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I was surprised and saddened last week to read of the reported suicide attempt by actor Owen Wilson. Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums are staff favorites here, and we’re definitely hoping and wishing for Wilson’s full recovery. But as I started thinking about the comedy star, and mulling over the constant stress of his profession, it made me realize just how pervasive suicide attempts are among high-profile people. Here are some selected 20th century celebs who attempted suicide, but managed to turn their lives around:
Halle Berry – admitted to Parade magazine that, distraught over her failed marriage to baseball star David Justice, she tried to end her life by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Greg Louganis – depressed, abused and confused, Greg attempted suicide three times (including once by an aspirin-and-Ex Lax combo) after a knee injury at age 12 ruined his dream of becoming an Olympic gymnast. Luckily, he recovered, and made it to the Games as a diver.
James Stockdale – H. Ross Perot’s former running mate attempted suicide while a POW at Hoa Lo Prison in Vietnam in 1969 to avoid torture.
Donna Summer – tried to leap from an 11-story window at a New York hotel at the peak of her career in 1976, but was discovered by a housekeeper.
Drew Carey – after a rough childhood that included sexual molestation by an unknown party and his father’s death, the lovable Price is Right host attempted suicide twice in his teen years.
Mike Wallace – in a 2006 retrospective honoring his retirement as a 60 Minutes correspondent, Wallace revealed a suicide attempt twenty years prior.
Paul Robeson – the “Ol’ Man River” vocalist tried to off himself by slashing his wrists in a Moscow hotel room in 1961, although his son (Paul Jr.) claims the event was caused by a CIA/FBI conspiracy that drugged him with LSD.
Elizabeth Taylor – hoped to end her life in February 1962 with an overdose of Seconal, although she said she did so only because she “needed to get away.”
Fred “Rerun” Berry – the What’s Happening!! star said he tried to kill himself three times prior to finding religion in 1984.
Robert Young – yes, even the Father Knows Best father fell victim to depression later in life, culminating in a 1991 attempt on his own life.
And an alphabetical list of some others:
Maxene Andrews – survived after attempting suicide via a pill overdose in 1954, distraught over the breakup of the vocal group she’d formed with her siblings, The Andrews Sisters.
Adam Ant – tried to OD on pills in his early 20s after breaking up with his girlfriend.
Mary Astor – alcoholism led to a reported suicide attempt in 1951 with sleeping pills; she maintained it was an accident.
Tai Babilonia – attempted suicide after she became addicted to alcohol and amphetamines following her Olympic skating disappointment in 1980.
Drew Barrymore – after leaving drug rehab in 1989 at the age of 14, she tried to kill herself, but received treatment and successfully kicked the habit.
Brigitte Bardot – attempted suicide several times, first as a teenager. At 26, she downed a bottle of sleeping pills and slit her wrists, but recovered. “I took pills because I didn’t want to throw myself off my balcony and know people would photograph me lying dead below.”
Danny Bonaduce – made headlines by attempting suicide in 2005 during the filming of the reality show Breaking Bonaduce after his wife asked him for a divorce. Neither the attempt (nor the subsequent hospitalization) was shown on-screen.
Maria Callas – frustrated with her efforts to lure Aristotle Onassis away from then-wife Jackie Kennedy, she reportedly tried to OD on barbiturates in May 1970 (but later denied the attempt).
Martine Carol – thought that a triple-whammy of alcohol, drugs, and drowning would end her life when this French actress threw herself into the Seine at the age of 26. The cab driver who drove her there ended up saving her life.
Nell Carter – became addicted to cocaine and attempted suicide during the run of her hit TV show Gimme a Break.
Johnny Cash – in 1967, the “man in black” withdrew to a cave just north of Chattanooga, Tennessee, hoping to lose his way (and his life). He found his way out.
Gary Coleman – announced in 1993 that he had tried to commit suicide twice by taking sleeping pills.
Nadia Comaneci – while she denied it for years, the gymnastics legend was so stressed out (due to several factors, including her parents’ divorce) that she tried to end her life by drinking bleach just two years after her 1976 Olympics success.
Sammy Davis, Jr. – the biography Me and My Shadow reveals that a distraught Davis, fed up with cracks about his race, religion, and height, tried to kill himself on his wedding night by driving off a cliff.
Diana, Princess of Wales – told an interviewer that she threw herself down some stairs while pregnant with William, hoping to put an end to her unhappiness.
Walt Disney – the Leonard Mosley biography Disney’s World reveals a rumored suicide attempt.
Micky Dolenz – performed a suicide scene in The Monkees’ 1968 film Head, then tried it for real a few years later after the band had broken up by walking into traffic and sitting down in the roadway.
Patty Duke – bipolar disorder resulted in several attempted suicides during her life.
Eminem – tried to overdose on Tylenol in 1996 after wife Kim Mathers dumped him. She attempted suicide four years later by slitting her wrists.
Marianne Faithfull – attempted suicide in Australia 1969, after which she broke up with boyfriend Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones.
Peter Fonda – in 1950, a few months after his mother committed suicide, the 10-year-old shot himself in the stomach. Claims it was “stupid and accidental,” but some believe it was the youngster’s attempt at taking his own life.
Clark Gable – hoped to die during a high-speed motorbike rampage shortly after wife Carol Lombard was killed. He then joined the Army and flew missions over Germany during World War II.
