Suicidal? Don’t Throw Away Your Shot

By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. 
~ 3 min read

One of the most famous lines from the hit Broadway musical comes from the song, “My Shot” by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In it, Alexander Hamilton acknowledges he comes from a very different background than most Americans at the time. That his real only value to the world lies in his youth, scrappiness, hungriness to make his mark, and his brains.

“I am not throwing away my shot.” Although death eventually takes Hamilton, as it does with each of us, he recognizes that he has only one life to give in order to make his contributions count toward the American Revolution. While I’m not sure he was ever suicidal, there were times he probably ought to have been.

These lyrics inspired by Hamilton’s story can also act as an inspiration to those contemplating suicide.

We’ve all been in a place where our lives were seemingly full of nothing but pain. While not all of us have contemplated suicide, more have done so than you’d think have. Probably at least one of your closest friends has thought about it, maybe even seriously.

The problem with suicide is that we think of it as a perfectly reasonable option to our seemingly hopeless situation. But that’s really our brain tricking us and offering us a solution that’s really no solution at all. A very permanent solution to a relatively temporary feeling.

Later in the same song, Hamilton also speaks of thinking of his own inevitable death:

I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory
When’s it gonna get me?
In my sleep? Seven feet ahead of me?
If I see it comin’, do I run or do I let it be?
Is it like a beat without a melody?
See, I never thought I’d live past twenty
Where I come from some get half as many
Ask anybody why we livin’ fast and we laugh, reach for a flask
We have to make this moment last, that’s plenty

We need to make this moment last, because we get so few of them on this planet. Sure, you can throw away your shot by choosing suicide over life. But in doing so, you’re also throwing away all of your potential of things that may be — that still could be — if only you could get through the next minute. The next hour. The next day.

All of that, just for a passing moment, a feeling that came on you, but one that can also leave just as quickly.

I don’t look at people who contemplate taking their own lives as being weak. I think they are being strong — some of the strongest people I’ve ever known.

But turning away from suicide? That’s real bravery that takes an inner strength not everyone has. Most people are never tested to the core of their depths like those who’ve thought seriously about suicide have. People who’ve thought about suicide and lived to tell about it — those people are my heroes.

Hamilton had little chance to make his mark on this planet. He was born on a Caribbean island with no formal schooling until he went to America to change his future chances by going to school and getting an education. I’m certain that this man felt many dark days in his life, as his life was torn apart by circumstances and his own poor choices in judgment.

And yet… He turned out to be one of the Founding Fathers of America. Without Hamilton’s advice, counsel, and leadership, it’s likely we’d be a very different nation than we are today (for the worse).

He resolved not to throw away his shot, despite his many chances to fade into the background when things got heated and his own honor was at stake. He didn’t choose suicide, he chose to continue living, to face the darkness head on, and to make the best of more than one really bad situation.

You can too. You always had that choice. You can either choose to throw away your shot and let the next person in line take your place in doing all the awesome, wonderful things you will still do one day… Or you can resolve not to throw away your shot. To stay with us one more day. To reach out to someone — anyone — and let them know you’re hurting and you’re in need of help.

Please, don’t throw away your shot.

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Information & Treatment Introduction

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized in the brain by abnormal clumps (amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (neurofibrillary tangles) composed of misplaced proteins. Age is the most important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. Three genes have been discovered that cause early onset (or family) Alzheimer's. Other genetic mutations that cause excessive accumulation of amyloid protein are associated with age-related (sporadic) Alzheimer's.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include memory loss, language deterioration, impaired ability to mentally manipulate visual information, poor judgment, confusion, restlessness, and mood swings. Eventually Alzheimer's destroys cognition, personality, and the ability to function. The early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which include forgetfulness and loss of concentration, are often missed because they resemble natural signs of aging.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the development of multiple cognitive deficits manifested by:

• Memory impairment (impaired ability to learn new information or to recall previously learned information)
• And one (or more) of the following cognitive disturbances:
  • Deterioration of language may be manifested by difficulty producing the names of individuals and objects (aphasia)
  • An impaired ability to carry out motor activities (such as combing their hair) despite intact motor abilities, sensory function and comprehension of the required task (apraxia)
  • A failure to recognize or identify objects despite intact sensory function (agnosia)
  • A disturbance in executive functioning (e.g., planning, organizing, sequencing, abstracting)

The cognitive deficits above each cause significant impairment in social or occupational functioning and represent a significant decline from a previous level of functioning. The course is characterized by gradual onset and continuing cognitive decline. The deficits do not occur exclusively during the course of a delirium.
The cognitive deficits above are not due to any of the following:

• Other central nervous system conditions that cause progressive deficits in memory and cognition (e.g., cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, subdural hematoma, normal-pressure hydrocephalus, brain tumor)
• Systemic conditions that are known to cause dementia (e.g., hypothyroidism, vitamin B-12 or folic acid deficiency, niacin deficiency, hypercalcemia, neurosyphilis, HIV infection)
• substance-induced conditions 

