Jezebel
kids today
Posts Tagged “
Suicide
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So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
Twenty-six dolphins died this week in an apparent mass suicide attempt in England, while others were led back out to sea by volunteers. A zoological pathologist examining the animals has determined that "The dolphins had swallowed and inhaled big chunks of mud from the estuary. Their lungs and stomachs were full of it." While there is no explanation yet for the mass killing, some have suggested it was due to Royal Navy submarine exercises in the area, a killer whale or infection. Douglas Adams' explanation, however, is after the jump. [The Guardian]
kids today
leftovers
Bjork Feels Bad For China; Hair Dye Equals Death
• Bjork feels sorry for China. You know, over all that Tibet stuff. • Italian porn star runs for office, promises to create "cute" red light district. • H.S. teacher resigns after being outed as madam. • Macho, alcoholic men have trouble dealing with serious injuries. • Gabrielle Union sues Craigslist pranksters over faux ad. • India bans sale of cheap hair dye after farmers use it to commit suicide. • Uterine fibroids can now be treated with a non-invasive ultrasound. • Australians engage in wife-carrying competitions. • Hayden says: Sexual harassment is wrong, even if it makes you "feel good."
Skin Deep
A man was sentenced to two years in jail for driving his wife to suicide by calling her "black." This was in India, where, as previously reported, fair skin is highly deisired, and where being called dark is "worse than physical torture," according to the court. In the case, Syed Fathima was so distressed after two months of marriage to Farook Batcha (two months of constant fighting, and of him calling her too dark) that she put an end to the marriage — and her life — by pouring kerosene over her head and setting herself on fire. Just a note to the people who don't think it's a big deal when fashion designers refuse to use black models: It's all related, and it's global. [The Times Of India]
daily (hate) mail
Daily Mail: Cohabitation Makes Women Want To Kill Themselves
The British tabloid we love to hate has taken a story about rising suicide rates among single women and turned it into a treatise against cohabitation. The Government's Office for National Statistics in England released a report showing that women who are not married kill themselves at three times the rate of women who are hitched, a major increase since 1980. The Daily Mail then states, "The major difference in the lives of women since the early 1980s is the spread of unmarried cohabitation and the decline in marriage," and quotes an "expert" named Patricia Morgan, author of a study called "Marriage Lite," who says, "Cohabitation is a route to conflict, disappointment and unhappiness." Hey Daily Mail, correlation between the rise of cohabitation and single ladies offing themselves does not equal causation, OK? Leave it to the DM to turn an unbiased study into a way to shame those living in sin. More »
jane's addiction
"90 Day Jane" Refuses To Justify Her Enormous Internet Joke
The story of 90DayJane, like the Britney period shots, is supposed to illustrate the seedy, soulless depths of the aughts' virtual culture. For those not familiar with it, on February 5, "90dayjane," a twenty-something pretty brunette resident of Los Angeles, put up a website on which she claimed she would off herself in 90 days. "This blog is not a cry for help," said Jane. "I'm not depressed and nothing extremely horrible has lead me to this decision. But, does it really have to?" Her site, naturally, became a sensation. Hundreds of thousands read it, and their comments, like those found within any other unregulated corner of the internet, were mostly appalling. "Post nudes first," one commenter advised. Then last week, the person behind 90 Day Jane killed the site — not herself — and told the world that the website had been a hoax — a "personal art piece" and that "It was meant for me and (what I ignorantly thought would be) a small number of people." More »
Annals of Anorexia
Anorexia not only plagues the person suffering from it, but those around them. This relity was played out most tragically in the case of Dubliner Lynn Gibbs and her daughter Ciara. Ciara was diagnosed with anorexia in 2006 and her mother Lynn, a psychiatrist, became increasingly depressed herself as her daughter's condition worsened. And then, on November 26, believing that Ciara would never recover from her anorexia, Gibbs drowned her 16-year old daughter in the bathtub and then attempted to kill herself. (She failed.) Gibbs, who suffered from both anorexia herself, told a court: "I believed there was no hope for Ciara or myself. I planned that we'd both die." At her trial, her husband could only say, "She loved Ciara." [Daily Mail]
Anorexia not only plagues the person suffering from it, but those around them. This relity was played out most tragically in the case of Dubliner Lynn Gibbs and her daughter Ciara. Ciara was diagnosed with anorexia in 2006 and her mother Lynn, a psychiatrist, became increasingly depressed herself as her daughter's condition worsened. And then, on November 26, believing that Ciara would never recover from her anorexia, Gibbs drowned her 16-year old daughter in the bathtub and then attempted to kill herself. (She failed.) Gibbs, who suffered from both anorexia herself, told a court: "I believed there was no hope for Ciara or myself. I planned that we'd both die." At her trial, her husband could only say, "She loved Ciara." [Daily Mail]