Stan Getz – the celebrated saxophonist became addicted to heroin and tried to kill himself with a drug overdose in 1954 when police confronted him over an ill-fated attempt to rob a Seattle pharmacy. He spent three days in a coma.
Dwight “Doc” Gooden – in 1994, the troubled former Cy Young Award winner held a 9mm pistol to his head before his wife took it from him.
Ken Griffey, Jr. – in 1988, just months after signing a lucrative pro baseball contract, the 18-year-old ingested over 200 aspirin to escape insults from fans and arguments with his father. He recovered after time in intensive care.
Mariette Hartley – attempted suicide (as did her mother) after her father died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1962. Now an advocate for suicide prevention.
Susan Hayward – the breakup of marriage to Jess Barker, and the related custody battle for her sons, led to a 1966 suicide attempt.
Houston – the R&B singer was stopped after he tried to throw himself out of a hotel window in 2005, and then gouged out his own eye. Reports vary as to the reason behind this behavior.
Betty Hutton – her father killed himself after leaving her mother. In 1970, Betty tried to take her own life when her singing voice faltered.
Michael Jackson – in June 2005, a bogus, trojan-laced email reporting on a suicide attempt by the “king of pop” (just before he was found not guilty) infected computers worldwide. While that report was false, some sources claim Jackson did try to off himself that December.
Billy Joel – after the failure of his band Attila, attempted suicide in late 1970 by drinking furniture polish. “It looked tastier than bleach,” he later revealed.
Elton John – tried to kill himself by sticking his head in a gas stove, but writing partner Bernie Taupin found him “lying on a pillow, and he’d opened all the windows.” The two collaborated on the song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” to tell the story.
Sally Kirkland – the actress spent her 20s mired in drugs until a suicide attempt literally scared her straight.
Shelley Long – despite tabloid reports that her 2004 overdose on painkillers was a suicide attempt, the Cheers star claims she simply overmedicated herself in order to cope with the breakup of her marriage to Bruce Tyson.
Ginger Lynn – at the age of 12, the future porn star ingested a cocktail of medications to escape from her mother’s constant abuse.
Jeanette MacDonald – tried to overdose on pills after learning of Nelson Eddy’s marriage in 1939; was saved by W.S. Van Dyke (who later killed himself).
Mindy McCready – the country singer announced in 2005 that she had twice attempted suicide due to problems with boyfriend William McKnight, who had once nearly choked her to death.
Robert McFarlane – the National Security Advisor tried to end his life in 1987 over his involvement with the Iran-Contra scandal. He took an estimated 30 tablets of Valium.
Sinéad O’Connor – claims to have been haunted by thoughts of suicide her whole life. Reportedly attempted it in 1993, and then swallowed 20 Valium tablets in a failed 1999 suicide attempt.
Jennifer O’Neill – first attempted suicide at the age of 14, and then “accidentally” shot herself in the stomach in 1983, but recovered.
Ozzy Osbourne – not only did he supposedly inspire self-slaughter with the song “Suicide Solution,” but Ozzy admits to having attempted to off himself several times during his life, even as a teenager.
Marie Osmond – The National Enquirer reported that the singer’s hospitalization in the summer of 2006 was due to an attempted suicide, but she and her publicists wrote it off to a reaction to medication.
Terrell Owens – the volatile NFL star denied a September 2006 report that he’d tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription painkillers he had been taking for a broken finger.
Charlie Parker – the jazz legend known as “The Bird” wanted to end his life in 1954, but failed in two attempts. He was then admitted to the Bellevue clinic, where he received much-needed therapy.
Barbara Payton – in a love triangle with Franchot Tone and Tom Neal, she ingested several sleeping pills in an attempt on her own life, but was discovered by Tone. (See Jean Wallace entry below.)
Dennis Price – consumed by alcohol, the tall British actor left the gas on in his oven at his London apartment in 1954. A servant found him and summoned help.
Richard Pryor – later admitted that the fire that injured him while free-basing cocaine in June 1980 was really a suicide attempt.
Martha Raye – after breaking up with husband David Rose, she went into a depression and took an overdose of sleeping pills in 1956, but recovered.
Nina Simone – the singer attempted suicide due to depression and a sense of helplessness after being attacked in London during the mid-1970s.
Britney Spears – earlier this year, tabloid headlines claimed that the pop diva had experienced a breakdown and tried to kill herself twice, first by walking into traffic, then by ODing on Xanax.
Tina Turner – in her biography I, Tina, she revealed a failed suicide attempt in 1968.
Mike Tyson – in September 1988, the then-undisputed heavyweight champion crashed his car into a tree in what the New York Daily News described as a suicide attempt.
Vanilla Ice – in 1994, less than five years from the peak of his success, the depressed rapper twice tried to kill himself.
Jean Wallace – the actress hoped to end her life with sleeping pills in 1946 while married to Franchot Tone, then by stabbing herself in 1949 after their divorce.
Tuesday Weld – began drinking at a young age and attempted suicide at the tender age of 12 by ingesting aspirin, sleeping pills, and a bottle of gin. “I had fallen in love with a homosexual and, when it didn’t work out, I felt hurt.”
Hank Williams, Jr. – the combination of drugs and alcohol abuse led to a suicide attempt in early 1974.
Brian Wilson – some sources claim the Beach Boys genius tried to kill himself in the mid-1980s, a low point from which he has since rebounded.
