Posted by Kurt Smith, MFT, AFC on Sat, May 19, 2012
Let's talk about what suicide in men looks like. I had a client last week take some sleeping medication and then follow that up by drinking a bottle of gin (the large handle kind). He claims he wasn't trying to kill himself. Nevertheless, this is what suicide in men often looks like.
He ended up in the emergency room with his blood alcohol content over 5x the legal limit (+.40), his liver and kidneys shutting down, and doctors saying he could die.
Not all suicide in men is violent, like by gunshot. I've had a number of men I've worked with over the years, intentionally or unintentionally, consumer alcohol or medication, or both, and nearly kill themselves.
The guy above survived. He still insists it wasn't his intent to kill himself. Nonetheless, his wife and kids could have been attending a funeral last week rather than sitting in my office talking about his poor choice of how to cope with what he was feeling.
Everyone who follows the NFL knows Junior Seau -- one of the toughest guys to play the game. Sadly, 2 weeks ago he became another example of suicide men when he put a gun to his chest and killed himself.
Here’s what a couple of ex-NFL players had to say about Seau, suicide and men:
"One of the baddest dudes may have just killed himself ... Yeah, y'all real tough. Life after football is REAL ... grown ass men struggle emotionally ... young boys don't see the end ... it's coming. Life lesson today. RIP Seau," said former Saints and Browns offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley on Twitter after Seau's body was found. (Violent Sport Has Its Day of Reckoning)
"This notion of why he didn't seek help was real simple. He was too proud. He didn't have the mindset to seek help because all you're taught when you're playing football is to not show weakness. You have to feel like you're an invincible human being to play the game." Gary Plummer, former teammate of Seau. (Tragedies of the 1994 Chargers)
Suicide and men comes in many forms, but all share some common characteristics:
- Typically Silent, often unknown until it's too late;
- Driven by Pride and Shame which create an unwillingness to be seen as weak in acknowledging feelings and in asking for help in how to deal with them;
- Response to Emotions that men don't know how to handle, so they check out.
Guys, listen to what LeCharles said above, "grown ass men struggle emotionally." It’s normal -- and many of us men need counseling to learn how to handle these emotions. I've had to do it, and so have many other guys who are better off for being strong and asking for help. Suicide in men doesn't end the pain; it just puts it on other people.
Suicide Men Resources