LPGA Player Erica Blasberg Found Dead at 25

[Slammin' Sam]

Amen. I've known quite a few people to commit suicide. Usually they had some mental problem. It's a complex issue, not something you can just trivialize.

My nephew took his life a few days after Thanksgiving, 2007. He suffered from schizophrenia and unbeknownst to anyone had gone off his meds. I can assure you my brother and his wife don't think he took "the coward's way out"...and neither do I.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Sad and tragic. If you have a friend or family that commits suicide IT IS YOUR FAULT IMO. There are too many resources for this to be able to happen. Just educate yourself and learn to read the warning signs. The moment leading up to act act of suicide is a slow burn. It is 100% preventable if family or close friends intervene.

[jallen100]

I watched this on the golf channel last night. They played the 911 call from the DR. They are saying the Dr. and her had an inapropriate relationship and they are in fact ruling it suicide. They arrested the Dr. for obstruction of justice.

On a side note, a co-worker of mine's husband killed himself in front of her around Christmas last year. He called he in to the room and said to her "This is because of you" and shot himself in the head.

Regardless of the situation any loss of life is just plain tragic.

[Fat Slice]

Also, it's known that certain anti-depressants (and acne medicines, etc.) can bring on suidical thoughts in some people. If the doc was feeding her Xanax (as has been written), that's one of the ones known to have that as a side effect.

[sean_miller]

On a side note . . .

That's quite a side note - wish I hadn't opened up this thread again.

[zeg]

Sad and tragic. If you have a friend or family that commits suicide

Absolute, 100%, utter, complete bullshit. You have no idea what you're talking about.

[Shorty]

Sad and tragic. If you have a friend or family that commits suicide

Shame on you for posting this ignorant trash. Firstly, there frequently are no warning signs at all. You can't intervene when you don't know that there is a problem. What f*&*ing resources are you talking about? The path to suicide is rarely a "slow burn" and for you to say that IT IS THE FAULT (in bold) of family and friends if it happens and 100% preventable implies a degree of naivity and inexperience that beggars belief. Be glad that you are inexperienced in these matters. "Educate yourself" - for crying out loud?

Also, if someone really wants to commit suicide, they will, without intervention. Many people on this board will attest to the fact. There's a difference between looking out for friends' and family's welfare and blaming yourself. Are you suggesting that this poor girl's parents and friends are to blame? I think you are. They clearly had no idea. People who decide to commit suicide are frequently at peace and quite cheerful in the days/weeks leading up to it.

[Shanks A Million]

Absolute, 100%, utter, complete bullshit. You have no idea what you're talking about.

Shame on you for posting this ignorant trash. Firstly, there frequently are no warning signs at all. You can't intervene when you don't know that there is a problem. What f*&*ing resources are you talking about? The path to suicide is rarely a "slow burn" and for you to say that IT IS THE FAULT (in bold) of family and friends if it happens and 100% preventable implies a degree of naivity and inexperience that beggars belief. Be glad that you are inexperienced in these matters. "Educate yourself" - for crying out loud?

Times like this you can really tell he's from

New Jersey.

On a side note, a co-worker of mine's husband killed himself in front of her around Christmas last year. He called he in to the room and said to her "This is because of you" and shot himself in the head.

Suicides can often be a final act, a chance to speak out in a way that can never be rebuffed. Famously, Christime Chubbuck and Buddy Dwyer killed themselves in such a way. Chubrick was a news anchor who killed herself live on the air. Dwyer a politician who killed himself during a press conference.

My nephew took his life a few days after Thanksgiving, 2007. He suffered from schizophrenia and unbeknownst to anyone had gone off his meds. I can assure you my brother and his wife don't think he took "the coward's way out"...and neither do I.

I'm so sorry to hear about that. I know how that is. My cousin's ex husband, still a close family friend, killed himself around the same time, but nearer Christmas. He had suffered from depression and mental illness as well.

[max power]

Sad and tragic. If you have a friend or family that commits suicide

The statement that suicide is 100% preventable is 100% false. I'm appalled that you would write that here after people have shared stories of friends and loved ones who have ended their own lives.

[DavidFehertysBike]

The statement that suicide is 100% preventable is 100% false. I'm appalled that you would write that here after people have shared stories of friends and loved ones who have ended their own lives.

