Jezebel: Suicide

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

Megan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:45:00 EDT

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]

Yes, it's tasteless.

How Many Kids Have To Die Before Bullying Is Taken Seriously?

Dodai — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EDT

From the Megan Meier case to the cheerleader beatdown, it seems like bullying has gotten out of control. A new report out of Japan reveals that there are over 38,000 unofficial middle and high school web sites not overseen by the schools and half contain hateful messages. 40% have sexual slang and 25% display violent words like "drop dead" and "i'll kill you." It's just talk, right? They're just kids! You said — and heard worse things when you were their age. But consider the 18-year-old boy whose classmates posted a nude photo of him on one of these unofficial school sites. To add insult to injury, they sent him e-mails demanding money — blackmailing him. The teen dealt with the problem by leaping to his death at school.

Here in the US, a 12-year-old Brooklyn girl tied a belt around her neck and hung herself in her closet last week. Maria Herrera's mother claims that kids at school would "harass her, curse at her, call her 'train tracks' because she had braces" and "cut her hair." At Maria Hererra's memorial, classmates left notes that read "I am sorry" and "We won't bother you." Maria's mother says she went to the school to complain about the bullying and nothing was done.

In the UK, teachers have been instructed to crack down on bullying, manipulation and vicious behavior. But here in New York state, anti-bullying legislation has been proposed, but not passed.

Bullying is not new, but suddenly, we're living in a world where everyone's a critic. Cutting other people down is commonplace, a sport — from TV shows like America's Next Top Model and American Idol to blogs, MySpace and Facebook. Vicious words have always been present in school settings, but when we're in a society that seems to thrive on schadenfreude, how can kids feel like anyone gives a damn?

Cyber Bullying Common In Japan School Web Sites: Study [Reuters]
Bullies Blamed For Pre-Teen's Suicide [Gothamist]

Earlier: The Meanest Girls At School Are Often The Most Popular
Girl-On-Girl Crime: Schools Step In
If You Can Handle A Really Depressing Teen Suicide Story Right Now...

Bjork Feels Bad For China; Hair Dye Equals Death

maria — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:20:00 EDT

• 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

Dodai — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:20:00 EDT

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 Mail: Cohabitation Makes Women Want To Kill Themselves

Jessica — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:30:00 EST

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.

But that's not the only singleton news out of England this morning. A report has shown that abortions are more likely among the young and unwed. The Office for National Statistics says that while seven percent of pregnancies among married women are terminated, 35% of pregnancies among single women end in abortion. Additionally, "Women under the age of 20 were most likely to end their pregnancy, with 41.9 per cent ending in termination in 2006," according to the Telegraph. Not that any of this is really shocking news, but if the Daily Mail were writing this article, they'd probably be shaming all those slutty unwed mamas for having premarital sex.

A third story from the Telegraph manages to entwine both the abortion and the suicide statistics. Emma Beck, an artist with a history of depression and anxiety, killed herself after aborting twins. Beck had recently broken up with her boyfriend, "Ben," because he had "reacted badly" to the pregnancy, according to the Telegraph. There was no counselor on duty after Emma terminated her pregnancy, according to her mother, Sylvia, who requested an inquest into the hospital. The doctor who performed the abortion said, "She had a long history of anxiety and depression. Despite my best efforts, she was not willing to see a counselor after the termination." Considering her mental state, Emma was probably not in the ideal position to become a mother — which has nothing really to do with the fact that she was unmarried.

Oh, and by the way: it's Leap Day, traditionally known as the one day out of the year women are supposed to propose to men. So get crackin' on those proposals, so you don't end up offing yourself! Happy February 29th, y'all!

Being Unmarried 'Makes A Woman A Higher Suicide Risk' [Daily Mail]
Abortions More Likely Among Young And Unwed [Telegraph]
Artist Hanged Herself After Aborting Her Twins [Telegraph]
There's No Good Time To Leap Into Marriage With Mr. Good Enough [Seattle P-I]

"90 Day Jane" Refuses To Justify Her Enormous Internet Joke

Jessica — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST

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."

The site, of course, is no longer available, but, in an email to Los Angeles Times writer David Sarno, the elusive Jane, who is choosing to remain anonymous, explains her project thusly: " I attempted to create something as an artist, public perception changed that creation and so I killed it before it got out of hand. In my opinion it became much more interesting as a social experiment, but I couldn't fool myself into justifying it in that way; I'm not a sociologist."