I suppose the “attemped” part is what makes this story neat. The part I find interesting is all the unpleasant methods being tried. Drinking bleach???
posted by Rich on 9-5-2007 at 6:47 am
Yea I guess it wouldn’t be as interesting if they were successful. Johnny Cash, Sammy Davis, Jr., Richard Pryor… Ken Griffey, Jr.? Wow.
posted by Tim on 9-5-2007 at 7:13 am
Successful attempts, that is.
posted by Tim on 9-5-2007 at 7:16 am
It is amazing at how many have tried suicide. I am glad that they wer enot successful.
People in the arts (I am in the arts) world tend to think differently from most other people. I also think that many people have seen how stars who died young or died at their peak have been immortalized and maybe they want that for themselves.
The sad thing about all of this is that I feel that many of the stars listed probably did it for attention and to help their careers. In their minds, negative attention is better than no attention.
posted by Dan on 9-5-2007 at 7:27 am
incredible how sow many great people “try” but aren’t able to succeed…
posted by özi on 9-5-2007 at 7:35 am
Amazing. I had no idea about some of them.
posted by Rhea on 9-5-2007 at 8:56 am
Suicide Solution is an Ozzy solo act song (it’s on his album Blizzard of Oz), not while he was in Black Sabbath. He mentioned in a couple of his many interviews that the song was inspired by the death of AC/DC singer Bon Scott.
posted by tayker on 9-5-2007 at 9:04 am
Tayker, you’re absolutely right — it was from Blizzard of Oz, released a year after he (initially) parted ways with Sabbath. Thanks for the heads up!
posted by Sandy on 9-5-2007 at 9:10 am
Ozzy Osbourne – not only did he supposedly inspire self-slaughter with the Black Sabbath song “Suicide Solution,” but Ozzy admits to having attempted to off himself several times during his life, even as a teenager.
Suicide Solution (a song about alcoholism, rather than the more direct forms of self destruction) is actually one of Ozzy’s solo works (from his debut album) rather than a Sabbath song.
Just for the record.
posted by Kenn on 9-5-2007 at 9:31 am
What saves most suicide attemptees is being a coward. The other is ignorance.
posted by NIck Post on 9-5-2007 at 9:38 am
Lists like this remind us that even the great (and not so great) are vulnerable to depression and mental illness.
posted by Matt Staggs on 9-5-2007 at 9:54 am
It seems like a lot of these attempts stemmed from bad childhoods or abusive relationships. I remember being involved in a conversation several years back about how artists (musical, theatric, or conventional) are crazy. The debate was on whether it was the art made people crazy, or if it was the craziness that created the art. With as many that had bad childhoods, it makes you think it was the craziness that created the art. In any case, the fact that many artists are crazy makes suicide attempts make more sense.
posted by Meagan on 9-5-2007 at 9:59 am
Makes ya wonder how many folks who died were really suicides that succeeded…perhaps not all ‘accidents’ as previously thought…James Dean…Montgomery Clift…Marilyn Monroe…
posted by donner on 9-5-2007 at 10:36 am
RE: drinking bleach, I read an interview about this story…Nadia Comaneci had been put under 24 watch by her coaches (and the State, basically) because she had gained a lot of weight and they were trying to get her back in shape for the 1980 Olympics. She was confined to her room at all times except for training, and two guards were posted outside the door. She had some laundry supplies in her room, which is why she used the bleach in her attempt to end it all.
posted by Kara on 9-5-2007 at 10:54 am
Suicide attempts come from complete desperation and pain. They are cries for help with things people can’t handle alone but feel they have no one to help them. Calling these people cowards or ignorant because they didn’t succeed in ending their lives is incredibly ignorant in itself.
posted by Cynthia on 9-5-2007 at 11:11 am
It’s sad to see people who have everything they want and more and try to throw it all away, suicide is a cowards way out. nothing is more final than death.
posted by DeathWard on 9-5-2007 at 11:21 am
Suicide is painless,
It brings on many changes,
But I can take or leave it,
If I try.
posted by Clutch on 9-5-2007 at 11:59 am
Just because these people are rich and famous doesn’t mean they have everything they want. If you were depressed, even to the point of suicidal behavior, and suddenly became rich and famous, do you think that would change your mindset? As likely for the better as for the worse, and probably most often no change would occur at all. Money aint love.
posted by Tim on 9-5-2007 at 1:09 pm
Why do people speak in silly platitudes when speaking about suicide? Of course it’s a cry for help, of course it comes from desperation and pain. People aren’t gonna try and kill themselves when they are happy are they?
The other motivation for suicide is one of revenge. Face it, it’s the ultimate “screw you, I’m taking my toys and going home” to the person or person’s that hurt you. Kind of childish, but when we are hurt we often revert to children.
Best revenge is to live and long time and become an grumpy old bastard and bother everyone.
posted by Mike on 9-5-2007 at 1:39 pm
“I thought I’d kill myself, but it made no sense, committin’ suicide in self-defense.”
Jimmy Dale Gilmore
“You’re just a wave,
you’re not the water”
posted by John Foland on 9-5-2007 at 2:35 pm
Suicide isn’t painless or a coward’s way out. I actually admire people who have the guts to go through with it, because I believe that for most people, the fear of death is far greater than anything they might face in life. The instinct for self-preservation is incredibly strong and I think that for many people who have felt suicidal, it’s been stronger than their wish to escape from their current situation. Actually going ahead with it and facing the prospect of the termination of your own existence takes a lot more bravery.
posted by -@^@- on 9-5-2007 at 3:57 pm
“Just because these people are rich and famous doesn’t mean they have everything they want.”