Causes of Alzheimer's

Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer's disease. There probably is not one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently. Age is the most important known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.
Family history is another risk factor. Scientists believe that genetics may play a role in many Alzheimer's disease cases. For example, familial Alzheimer's disease, a rare form of Alzheimer's disease that usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 60, can be inherited. However, in the more common form of Alzheimer's disease, which occurs later in life, no obvious family pattern is seen. One risk factor for this type of Alzheimer's disease is a protein called apolipoprotein E (apoE).
Everyone has apoE, which helps carry cholesterol in the blood. The apoE gene has three forms. One seems to protect a person from Alzheimer's disease, and another seems to make a person more likely to develop the disease. Other genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease or that protect against Alzheimer's disease probably remain to be discovered.
Scientists still need to learn a lot more about what causes Alzheimer's disease. In addition to genetics and apoE, they are studying education, diet, environment, and viruses to learn what role they might play in the development of this disease.



 
 
 

Behaviour changes offer clues that dementia could be brewing

Memory loss may not always be the first warning sign that dementia is brewing — changes in behavior or personality might be an early clue.

Researchers on Sunday outlined a syndrome called "mild behavioral impairment" that may be a harbinger of Alzheimer's or other dementias, and proposed a checklist of symptoms to alert doctors and families.

Losing interest in favorite activities? Getting unusually anxious, aggressive or suspicious? Suddenly making crude comments in public?

"Historically those symptoms have been written off as a psychiatric issue, or as just part of aging," said Dr. Zahinoor Ismail of the University of Calgary, who presented the checklist at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto.

Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, affects more than 5 million people in the U.S., a number growing as the population ages. It gradually strips people of their memory and the ability to think and reason.

But it creeps up, quietly ravaging the brain a decade or two before the first symptoms become noticeable. Early memory problems called "mild cognitive impairment," or MCI, can raise the risk of later developing dementia, and worsening memory often is the trigger for potential patients or their loved ones to seek medical help.

It's not uncommon for people with dementia to experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, too — problems such as depression or "sundowning," agitation that occurs at the end of the day — as the degeneration spreads into brain regions responsible for more than memory. And previous studies have found that people with mild cognitive impairment are at greater risk of decline if they also suffer more subtle behavioral symptoms.

What's new: The concept of pre-dementia "mild behavioral impairment," or MBI, a term that describes specific changes in someone's prior behavior that might signal degeneration is starting in brain regions not as crucial for memory, he said.

Ismail is part of an Alzheimer's Association committee tapped to draft a checklist of the symptoms that qualify — new problems that linger at least six months, not temporary symptoms or ones explained by a clear mental health diagnosis or other issues such as bereavement, he stressed. They include apathy, anxiety about once routine events, loss of impulse control, flaunting social norms, loss of interest in food. He even cites extreme cases, like a 68-year-old who started using cocaine before anyone noticed her memory trouble.

If validated, the checklist could help doctors better identify people at risk of brewing Alzheimer's and study changes over time. "It's important for us to recognize that not everything's forgetfulness," said Dr. Ron Petersen, the Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's research chief. He wasn't involved in developing the behavior checklist but said it could raise awareness of the neuropsychiatric link with dementia.

Technology specialist Mike Belleville of Douglas, Massachusetts, thought stress was to blame when he found himself getting easily frustrated and angry. Normally patient, he began snapping at co-workers and rolling down his window to yell at other drivers, "things I'd never done before," Belleville said. The final red flag was a heated argument with his wife, Cheryl, who found herself wondering, "Who is this person?" When Mike Belleville didn't remember the strong words the next morning, the two headed straight for a doctor. Physicians tested for depression and a list of other suspects. Eventually Belleville, now 55, was diagnosed with an early-onset form of dementia — and with medication no longer gets angry so easily, allowing him to volunteer his computer expertise.

"If you see changes, don't take it lightly and assume it's stress," Cheryl Belleville advised.

— Complex jobs that require working with people may help the brain build resilience against dementia, what's called "cognitive reserve," University of Wisconsin researchers reported.

The team tested 284 adults in late middle-age whose brain scans showed changes that have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's. Comparing their cognitive ability and their careers, the researchers found those who worked primarily with people, rather than objects or data, functioned better even if brain scans showed more of that quiet damage.

— Preliminary results from a study of "brain training" suggested one type might help delay cognitive impairment.

Researchers examined records from 2,785 older adults who'd participated in a previous trial that compared three cognitive training strategies — to improve memory, reasoning or reaction times —with no intervention. A decade later, that reaction-time training suggested benefit: 12 percent of people who'd completed up to 10 hours had evidence of cognitive decline or dementia compared with 14 percent in the control group, said Dr. Jerri Edwards of the University of South Florida. The figure was lower — 8 percent — for people who got some extra booster training.

"It's the first hint for a cognitive training intervention like this," but more research is needed, said Dr. Jonathan King of the National Institute on Aging, who wasn't involved in the new study.

