Enron suicide note disclosed

[Steve Perry]

as a lifelong cyclical depressive myself, i think both doug's points ring
true. in fact i've often wondered if point 1 isn't the reason that we hear
these harum-scarum statistics from time to time seeking to link
anti-depressants to suicide--perversely enough that may be a testament to
the drug's beginning to work.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
[mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Doug Henwood
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 7:56 AM
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Subject: Re: Enron suicide note disclosed

Michael Pollak wrote:


>On Thu Apr 11, Carrol Cox wrote:
>
>>  An overwhelming number of suicides, whatever their immediate occasion,
>>  have clinical depression as their general context.
>
>No argument there.  I have an honest question though.  I was under the
>impression that while the pain may be indescrible, the fact that a
>clinically depressed person is depressed is inescapable to both themselves
>and anyone who sees them on a daily basis.  So that if you asked people
>afterwards, Was he depressed at lot in the weeks before? they'd all say
>yes.  Is this wrong?  Can you be a sort of closet clinical depressive, so
>that people who talk to you every day would never suspect?

A nostrum I remember from my days working in a med library and
reading the journals is that people often commit suicide after taking
an apparent turn for the better. Theories for this included 1) that
when people are deeply depressed, they don't do much of anything,
like prepare for suicide, and 2) the turn in mood is an outward
symptom of the resolve to end it all, which provokes a kind of relief.

Doug