Yes it does. They are just as capbable as someone in a small earning bracket in getting depressed. However, they at least have the resources to seek professional help. Because of their celebrity status, most already have the support they need from fans, friends, and business partners.
posted by tayker on 9-5-2007 at 4:24 pm
“However, they at least have the resources to seek professional help. Because of their celebrity status, most already have the support they need from fans, friends, and business partners. ”
You have no idea what you’re talking about. If everyone sat down and thought rationally before attempting suicide, well, then…there would be a lot less suicide! It has nothing to do with class or popularity.
posted by cake on 9-5-2007 at 4:58 pm
what’s even sadder is that the list of famous people who were successful at killing themselves is probably as long, if not longer, than this one.
although i still do not consider the whole kurt cobain thing to be a suicide, because the whole scenario is just too contradictory and fishy.
posted by Sue on 9-5-2007 at 5:28 pm
Mike: Pointing out the obvious is sometimes necessary to counter someone who criticizes people for apparently not being desperate enough (i.e., see “NIck”’s post–I wasn’t speaking in platitudes because I like the way they sound).
And, sure, I wouldn’t argue that some people have probably used suicide as a tactic for revenge, but that’s a pretty poor generalization for why people want to kill themselves.
A point unrelated to Mike’s post, but related to a couple of others: Depression is an illness that actually changes the way you think and the way you value yourself; this makes it incredibly difficult for a depressed person to seek treatment (or even recognize that something’s actually wrong), no matter the resources available to them. I know less about other mental illnesses, but as they all affect a person’s thoughts in one way or another, I would assume that it is similarly difficult for people with other mental illnesses to get the treatment they need.
Of course, not everyone with depression attempts suicide, and not everyone who attempts suicide is depressed (in the clinical sense, not the layman’s sense–we can all agree a happy person is very unlikely to attempt suicide), but the illness certainly makes a suicide attempt more likely.
posted by Cynthia on 9-5-2007 at 7:40 pm
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. If everyone sat down and thought rationally before attempting suicide, well, then…there would be a lot less suicide! It has nothing to do with class or popularity.”
1. You know me well enough to make that claim?
2. Did I say that they were going to be rational? They have friends, family, and fans. Whether they choose to listen, or not, is on them.
3. Money can’t buy a person’s happiness. However, it does make more resources available - which is the point that was purposely ignored.
Myself, and a relative that I’m not close to, don’t have those options. I wish I had an easy half a mil+ to throw down while I was on a movie set. For me, I was stuck in a country with people I don’t know, where I don’t speak the language, with knowledge that I could be a target lingering in my head, while trying to defend freedom as an E-4, and with a wife and 3 children back in the states.
posted by tayker on 9-5-2007 at 7:59 pm
Anyone who thinks suicide is cowardly or vengeful has never been depressed. (and they should be grateful for that- depression is so much less glamourous and artistic as often portrayed). There have been plenty of times when I have been so low that contemplating suicide wasn’t crazy, but the only sane response to deep, indescribable despair. What sane person wants to live in such pain? Even further, the urge to commit suicide is pervasive for the mentally afflicted even when issues seem to be resolved and emotional balance is acheived. The fear of the depression coming back is crippling. Often a good day is just a bad day waiting to happen. You see, it has nothing to do with cowardice or bravery. It has everything to do with the strength to bear pain that seems insufferable.
Happily, I think the body has its own subconcious mechanism that fights hard against self-inflicted death even when the mind is hoping against hope that it will cease to exist. I heard somewhere that the most insufferable thing about life is that nothing in life is truly insufferable. Its true, and it explains why suicide attempts often fail. More people commit suicide by accident than on purpose, just trying to escape the misery.
I certainly hope that Owen Wilson’s attempt and the subsequent outpouring of sucidal confessions doesn’t lead to a “trendy” increase in attempts. ( Don’t laugh. It happened back when young men read “The Sorrows of Young Werther”.) Though not shameful, its nothing noble, nothing chic.
posted by Allison on 9-5-2007 at 11:05 pm
There sure are some misguided opinions in the above comments.
If money doesn’t buy happiness than what does. Money may not be able to directly purchase a person’s emotion but the fact that the money is there removes the one major stress that the rest of us face our whole lives. The number one cause for relationship failure is money related disagreements.
Speaking personally, if I had money I promise you nothing else would bother me. My whole life has been spent dejected by humanity and so lack of contact with other people is not so depressing as to cause suicide, one can deal with it.. ask those who are imprisoned in solitary confinement.
I’ll tell you one thing, when I once tried to kill myself it was planned, considered and executed, albeit unsuccessfully. The survival instinct is very strong and it takes serious pressure to overcome it, but dare I say there are people out there who feel that the pain of death is infinitely less than the pains in life.
Don’t mock those who try and survive, instead do whatever you can to make their lives more positive, talk to them and find out what is their pain. And incase you’re curious I failed on a technicality, but I have no future so who knows probably another attempt is on the cards one day.
posted by Ben on 9-6-2007 at 12:44 am
Ozzy wrote the song “Suicide Soltuon” after Bon Scott, singer of AC/DC died choking on his own vomit from alcohol.
