say something like “Not bad.” I might admit to struggling the other one percent of the time, but also probably downplay it.
Let me tell you a secret. I struggle much more than one percent of the time. I also don’t want people to worry about me, and I don’t want my struggles to be too much for the people in my life. I make my emotions small to protect other people. I know I’m not the only one.
This article is intense. It is also something we need to talk about, and do something about. People with mental illnesses in jails around the country are routinely dying in horrific ways and under preventable circumstances, a Virginian-Pilot investigation has found. The country’s 3,000-plus jails are the default treatment center for many. There is often…