Article courtesy of LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article91599662.html#storylink=cpy

Questions to Ask If Someone You Know Expresses Suicidal Ideation

 It is possible many of us may come in contact with a friend or family member seized by their worst day, and they may express to us their suicidal ideations (thoughts). The following are questions we can use to engage, assess, and determine a course of action.
1. DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?
Assuming a loved one has already expressed to us a suicidal ideation, the above is a logical follow-up question, the answer to which denotes differences between contemplation and intent. A person who verbalizes a plan is further along in the suicide process. We do not always consider suicide a process, but it is. Depending on said plan, subsequent questions posed could be, How do you intend to do it?Do you have the medications/poison in the house? These questions are part of a dialogue necessary to keep a person engaged and connected, and to compile crucial information to pass along to emergency services should a call be made. (Suicide help lines in Kenya; Samaritan Kenya 0707633692)

2. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS?

The purpose of this question is to establish hope for the future. Every person who completes an intentional suicide does so because he/she has lost hope for the future. When a patient to whom I have asked the above question tells me he has no future, or all she sees is black, I am alerted to profound hopelessness, and you will be too. Other patients have expressed hope to attain desirable jobs, college degrees, or love. Those answers tell me a person sees a potential end to his depression. An expressed suicidal ideation is never to be taken lightly, but there clues as to who is more likely to make an attempt, or even complete one.

3. HAS ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY COMPLETED A SUICIDE?

The answer to this question establishes a potential genetic predisposition to suicide, and if such a link exists, there is a greater chance your loved one is at high risk for attempted or completed suicide. If your family member expresses suicidal ideation, you might know the answer to the question, but if it is your friend, you will want to gain as much information as possible in the event you are on site during a mobile crisis community outreach, or accompany your friend to an emergency room. This is information a psychiatrist and psychiatric screener will find valuable when determining treatment disposition. It is important to ask these questions in the flow of a natural dialogue, and not to sound as though an interview is being conducted.

4. WOULD YOU STILL WANT TO DIE IF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGED?

I used this question often when assessing prisoners whose arrests and sentences caused acute suicidality. The answer helps determine presence of endogenous (biochemical) or exogenous (circumstantial) depression. If a loved one tells you she would want to live if she found a new job, wealth, or love, the possibility for recovery increases, and it is possible she would benefit from therapy to develop coping skills or initiate life change. However, if a person tells you life is pointless even under optimal conditions; hospitalization may be the more appropriate course of action. 

5. DO YOU WANT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL?

This question determines your course of action. If your loved one expresses suicidality, and agrees to visit an emergency room, you might want to accompany her for support, and be of assistance by providing all information gathered in your collateral role. However, if you are convinced self-harm is imminent, and your loved one refuses to go to the hospital, Suicide help lines in Kenya; Samaritan Kenya 0707633692 is your only option. If you can keep the person attended while the call is made, the process is easier. If the person leaves your company, alert 999 of potential danger, and provide your loved one’s address, and all the information you accrued. There is no room for guilt in this situation. Let professionals decide course of treatment as you rest on the knowledge you acted in good faith. If you call 999, you lose nothing. If you do not, you may lose a loved one.

Those are among the questions that are most effective in determining severity of intent, and remember no expression of suicidality is to be underestimated. Remember, you may be in the presence of a person during her worst day. Although it may feel helpful to use phrases such as I’ve been there or Things could be worse, they are not as helpful as a simple acknowledgement and validation of your person’s pain. Someone contemplating suicide does not believe things could be worse, nor does he care about your lowest point. The important thing is to remain connected, gather information, and have the phone number where you can get psychiatric/counselling help. Doing so may place you in a position of saving someone’s life.
Article courtesy of Vincent Fitzgerald, Huffington post, with a few edits to localise the content

Cholesterol

Cholesterol isn't entirely the health villain it's made out to be, its name darkly linked to heart attack, stroke, and other types of cardiovascular disease. Our bodies need cholesterol, which is a type of lipid (another name for fat) to make cell membranes, key hormones like testosterone and estrogen, the bile acids needed to digest and absorb fats, and vitamin D. Cholesterol is so important to the body that the liver and intestines make it from scratch.

 What is "bad" about cholesterol isn't the substance itself — in fact, we can't live without it — but how much of it is in the bloodstream.

The body packages cholesterol in two main particles: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol. Too much LDL in the bloodstream helps create the harmful cholesterol-filled plaques that grow inside arteries. Such plaques are responsible for angina (chest pain with exertion or stress), heart attacks, and most types of stroke.

What causes a person's LDL level to be high? Most of the time diet is the key culprit. Eating foods rich in saturated fats, trans fats, and easily digested carbohydrates boost LDL. Genes are sometimes at the root of high cholesterol, and some medications can boost LDL.

If you have high cholesterol, making changes in your diet can help bring it down into the healthy range. Exercise can help boost the level of protective HDL. Several types of medication, notably the family of drugs known as statins, can powerfully lower LDL. Depending on your cardiovascular health, your doctor may recommend taking a statin.

What’s the Connection between Cholesterol and Mental Health?

It has long been known that total cholesterol levels are consistently lower in severely depressed patients. Since the 1980s, when national attention began to focus on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease with statins, there have been growing concerns that chronic cholesterol depletion may actually increase noncardiovascular deaths by suicide and violence-related deaths.

Article by
http://www.health.harvard.edu/