The suicide “solution” is alcohol.
posted by Giovanni on 9-6-2007 at 12:49 am
Suicide is not cowardly, greedy or the easy way out. Suicide is not painless. Death is painless. I know - I have been dead, though not from suicide. The feelings that cause one to consider taking their own life are strong strong. Unless you’ve been there you can’t possibly know. It’s sad.
I hope Owen Wilson can turn the corner. Being suicidal is a terrible horrible place to be. He seems like a real genuine person and I hope he gets the support and helps he needs and can stay in the clear over the long haul. Getting through the initial stuff is the easy part - it’s the long term that can be difficult.
posted by Meh on 9-6-2007 at 12:55 am
this is a sad but great comprehensive article. hopefully those are have thought of suicide will read this and feel that they’re not alone and be strong.
i will link this story on my site, hopefully to reach out to more.
posted by Miss Tacky on 9-6-2007 at 1:45 am
“Just because these people are rich and famous doesn’t mean they have everything they want. If you were depressed, even to the point of suicidal behavior, and suddenly became rich and famous, do you think that would change your mindset? As likely for the better as for the worse, and probably most often no change would occur at all. Money aint love.”
Yes! The only problems I have ever had in life that make me feel low are money problems. For me money would change evrything.
posted by shawn on 9-6-2007 at 1:54 am
Listen to yourselves! What an argument!
First, consider some of the people on this list: Vanilla Ice? Gary Coleman? You think these guys had lots of resources to get help? More likely, they knew that if they went for treatment that it would create media attention.
And as far as ‘friends’ in Hollywood go, you’ve obviously never lived in southern California! Most ‘friends’ to stars are dealers or enablers, giving them whatever they want. Many famous people are totally confined and lonely for ‘real’ friendship, which is rare when you reach a certain level of noteriety. Shrinks are many stars closest friends. ‘Stars’ are normal people who live abnormal lives. And that’s where a lot of depression and stress come into play. Not knowing if someone likes you for who you are vs. what you are or who you were takes it’s toll. And many of those people surrounded by money, yes men and material things are medicating with pills, alcohol and other drugs. So put that equation all together and you do get a recipe for suicide and depression.
posted by christopher on 9-6-2007 at 3:17 am
Tayker,
isn’t it ironic that in situations where your life or health is in jeopardy and (in theory) you should be doing everything to ensure survival, you think about suicide? Not ‘funny’ ironic but ’strange’ ironic. I’ve been in a similar situation and I couldn’t make sense of it. I wanted to live and die at the same time.
But in regards to ’stars’ having a half mil to get treatment, etc. I doubt that many of the people on this list had any money, esp. during the times a lot of it went on. Either before the fame stage or long after the fame stage. Either way, the money probably hadn’t yet materialized or wast totally gone. Some of these people came and went pretty quickly. adam Ant probably drives a Celica or something at this point.
posted by zinger on 9-6-2007 at 3:22 am
I’ll show you! I’ll hurt me.
Attempts are usually cries for help, not always committed to the final outcome. If someone really truly wants to die, they are usually successful. There is a big difference between drinking bleach and putting a shotgun in your mouth. With one of them you stand a chance.
posted by Alan on 9-6-2007 at 3:44 am
Britney Spears; what a bitch. Trying to kill yourself by walking into traffic, and if successful probably ruining several other innocent drivers’ lives? Seriously, what an absolute bitch.
posted by Matt S on 9-6-2007 at 4:01 am
I think Dusty Springfield should be added to this list.
posted by Tom S on 9-6-2007 at 8:20 am
knowing there’s so many fucked up suicidal people who dumbass americans look up to (because the media tells them to) makes me want to put my head in an oven too.
posted by ben on 9-6-2007 at 9:47 am
Too bad most of these weren’t SUCCESSFUL!
LOSERS.
posted by Macho Man Savage on 9-6-2007 at 10:31 am
No wonder all these stars tried suicide. You know why ? In order to become an actor, you must already have a very low self esteem. Reading a part and becoming someone else, is what actors do. Why do they want to do that in the first place ? Unhapiness with themselves and low self esteem.
I don’t understand why people are so mismerized by actors. They can’t be themselves… they have to be someone else, what’s the big deal about that…
At least that’s what I think about supposedly Superstars.
posted by Marijo on 9-7-2007 at 10:55 am
The Halle Berry incident is highly suspect. If you look back, she first talked about the incident shortly after the divorce and said she wasn’t trying to commit suicide. But as the years have gone by and she has a new movie coming out, she pulls the story back out and it becomes more and more dramatic. Check it out. It’s true.
posted by Scott on 9-7-2007 at 11:22 am
“LOOk at me, look at me” Attention seeking retards. It’s not hard to kill yourself, really.
posted by Uncle Slappy Nuts on 9-7-2007 at 1:40 pm
a reasonably tall cliff. or failing that, a deep hole, like a well or abandoned mineshaft. just close your eyes and step foward. I call it the one step plan, the last step of the rest of your life.
posted by desmond tutu on 9-7-2007 at 3:24 pm
among all those great people who “attempt” to kill themselves, there are those who should not only try but succeed. G.W. perhaps.Then again there are all those deaths that could have been suicide, but no one ever questioned it…….. Elvis? Marilyn Monroe? Chef?(from southpark)
posted by eddo on 9-7-2007 at 11:28 pm
Everybody, if you’re messed up, get help. If you can’t afford professional therapy, there are plenty of self-help groups for mental health. Google for “Emotions Anonymous” or “Recovery, Inc.” or “GROW.”
posted by Wholesomedick on 9-8-2007 at 5:58 pm
I don’t know if this counts, but I ate a bug once on purpose.My stomach hurt for like 3-4 hours.It someone wants to call the press about it I’ll give interviews tomorrow at my McDonalds drive-thru window at 11:00.
posted by Screech on 9-8-2007 at 10:15 pm
What depresses me, in reading through the responses, is how many people assert that this is a list of “great” people. Fame and celebrity isn’t the same as thing as great.
