Another study, from 1994, reviewed forensic reports of 1,183 suicides among people affiliated with the U.S. One study analyzed all completed suicides in Riverside County, California, from 1998 to 2001, and estimated that around 17 percent took place in public places, like roads, railways, and fields. There’s little data on how many of these suicides occur in public view, and even less on how many people witness them when they do. While studies on witnessing strangers’ suicide are scarce, a small body of research-alongside a larger body of anecdotes-has begun to show that the experience can be damaging, even traumatic.Įach year in the United States, approximately 45,000 people kill themselves. When the act is committed in public, any incidental observers are left to grapple with it, too. She noticed that the man’s shoe had come off.Ī suicide can be dangerous to those closest to the victim, leaving family and friends vulnerable to depression and self-harm. “I saw him hit the ground.”īacon looked on as the police arrived and attempted CPR. What she witnessed next would haunt her for months. But when she lifted her gaze, Bacon’s annoyance turned to horror. Her first thought was that some mischievous kid had thrown the extinguisher through a window high above. She was jaywalking, hurrying across a particularly busy street, when a fire extinguisher seemed to fall from the sky, smashing to the ground just a few feet away from her. She had just touched down in Toronto and set off for a business meeting, chatting on her phone as she navigated the rush-hour traffic of the financial district. One evening last March, Nancy Bacon saw a stranger die. For support and resources, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-80 or text 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line. If you are in danger of acting on suicidal thoughts, call 911. ![]() If you are having thoughts of suicide, please know that you are not alone.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |