Don't Jump

I was against this barrier until a friend of mine jumped from the bridge. Now my feeling is if the fence saves just one life it will be worth it.

Yes, by all means, ruin the view and build a bridge. That way, the jumpers can instead choose a building downtown and possibly land on/kill some innocent person walking down the street.

At least with the GG Bridge they don't kill anyone but themselves.

And while we're at it, maybe we should ban guns, ropes, knives, sleeping pills, aspirin, cars, because sometimes people run a hose from the exhaust pipe, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

Typical stupid new-age hippie feel-good idea that will accomplish zero.

I happened to catch "The Bridge" on IFC.

*Amazing* movie. I can't get it out of my head.

The filmmaker trained his camera on the bridge and followed people... He very gradually leads up to people actully jumping.

He caught people on film jumping, then found out who they were and where they were from, and talked to their friends and family.

If these folks' stories are any indication of jumpers, then there is no way anyone or any barrier would ever stop a person determined to commit suicide in this way.

The film comes out on DVD on June 12th, but to watch the trailer go here:
www.thebridge-themovie.com/new/index.html

(It's beautifully shot, and the music is phenomenal as well.)

I'm sick of these discussions because of all the bozos who whine 'if they waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant to kill themselves, they'll just doooooooooooooo it,' and never have a single constructive idea. I'm amazed at the overweening pride such people take in displaying their ignorance every chance they get, as it relates to the topic of suicide.

I would bet my rent they know no one - or no one trusts or relies on them - who has grappled with this issue. Yet they blather on.

it's shameless. they practically have a fucking march when the anniversary of kurt cobains death comes around. from their tone and attitude, I've often felt these folks get some kind of sadistic charge from the mental suffering of others, especially if suicide is involved.

with patrick 's logic, there should be no guard rails on highways or roads. Why bother? Accidents will happen, right? nothin you can do.

the FACT is, delay in getting to tools to harm oneself goes a long way in stopping suicide. whether that's a barrier, or talking to another human being. Anti barrier/anti suicide prevention commentators convince themselves that if someone is suicidal, they'll always feel suicidal. anyone feeling suicidal means that their suicide is just an eventuality, so why bother trying to stop them?

but a suicidal state is only true at that particular moment, at that time, which doesn't mean it's true ALL the time. This is a critical idea too many people simply cannot grasp for some reason.

Patrick, I'm sure your friend WAS convincing, but you obviously made your mind up long ago. just writing "suicide is a tragic thing, of course, but you can't "prevent" it," why, your compassion simply oozes off the screen.

if you want to do something helpful in the arena of mental health STFU, of course.

Ahhh, thank you for your heatherr, for labeling me a bozo and telling me to shut the fuck up, simply because we disagree.

Did you see the three concept barriers in today's Chron? Do you think that any of them would prevent someone intent on jumping?

There's a difference between someone with severe long standing suicidal ideations, who plans their suicide in advance, and even travels to the bridge to jump (sometimes from far away places), and someone who goes on an impulse, sees the obstacle, reflects on their circumstances, and turns around and goes home. All along the signs on the bridge that say "Are you suicidal? Call this number for help" have save untold numbers of lives, yet those who really want to jump still jump.

Yes, putting up more obstacles, which perhaps temporarily delay a suicidal person is helpful, it's not a solution.

The phrase "You can't help someone who doesn't want to help themself" frequently applies to suicidal people, no?

But, at your suggestion, I'll shut the fuck up now.