Damn, I’m so depressed by this that I’m concocting a bleach/furniture polish/vicodin/seconal bullet. I think I’ll shoot myself with it. No funeral.
posted by John on 9-9-2007 at 5:04 pm
Well desmond tutu, That One Step Plan isn’t easy. My choice of “tall cliff” was the facade of a train tunnel. I was a teenager, I stood there looking down, between my feet, at a fast moving freight train zooming into the tunnel. I wanted to just drop off of the edge, down onto the train cars. That damn instinct for self-preservation kicked in and I chickened out.
posted by Tdave on 9-11-2007 at 12:43 am
I hope none of you ever have to experience the pain of walking into your childs bedroom and finding that he has taken 50 Xanax to erase the pain he has endured silently. That’s the trouble with mental illness, you can’t always tell it’s there. You can’t always get help. If a person’s only way of telling you they need help is through killing themselves, give them help, don’t ridicule them.
While I find Mental Floss entertaining I guess this article was to close to home for me. I only find it in poor taste. Yeah, I’m sick enough to have read it, but it saddens me. It just goes to show, you have no idea what pain someone else is enduring, even if their life looks perfect.
posted by Mom on 9-12-2007 at 2:32 pm
sorry all you people above that believe money can buy happiness and your way out of depression, it is true that it can get you good professional help but first you have to realise whats happening to you i used to scoff at depression and thought it was a made up disease but try believing that after suffering from it. i didnt get help for so long because i didnt believe depression really existed
posted by jonny on 9-16-2007 at 7:40 am
I BELIEVE ITS A PERSONS RIGHT TO COMMIT SUICIDE, IF THEY ARE SO MISERABLE THEN DO IT! I KNOW ITS AGAINST THE LAW TO TRY TO KILL YOURSELF BUT WHO ARE WE TO SAY WHAT DEMONDS ARE ENTERING OUR MINDS AND SOULS….I THINK MOST DO IT FOR ATTENTION AND ARE PROBABLY SHOCKED WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SUCCEED…I DONT KNOW IF ITS TRUE THAT YOU CANT GET INTO HEAVEN FOR KILLING YOURSELF BUT IM SURE YES SURE THAT GOD FORGIVE THESE POOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HAUNTED AND CANT TRY OR GET THE HELP THEY NEED….AS FOR THAT OWEN WILSON KID, I DONT KNOW WHAT HE TRIED BUT TELL HIM THIS OLD LADY THATS SENDING THIS REALLY LIKES THE KID AND HOPE HE GETS HIMSELF STRAIGHT….YES, IM 56 YEARS OLD BUT I LOVE HIM….
posted by KAREN ROSE on 9-17-2007 at 4:31 pm
It’s not “why should I do it?”, but rather “why not?”.
posted by Rusty's mom on 9-18-2007 at 7:58 am
If you’ve ever heard Billy Joel’s band ATILLA you’d never understand why he attempted suicide after they broke up . . . .
posted by jenny on 9-20-2007 at 5:11 pm
“I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”.
Brian Wilson
posted by Wilson on 9-20-2007 at 9:56 pm
someone saved my life was not about eltons suicide it was about how he almost got married. hence the words–alter bound hypnotized. get your facts right!!
posted by rob on 10-12-2007 at 2:20 pm
You missed Eric Clapton - he admits in his autobiography to attempting suicide by swallowing a full bottle of Valium. NOT an attention-getting move; he claims that he fully intended for it to kill him - his wife Pattie had refused to take him back and his mistress was pregnant, plus at the time he was a totally out-of-control alcoholic (rehabbed at Hazelden, just like Owen Wilson.) Why can’t these talented people learn to appreciate their gifts and lay off the substance abuse?!? Sad..
posted by Calliope10 on 12-3-2007 at 3:54 pm
In Ozzy Osbourne’s case, I think he did succeed in killing himself and they forgot to bury him.
posted by John on 12-22-2007 at 7:55 pm
I’ve read the stories about the attempted suicides, and the comments posted. As one whose mother attempted suicide on multiple occasions during my childhood & adolescence, my understanding of this behavior was necessarily limited by my lack of knowledge (everything in our family was a secret) and my own immaturity. I later learned that such attempts were a nonverbal plea for attention and/or help.
My mother eventually successfully committed suicide by simply not taking the medications prescribed after a minor stroke. After subsequent strokes left her paralyzed on the right side of her body, resulting in a very long, painful 14 months, bedridden and wheelchair-bound, she told me privately that “if she knew this would happen, she would never have [not taken her meds] done it.” I believe she hoped that by not taking her meds, she would suffer a massive stroke, which would have killed her instantly. In February 2003, she died in my arms, just short of her 68th birthday.
