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suicide prevention

Health

Doctors discover and cure woman's mystery mental illness after attempting to jump off Golden Gate Bridge

The doctor who found the cause only worked at the hospital three times a year.

Woman is cured after trying to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge.

Editor's Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.


Mental illness is something many people experience, but we don't always correlate physical ailments with declining mental health. Chronic illnesses that include intense pain or some other uncontrollable condition, like seizures, can cause a person to experience depression. According to the Cleveland Clinic, "Depression is one of the most common complications of chronic illness."

Debbie Menzies, a woman living in the Bay Area of California, knows all too well the struggles of chronic illness and depression. For decades, she had suffered unpredictable frequent seizures and deep depression, which impeded her life. Menzies was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child, but medication didn't seem to help. After a lifetime of suffering, she decided to take her own life by jumping off the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

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Photo by Külli Kittus on Unsplash

Millions of individuals are affected by suicide, i.e. suicide claims more than 47,000 lives each year. It is the tenth leading cause of death. On average, 130 people die by suicide each day, and many more attempt it. It is estimated 1.3 million survive each year — including people like me. I am one in a million. I have survived suicide. Twice. And while I am #blessed with an amazing network of friends, family members, and peers, even I have received some cringeworthy advice. I've heard things which would make you recoil in shock and cause your head to spin. Why? Because suicide is complicated matter and it's hard to know what to say. Finding the right words can be tough.

Of course, when someone you care about is hurting, it's natural to want to help. Offering wisdom and advice is usually done empathetically, and with good intentions in mind. However, some words aren't the best — especially if you don't understand suicidal ideations and thoughts.


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When a person gets to a point where they are actively considering taking their own life, helping them out of that state is a delicate endeavor. Sometimes a major intervention is necessary. Sometimes being reminded by an anonymous stranger that life is worth living is helpful. And sometimes, a non-human touch can be the catalyst that pulls someone away from the edge.

When first responders were called to a bridge near Exeter in southwestern England where a woman was standing over the guard rails, threatening to take her own life, the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) showed up to help. In a post on Twitter, DSFRS explained that multiple agencies had responded to the scene, and that police negotiations weren't going particularly well.

"The situation was becoming increasingly worrying," they wrote.

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