Today's Washington Post has a thorough, intricately-detailed timeline of what happened to Megan Meier, the teenager who took her own life after being pranked on MySpace. (New research shows that the Web can actually help suicidal teens find support; it's sad Megan wasn't one of them.) You may learn things you didn't know: The Meiers and the Drews were once friends and the Drews took Megan on vacation; they were aware she took medication for depression. Megan had ADD and bouts of anxiety; she had been in counseling since third grade. The last paragraph is heartbreaking: "Josh Evans exists now only as a closed FBI file. In a MySpace survey, he said he wore size 13 1/2 shoes, preferred cappuccino to coffee, didn't smoke or take drugs and had never shoplifted. He sometimes swore. He liked girls with long brown hair and said weight didn't matter. The final question asked what things in his past he regretted. The answer was typed in capital letters, a shout from a nonexistent boy in a virtual world. 'NONE,' he said." [Washington Post]
The coroner has spoken: Fashion stylist / Anna Wintour protégé / Alexander McQueen muse Isabella Blow's death this past May was, as suspected a suicide. Blow ingested 20 times the lethal dose of weedkiller, hoping to end her own life after having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. RIP, Izzie. [Guardian]
broadsides
Audrina Balks Trend, Hearts J.B.'s Belching
- When it comes to choosing Mr. Right, women are more interested in a guy with good manners than good looks. Whatever, we like a hottie who can burp the alphabet. Can we get a 'true dat', Audrina? [Daily Express]
- Ninety-five percent of women have "issues" with their period. For women with more than the average "Ugh, you mean I have to run out and spend $6 on tampons again?" annoyance with their cycle — like severe cramps, diarrhea, and suicidal-PMS — CNN offers up the latest treatment methods. [CNN]
- The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence wants water births to be an option for all expectant mothers since they are the safest form of pain-relief during labor. Sidebar! Is birthing a baby in a pool just as funny as farting in a hot tub? Doubt it. [The Independent]
end of days
Bill Clinton: Come Write With Us
- Bill Clinton has begun blogging! Just like us! We wonder if he'll do hungover Friday tomorrow too! [Clinton Foundation]
- We've always really liked Craig Ferguson. Now we have to like him less: He's dating Sharon Stone. Anna's heart just broke. [The Daily Blabber]
- A judge has dismissed Valerie Plame's lawsuit against the White House in regards to leaking her identity while working as an undercover operative for the CIA. [MSNBC]
- Go with us on this: Dinosaurs are sorta like Lindsay Lohan. A slow ascent to power in which they knocked out their other, similar, competitors. And then overnight (literally) crashed and burned. [BBC]
end of days
Al Gore Not Running For President, Son In Rehab: Coincidence? We Think Not
- Al "I'm The Man Who Was Elected President, But Whatever I'm A Movie Star Now" Gore has "fallen out of love" with politics, he says. And thus will not be running for president... again. If this is true, what a drama queen! If this isn't true, what an even bigger drama queen! Simmer down, Al! (And if you need some help with that, we're sure your son has some pills that could help.) [CNN]
- We [heart] brave kittens. Especially when they're better swimmers than we'll ever be. [ABCNews]
- The list of that D.C. madam's hooker-hiring politicians goes public! God, this is going to be more entertaining to watch than an America's Next Top Model. [The Smoking Gun]
- Taking "til death do us part" to a whole other level, a Welsh couple commit joint suicide after finding out that the husband had only a few weeks to live. In their suicide notes, they said they knew they could not live without one another. Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro: You guys are jokes. [Daily Mail UK]
losing it
Would You Like Some Despair With Your Diet?
Isn't the whole "idea" behind weight-loss about increasing self-esteem and happiness in this image-obsessed world? The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a weight-loss drug manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis SA increases the the rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.The FDA reviewed clinical studies of the drug as well as post-marketing reports of the drug from Europe. The agency said the 20-milligram dose of Acomplia "statistically, significantly increased suicidality" compared to placebo or a fake drug.Normally we equate weight-loss as an unintended but secretly-welcomed side-effect of major depression (we get skinny after breakups!) but it looks like things could work the other way around, if Big Pharma has its way. But seriously, what is it with suicide being a side-effect of things that are supposed to make us happy? First antidepressants, now weight-loss? Can some people just not cope with happiness? Or maybe there's a collection of rogue agents determined to bring ruin upon the pharmaceutical industry by infiltrating clinical trials and sacrificing themselves in their happiest and most svelte moments? In which case, we'd totally kind of love that.
Sanofi-Aventis Weight-Loss Drug Increases Suicidality, FDA Says [WSJ]
Related: FDA Urges New Antidepressant Warnings [MSNBC]