Suicides are 100% preventable if loved ones act and give hope. If you don't believe me, then thats your prerogative. But dont get pious. I know from experience that intervention prevents suicides.

[Shanks A Million]

Suicides are 100% preventable if loved ones act and give hope. If you don't believe me, then thats your prerogative. But dont get pious. I know from experience that intervention prevents suicides.

Then you've been lucky. But suicide is not a science, you can't predict who will do it. Psychologists with degrees from the best schools in the world have trouble determining who is and isn't suicidal, even in their own families. Suicides are generally so misrepresented in movies and TV, most people still believe the victim leaves a note, but notes are more of an exception, occuring in less than 1 in 5 suicides.

Indeed, who knows why people do what they do, and we can't predict it.

[Slammin' Sam]

Suicides are 100% preventable if loved ones act and give hope. If you don't believe me, then thats your prerogative. But dont get pious. I know from experience that intervention prevents suicides.

Actually, no. A determined person will find a way to end his or her life despite the intervention of others. I also know from experience and I believe several others here do as well.

[Slammin' Sam]

Thanks Shanks...and sorry to hear of your cousin's ex as well.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Actually, no. A determined person will find a way to end his or her life despite the intervention of others. I also know from experience.

There is plenty of training available that teaches you to detect the warning signs. Its just like anything else. You just have to be proactive in the way you go about it.

[sonicblue]

Suicides are 100% preventable if loved ones act and give hope. If you don't believe me, then thats your prerogative. But dont get pious. I know from experience that intervention prevents suicides.

A friend of mine from high school, who had numerous close long-time friends, and an awesome, supportive, close immediate family, threw himself off a bridge after telling his mom he was going for a run. I don't know you, and I've read some good posts by you, and I don't know what your background history is to make you say something like it, but it's a f**king arrogant thing to blame the people around him for it.

Has AN intervention prevented A suicide at some point, absolutely. I question whether the person who was 'headed off' was really serious, though; giving people even a chance to intervene normally implies you're not real gung-ho on it. Not to mention, a ZILLION people are sad and down and dejected all the time, and none of them are going to head-butt a train as a result. When friends step in for those cases and take a buddy out for the night to cheer him up or whatever, doesn't mean they prevented a suicide. Just like, when someone doesn't step in to 'cheer up a sad friend,' it doesn't mean they missed all signs and are responsible for a subsequent suicide. If you watch Dwyer's thing, you could see the fear in his eyes when people showed that they may try to stop him. He stopped what appeared to be a bunch of prepared comments and just blew his head off. That's messed up, and defies all logic, thinking, rationalization, whatever.

There is plenty of training available that teaches you to detect the warning signs. Its just like anything else. You just have to be proactive in the way you go about it.

So everyone in the world should go get suicide-prevention-specific training? Is it a weekend workshop??? C'mon, really???

[kpaulhus]

I hate the fact that, forever, you will be able to type my name into Google, and a story about a fellow HS football players suicide appears.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/23/Ta...a_shock_.shtml

6'7 JR 250lbs. Had a whole year left of school. I remember coming into the locker room and his 2X3 locket was filled half way with letters from D1 schools. Nobody saw it coming. His mom dropped him off at home after they got groceries. She went back to the store because she forgot the milk. He took the "antique" 22 cal rifle down from above the fire place and shot himself in the back yard. Nobody knew the gun would still work.

Sad story to come back to school on Monday and hear the news.

[Slammin' Sam]

There is plenty of training available that teaches you to detect the warning signs. Its just like anything else. You just have to be proactive in the way you go about it.

Sorry, but I have to concur with Shanks a Million on this issue. The "warning signs" are not always so obvious and in those situations it's impossible to be proactive. I can think of one case in my life that there were no signs whatsoever. Sonicblue and a few others also brought up Bud Dwyer's suicide, which is another good example of the unpredictability of suicide. I've seen the video of it several times (very disturbing) and I defy anyone to tell me that they saw that one coming.

I agree with the premise that many suicides can be prevented by learning to see the warning signs and initiating appropriate intervention, but your claim that ALL suicides can be prevented is simply not correct.

[sean_miller]

There is plenty of training available that teaches you to detect the warning signs. Its just like anything else. You just have to be proactive in the way you go about it.

Where'd you get this 100% infallible training? A lot of lives coulda been saved over the years with your gift.