And she shouldn't have been able to justify it, because the fact is that, art project or not, creating that site was a pretty shitty thing to do. As Sarno points out, "There is a kind of Internet suicide culture. Not of kids pretending they're going to kill themselves but for sometimes extremely depressed people who have nowhere else to go to get support. Not to mention meeting places for bereaved friends and families of suicides." Or maybe Jane should have asked Megan Meier's parents how they felt about it. Or possibly the many teens who committed suicide using the social network bebo.

Ultimately, the site was just a manipulative game that spun out of control. "People don't get to choose how the public perceives them and they can spend a lot of time and money trying to change that perception," Jane wrote to Sarno. "By keeping my identity away from 90DayJane, I get to skip all of that." And this is why the 90DayJane stunt is an allegory for internet culture as a whole: the most vile shades of human nature are in evidence on the internet because they're allowed to remain anonymous.

90dayjane's Cry For Attention [Los Angeles Times]
90dayjane And Me [Los Angeles Times]

Annals of Anorexia

Jennifer — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:45:00 EST

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 ...

dodai — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:45:00 EST

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 ...

Jennifer — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:45:00 EST

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]

Audrina Balks Trend, Hearts J.B.'s Belching

amparry — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:30:00 EDT

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]

An increasing number of Asian women are committing suicide in the London neighborhood of Southall by jumping onto train tracks. A women's organization attributes the rise in suicide to domestic violence within the community. [Times of London]
Two Saudi women told the religious police to talk to the hand when the officers said they were inappropriately-dressed. Of course they were arrested (because that's what happens in Saudi Arabia when women dare to talk back). We hope they threw in two snaps and a circle, for good measure. [BoingBoing]
Feministing cuts America's Next Top Racist a break, which is nice of them. We still think Adrienne Curry is a useless, bigoted fucktard, though. [Feministing]
We can't believe this is even up for debate, but the US Court of Appeals is currently hearing testimony as to whether the state of Missouri can deny incarcerated women the right to timely and safe abortions. Bitch robbed a bank, let's punish her with an unwanted baby. [Ms.]
The Acting Surgeon General appointed by President Bush is a hard-core emergency contraception opponent. Big fucking shocker. [Ms.]
Pervy Polygamist Warren Jeffs was convicted as an accomplice to rape. Guess we know what's going to happen on Big Love next season! [NY Times]
A long-term study has found that women who take the breast cancer drug Herceptin triple their chances of survival. Hmm, what are the chances our shitty health care insurance companies cover this wonder drug? [Daily Mail]
Researchers have discovered 350 genes linked to female fertility which may help them figure out the mysteries of infertility. Biggest head-scratcher: Why is it that so many women who really want babies have a hard time (like Nicole Kidman!) but women who are completely devoid of a natural inclination to parent (like Brit) turn 'em out like flapjacks? [Science Daily]

Bill Clinton: Come Write With Us

Jennifer — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:35:41 EDT

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]

The story about the Chinese dumplings stuffed with cardboard instead of pork? Not so true! And our theories that Bush has it out for China are further confirmed. [CNN]
Which is maybe because the Chinese economy is booming? [NYT]
Mijovi is an energy drink. Bon Jovi is a musician. The latter thinks the former stole his name. We laugh at both. [USA Today]
Do not ever, ever put the words "Kelly Clarkson" and "suicide" in the same sentence, haters. We momentarily stopped breathing. [ABC News]
Jude Law's a lover not a fighter. Uh yeah, tell us something that his nanny, Sienna Miller, and his ex-wife don't already know. [E!]
9 U.S. casualty reports today pending DoD confirmation. [Iraq Coalition Casualties]

Al Gore Not Running For President, Son In Rehab: Coincidence? We Think Not

Jennifer — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:15:28 EDT

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]

Our mother always told us that swimming pools were scary places. And just now had we mustered up the strength to buy our first-ever bathing suit in attempt to get over our fears. Then we read this. Bathing suit: Now in a drawer forever. [ABCNews]
MTV has ordered a 4th season of Laguna Beach. What's that sound? Oh yes, our souls shattering. [Star]
Good news for Russia: You're all over the runways! Bad news for Russia: It's looking more and more like you poison your own kind. [NYT]
DailyCandy-ites rejoice: Sex and the City: The Movie is going to happen, at last. [E!]
6 U.S. casualties identified. [DoD]

Would You Like Some Despair With Your Diet?

Anna — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:36:17 EDT

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]