She was terrified of the unknown beyond death, of what fate her immortal soul might be condemned to for the sins she committed during her troubled life. I tried to reassure her that Christ had paid for her sins, and that He was there to take her to better place (although I had long ago abandoned my own faith). At the moment of death, her eyes were still wide open, and I’ll never forget the terror in them, despite my efforts to console her.
I had returned to college in 1992 to finish my B.A. in psychology, specifically to learn about my mother’s mental illness (probably Borderline Personality Disorder), and about suicidal ideation and suicide patterns within families.
Her spirit haunts me. But her spirit is only one of many family spirits that haunt me.
In 1967, when I was 13, my father’s father hung himself in his basement, the day after my father’s birthday. My grandfather was 72. A devout Christian, his suicide confused me, as our church taught that suicide was the ultimate sin against God. Yet the church chose to ignore the cause of his death, and he was buried with dignity and compassion.
My father left the church, the God of his Fathers, shortly after that, and I followed suit.
My father devoted his entire adult life to caring for and protecting my mother, mentally ill since her early teens. He thought that his love could “save” her. As an entrepreneur, the medical insurance premiums rose higher and higher with my mother’s frequent breakdowns and hospitalizations. But my mother never recovered, despite my father’s efforts. He grew more and more depressed. He wouldn’t divorce her, despite her many betrayals of his love and trust by her series of infidelities with his friends, pickups in bars, and finally, an employee who actually lived in their home.
In September 1985, my father (my grandfather’s only son) threw himself in front a truck and was announced DOA at the scene. He planned to make it look like an accident, but I think he panicked at the last moment, as the police report stated that he had turned to throw himself into the path of the oncoming truck. The driver of the truck was not charged with any crime. My dad was 55 at the time, I was 32. He left a short note to my mother: “Babe, You did all that you could. Love, XXXXX”
My mother later told my sister and me that my father had spoken of taking his life for about two years before he finally went through with it. I believe that his depression stemmed from his financial burdens (health insurance), and from my mother’s countless betrayals.
I have never forgiven my mother for not letting any of us, their children, know how depressed my father was. Understanding more about my mother’s illness has not made the loss of my father any easier. He had always been the rock upon which our family was grounded.
I was, however, able to learn to empathize with my mother, whose illness stemmed from her own ghastly childhood.
Borderlines are notoriously difficult to treat, and often abandon treatment, even when treatment is attempted. My therapist has rightly pointed out to me, however, that my mother always had the choice to stay in treatment, and that Borderlines sometimes did recover.
After my mother’s death in 2003, I attempted to finish my senior thesis on the effects of borderline personality disordered mothers on their adult children. I know that I have been profoundly affected, although I eventually married a wonderful man and raised two beautiful daughters (one out of college and with bright future, and the younger to graduate in June).
But it has been difficult for me to revisit the pain in my past in order to complete this paper. I would like to finish it so that I may receive my degree and attend commencement along with my younger daughter.
My sister developed intense panic attacks after my father’s death, and subsequently lost the business she had started with her best friend - an accomplishment of which my father was most proud.
My brother (my father’s only son) deliberately set his life expectations low. He always felt that he was a disappointment to my father, and he was always my mother’s favorite. He married, and had a daughter and a son. Within months of my mother’s death in 2003, my brother’s wife divorced him, and suspiciously soon after, married one of her coworkers. My brother’s only son, my nephew, was caught in the crossfire of his parents’ animosity, and was bounced back and forth between the two of them after dropping out of high school.
My nephew was living with his mother in April 2006. He had gotten his driver’s license and a beater car to get him to and from work, but had a poor relationship with his employer. On April 28 (the anniversary of his great-grandfather’s suicide), he stayed home from work. His mother and sister were at work when he cleaned his shotgun, put the barrel into his mouth, and fired. He was eighteen.
My father’s suicide destroyed my family. My sister and I can only communicate via email (I am thankful that I at least have that), and my brother will not speak to me at all. This estrangement is due, I believe, to the vindictive irrevocable trust my mother left in lieu of a will, and to my mother’s deliberate manipulations during her life to pit each of us against the other.
Others have posted their opinions regarding celebrity attempts at suicide. I believe that money and fame have nothing to do with an individual’s mental health, although drugs and other substance abuse almost certainly do.
I tell my story here, not to challenge any of the opinions of previous posters. Only to let them know that suicide attempts, and those who “succeed” in their attempts, are not limited to the rich and famous. My family’s story will never make headlines. And I’m certain that there are countless others out there whose stories are just as tragic.
If, however, anyone reads this post, and responds, I would be grateful for any comments or suggestions for links to follow in order to finish my degree, put all of this behind me, and to get on with my life - my baggage checked, so to speak, in cargo section - not gone forever, not forgotten, but not essential to my journey through life. Thanks for listening.
posted by NONVOCATVS on 1-2-2008 at 12:08 pm
NONVOCATVS,
I would be sincerely interested in telling you my story. I am bi-polar. I tried to committ suicide almost a year ago.
I believe that when someone attempts suicide, they are not in the right state of mind. Irrational thinking takes over and I felt like things would be better off if I were dead.
