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Anthony Bourdain has died

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161–170 of 344 posts

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#161

My mother committed suicide 8 years ago, and this is something I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about and trying to understand (in part to ensure I never suffer the same fate). For anyone who has struggled with depression or severe anxiety, if you haven’t read the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, I encourage you to read it as soon as possible — it’s one of the best, most approacha…

As someone who's currently going through a wave serious depression, I'm curious about this book. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see what you're getting at, but I think the reason that suicide is linked with mental illness is because it goes against our very nature as living beings. If I recall correctly, a majority of people who have 'failed' suicide (for lack of a better term) have stated that they immediately regretted attempting once it hits the point of no return. This is just an assumption, but I think the will to live greatly outweigh…

I'm gonna stray away from talking about mental illness, cause I'm not a doctor and there are a lot of grey parts. Suicide is about giving up. There can be a number of reasons for throwing the towel in. For seemingly normal people, I tend to think it's because they feel like they have failed in a way that is irredeamable. Like the samurai guys, that have disgraced themselves and there is no way to go on without their…

There are different reasons people attempt or commit suicide. That said, do we blame someone who succumbs to cancer when they die? That somehow they failed at trying harder?

For some, depression is an episode or collection of episodes in life. For others, it's a chronic condition. He lived decades (from other accounts) with a chronic condition and succumbed to it.

Sometimes, toxic environments contribute and I don't want to suggest otherwise, but for those with chronic unipolar depression, it is a condition that people die of. It's sad, but so long as we understand that it's illness, we can get over the polemics.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#163
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I see what you're getting at, but I think the reason that suicide is linked with mental illness is because it goes against our very nature as living beings. So does contraception, yet we don't consider people using it mentally ill. I only say this to imply that "going against our very nature" isprobably not the main reason we link suicide with mental ilness, not to be disrespectful or anything. My mother killed her…

> So does contraception, yet we don't consider people using it mentally ill. Boy, you got that backwards. Abstinence is what "goes against our very nature as living beings". Contraception allows us to engage in sexual activity without the consequences of unwanted pregnancy or STDs.

> Boy, you got that backwards. Abstinence is what "goes against our very nature as living beings". Contraception allows us to engage in sexual activity without the consequences of unwanted pregnancy or STDs.

Where did I mention abstinence?

While not my choice, I consider it just one more approach that falls under the 'contraception' umbrella, not sure how you made the link from my sentence to abstinence honestly.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Rather than some embarrassingly reductionist, one-deficiency-one-illness-one-pill model of mental illness, contemporary exploration of human behavior has demonstrated that we may know less than we ever thought we did. And that what we do know about root causes of mental illness seems to have more to do with the concept of evolutionary mismatch than with genes and chemical deficiencies.” http://kellybroganmd.com/depr…

Kelly Brogan is an anti vaxxer and a HIV/AIDS denialist. It's very sad to see her getting linked here.

I’m also wary of accepting controversial opinions at face value, and fully support your skepticism here. She’s not my favorite messenger, either. I don’t think ad-hominem attacks are fair, though.

The article is full of references to evidence outlining her position. Do you have any critique of her arguments you can share?

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#165

Really, really horrible news. The anecdotal data is really starting to pile up in my mind- Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain... ... suicide is all too common in our world, and some professions (especially doctors) are affected more than others. All of the money and fame in the world cannot protect you from the depths of your mind. I hope that anyone struggling with this affliction can kn…

> Your life is always still valuable and fixable.

It's like wearing a heavy cloak around, after having done so for most of your life, day after day, year after year. If you're a proper adult, age-wise, all of the effort in the world doesn't guarantee that cloak will fall off one day. The idea that it's fixable doesn't play itself out in real life. I would posit that this is why riches and fame only temporarily relieve the weight of it.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The above link shows more than just half - 2/3 gun deaths in US are suicide - approx 20,000 out of 30,000 Fairly horrifying but does impact the whole gun control debate IMO.

I myself would rather focus the discussion on why people want to kill themselves in the first place and not divulge into a convo about whether not mommy government should or should not allow us to have guns.

Putting an important decision such as ending ones life behind a single point-and-click action is really bad UX. There should at least be a number of "Are you sure?" prompts and two factor authentication as a bare minimum.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#167

I remember watching Robin Williams perform ~2009. He was hilarious and positive on stage at Cobb. After the show he hung out with us and Bing Gordon (his friend). His entire demeanor changed. Unable to smile, look people in the eyes, and holding back tears. People thought he would be funny off stage but he just was extremely anxious and wanted to leave asap. Anyhow, I feel like people (esp. famous people) hide the th…

Robin Williams had Lewy Bodies Dementia which had no cure.

His brain was disappearing before him and he knew it.

Unless Anthony Bourdain had a terminal illness that was destroying his brain and who he was as a person, this is not comparable.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#168
post #27

Anyone have any idea why? Not to encourage speculation but was there something hes been publicly struggling with?

Have you ever watched his shows? There is a sad dark thread going through all of them.. dark humor, his comments on life, interactions with other people etc. She time He made it interesting and very real. The world is not all roses and I think that's what he tried to show.

This doesn't give any additional information, his gruffness was part of what made him famous. I dont think that was a source of sadness for him. I was talking more to the effect of Asia Argento being seen with other people last week (not that I think thats the reason, just identifying possible causes).

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#169
post #60

>, I can only hope that people as a whole start seeing it as a complex issue and the stigma of mental issues and stress can lessen so that people can get help Possibly inappropriate - but why do people immediately link suicide and mental illness? Why do we stand in judgement declaring it wrong to decide ones own fate? Am I not the master of my own existence and do I not have the right to make a decision on it without…

There is an excellent documentary called "The Bridge" about people committing suicide by jumping off of the golden gate bridge in SF. Given the height of the bridge, it takes 4 seconds before you hit the water, and some people survive it. They had interviews with people that survived it -- and they basically all said that as soon as they let go, they realized it was a mistake. That all of their problems were solvable, except for the one they just made.

I do recall one man who did not survive, who seemed at peace during the video of his fall -- he was one who I think perhaps did not regret the act, but was the extreme outlier in that regard. If you are 85 and dying of painful cancer, I can also see it being an act that makes sense, made to decide one's own fate. But MOST people seem to grow out of their suicidal phases, and realize it was the wrong choice, driven by bad thought patterns. In the same way that people try to help addicts or people with eating disorders try to obtain better thought patterns, suicidal ideation seems to me to be largely a broken thought pattern we should help people overcome, not an individual decision one should respect.

Re: Anthony Bourdain has died

#170
post #116

I remember watching Robin Williams perform ~2009. He was hilarious and positive on stage at Cobb. After the show he hung out with us and Bing Gordon (his friend). His entire demeanor changed. Unable to smile, look people in the eyes, and holding back tears. People thought he would be funny off stage but he just was extremely anxious and wanted to leave asap. Anyhow, I feel like people (esp. famous people) hide the th…

Can you elaborate why you brought up your second paragraph? I'm not sure what statement you are trying to make.

Access to means of suicide matters. Most suicidal ideation is temporary and most suicide attempts are impulsive. Men are much less likely than women to attempt suicide, but they are much more likely to die, because they tend to choose more lethal means.

In 1998, the UK reduced the maximum pack sizes of paracetamol (acetaminophen) tablets. We saw no reduction in the number of people who attempted suicide by paracetamol overdose, but a 43% reduction in deaths by that means.

https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f403

There is some evidence to suggest that gun control is effective in reducing deaths due to suicide.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26396147 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29078268 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29852823

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