I have been very blessed and I have experienced many hardships. I thought my life was worth giving up on then, now I have lived almost a year with-out the most precious thing to me, my daughter. Talk about being hard! However, I chose this time to better my health and I am so sorry I was so selfish and hurt her. She needs me! Every child needs to know their parents. If just for knowing family history and interest in one’s human nature.
My daughter is almost thirteen. I am 32. I am and was a single mom while I have raised her. She means everything to me. I accomplished so many things, by her as inspiration, such as returning to school and getting a BS Degree and having a career.
Now, I am trying to regain custody of her. I am not sure what to think. I can’t believe this happened! How could a judge believe and trust me with her care after what I did?
But doesn’t me going through losing her and doing everything I can to be better and a stronger person,,,,show for something….I mean “this” has been the hardest time of my life (with-out her)and I am not giving up!!!
I have had many things occur in my life: Grew up alone and isolated feeling; Awful relationship with my mother; Slight sexual molestation; Raped as a virgin at 14; Dated BAD boys; Sent away to Bording school at 16; Dated a guy 11 years older got pregnant and had a miscarriage; Got pregnant with my daughter, her father left me and returned to his ex-they were horrible to me-Yet my daughter is the best thing that happened to me; Totalled three vehicles; Dangerous car accidents; Head trauma; Committed to Psych Ward twice, (yes I tried to do it twice); Fired from job; Dated another looser and accidental pregnancy resulted in my decision to terminate that life; Shunned by peers; Lost my suppossed Best friends; yet, I discovered the most wonderful things that were staring me in the face the whole time- no my family was not perfect, but they love me and have really supported me mentally and sometimes financially in the last 13 years.
Family is what matters!!!!! I am so sorry for the pain I put everyone through, especially my daughter! It’s not that I wanted to leave her and it wasn’t because of her. How can I explain that? Besides, believing at that time, that I wasn’t even a good mother anymore. Being a good mother to her was what I wish I would have had; yet guess what? My mother’s mother treated my mother the same way my mother treated me. How are you to know any different when you are raised like that? Yet, I knew I wanted to raise my daughter differently. I wanted her to be everything I wasn’t. I want her to love herself; have self-confidence; be a good person and friend to others; be sociable and enjoy life. Then look what I did? I can never take it back. That haunts me every day!!!
I desperately want her to come home and she wants to, but her father has decided to be a Dad and got temporary, emergency custody of her. Now, he claims there is no way he wil let her come home. That is for the courts to decide and I dread I don’t have much of a chance because of my history………DEPRESSING! HUN? Yes, BUT………………I will fight til my natural dying day!!!
posted by MTD on 1-17-2008 at 4:31 pm
my borhter saved my life and my friend
happend around 8 months ago…
wish they didnt see that
posted by Zlams on 2-22-2008 at 5:52 am
Dear MTD,
God bless you. Or whichever Superpower you believe in…
My story pales compared to yours, I do understand yours though, several experiences in common…
I am currently writing a bit on suicide… You have forced me to look within…
Thank you,
Mara
posted by Crazygata on 4-2-2008 at 2:16 pm
NONVOCATVS , my heart goes out to you. You are a very strong person to have been through all of this and posting it here to help people see it from your point.
I myself have had a couple experiences with suicides. My uncle jumped from a bridge, when I was about 12. No one in my family spoke of it, as my family is one of those who thinks they are perfect. He was a very kind man and seemed very happy. I still to this day have no idea why he did it.
When I was 22, I had a friend shoot himself in the head. Ended his life over a women.
Last June, the best friend I could have ever had, hung himself. He hinted around when he was drunk about doing it and it leaves me with alot of guilt, as I believe I could have done something. He had 4 children. He and I would talk about our depression, and support one another, but in no way did I ever believe, he would do this. He told me one night, that the night before, he was standing on a chair with a rope around his neck but couldn’t do it. Then he would laugh about it, so I never knew that he was being serious.One week later, thats just what he did. I sit here now and cry and try to figure out what I could have done. Could I have forced help on him somehow. He was seeing a therapist and he was on medication. It has been almost a year and I still wait for his morning phone call. At night, I need him, as he was someone like no other. We started out dating and decided to remain friends. We spent some time together every single day. He would take my daughter and I out with him.
He would call me in the middle of the night just to talk about his problems. He was in love with his ex and she didn’t love him back. He never left a goodbye to anyone. He just left his body hanging in his room for his family to find.
To all the people on here who say its to get attention when people talk about it…maybe sometimes that is true, unfortunately in my case, it is not. My best friend is gone and now I sit here and wonder if there was something I could have done.
posted by dontknowanymore on 4-3-2008 at 9:17 pm
I didn’t commit suicide because of my dog.
I was ready to do it. I had my plan. I was going to get a hotel room and shoot myself in the shower (that way it wouldn’t be my family who found me and it would be easy to clean up - considerate wasn’t I *wry grin*). I had written the note to my family because I honestly thought I could make them understand why I did it.
Then it occured to me that nobody would ever be able to tell my dog that I wasn’t coming home. She would just sit in the lawn and wait for me to come home. And I couldn’t do that to the faithful companion that was the only bright spot in my life when I was a teenager. I couldn’t just abandon her.
Since then I’ve realized that my family and friends wouldn’t have understood any more than my dog would have. And they would have been just as devastated.
I’ve never told that to anyone before.
posted by Elle on 4-15-2008 at 10:25 pm