South London : shoppers watched as a man jumped to his death
 

[Horrified shoppers watched as
a man jumped to his death
from the fourth floor of
a Debenhams department store
The man plunged from
upper floor at the store
in Sutton, south London
Tearful staff were seen
leaving store after being
interviewed by police
Police say the man's death
is not being treated as suspicious ]


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz4Gw6xMXrT

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/...0825458856.jpg
Sutton.

I can understand someone wanting to take their own life. I can't understand them doing it in this way and involving so many horrified eyewitnesses.

What a sad tragedy, also how awful for anyone to see happen too.
When someone gets to the depth they must be to want to end their own life, it is probable clear thinking and reasoning goes out the window.
Once that trigger finally goes,it won't matter where the person is or who they are around.

Really sad for him and I don't know what he must have being going through, but I don't understand, even when people decide to commit suicide, why would they do it in such a public place. I feel for anyone going through that kind of pain in their lives, and there's obviously no 'good way' of taking your own life, but putting other people through the trauma of seeing it is unnecessary. Kids especially would be scarred for life seeing that.

This, I can sympathise with people who are in so much pain that they want to end everything but the ones that choose to kill themselves in ways like this (or by jumping in front of traffic/trains etc) are basically passing that anguish on to others.

I guess some people are so past the point it doesn't even cross their mind the affect it'll have on witnesses. Maybe others take comfort in the fact they're not dying 'alone'. I don't feel any less sorry for people who commit suicide in private or in public.

Apparently it happens so often on the Paris underground, that every driver has had it happen multiple times :umm2:. I definitely agree though, I know of a guy who walked out in front of an 18-wheeler on the motorway. Like yeah OK a surefire way to die... but what if the thing swerved and hit a car? Or crashed and caused a pile-up?

Then again, I guess when you've got to that point, of not caring whether you live or die, you aren't thinking about or considering these things.

Not bothered about others feelings
I assume

Why the **** do people feel the need to make stuff like this so public? Fair enough, top yourself, but why traumatize many others too?

REALLY comes across as just attention seeking to me, when these people stand on bridges waiting to be talked down and such.

I obviously feel sympathy for people who feel the need to take their life, it must be an awful situation to be in, but to do it so publicly that it's going to scar people for the rest of their lives is beyond selfish, I was on a bus last month and I got chatting to the driver, he told me about a woman who threw herself in front a bus a month before hand and the driver of the bus was doing his first day on the job and he was so traumatised by it, he quit and didn't go back, it's an awful thing to put on someone.

Exhibitionism maybe? We do have many willing voyeurs.

Usually when someone does it in such a public manner it's to make some sort of statement of self-victimization. Maybe less about the patrons of the mall and more about the shock it will cause people who recognize them through the news. It has more impact (pun not intended), i.e. is more emotionally harmful, than a self-serving Facebook message or a letter sent through a relative that can be more easily refused, refuted or dismissed.

Edited for clarity.

I know someone who's brother committed suicide by jumping off a bridge, and although I don't understand it either, I don't think it's attention seeking. He hadn't sought any kind of help before doing it, he hadn't shared any of his problems with anyone, I think if it was just attention seeking he'd have done things like that, and he wouldn't have actually jumped. I don't know why he did it though, or what he was going through.

I imagine they don't realise the aftermath really because so much is going on in their heads, I don't think they mean to put the people who saw it through trauma they just want to end their life.

I remember something like this happened in the bullring the other week, I wasn't there but I read that people were taking pictures of it.

This.

Clear thinking and reasoning probably just goes out the window.
At the point they reach,where the confidence comes to where they want to end their lives there and then, as the best opportunity presents itself to be sure their life will be ended.

They never think of how their family may get on after their death, the loss of likely insurance that will not pay out on death if it is suicide, nothing likely matters except they are at the end and really will not and cannot take any more of what has brought them to this really no hope at all scenario.

I would be sad and affected for a time by seeing someone die this way,however I would be so sad that anyone felt that way and felt they had no one or nowhere to turn to.
Just grateful and hopeful that I or no one may ever have to feel that way or reach such a desperate point in life.

Yeah jumping off a bridge is different than doing it in a mall. If I had to choose (not remotely suicidal here), it would be one of my choice methods because the public exposure is potentially more limited (at certain hours) and better than a family member finding a body at home. Though all suicide is inherently selfish, especially if going by culture. In other cultures though, especially ones that are less individualistic; more group-based, it can be seen as largely unselfish in light of one's failed standing or burden on the overall group (generally society). Like an elderly person who can no longer take care of themselves and is a burden in family. That was common in Japan after the To'hoku earthquake and nuclear evacuation.

Vicky's post seems like it is most likely referring to incidents regarding those who make a scene of it in order to be talked down. I agree with her mostly, but I would change the label a bit from "attention seeking" to "cry for help" in most cases. Though the latter is still technically attention seeking.

My husband works in a mental health unit in a detention facility and he sees more of the attention-seeking variety, but the environment is likely to reinforce those behavior patterns in the dysfunctional (i.e. the person is in depowering position and works with the staff on a more child-like level). As long as they pretend to be sick and are truly in need, they will exaggerate situations in order to get the intended result, so usually it is a goal-oriented statement. You see the same thing in nursing homes really.

I Get You
Vicky.

But the fella is Dead
he can no longer see what a shock he caused


Sign Of The Times

If it was that, they would just take a bunch of pills or hang themselves at home or something though...not decide to do it in a public place.

I guess there is always going to be someone coming across the body, but there is NO need to make sure hundreds of people see it tbh.

I know labelling suicide as a selfish act will probably be argued to the end of time, and I normally can't see how it can be called as such but stories like this make me realise it can be.

Most of the time it is selfish as they dont care about the people they leave behind

This. It's horrible if you want to take your own life but if you're going to do it in a way that harms other people (like when they land on people from jumping off buildings or drive into incoming traffic) I lose all ****ing respect for them. Disgusting, reckless and selfish.

I don't agree.

For example, yesterday was the one-year anniversary of my childhood bestfriend's death. She took her life as a result of many terrible things going on in her life (some I wasn't even aware of), but what I do know is that she loved her family and her friends. The loss is evident on a day to day basis. I live in a small town and a significant number of people were hurt and saddened by her death.

I hate it when people say it's the easy way out too. Calling it selfish is an easy label, but life is such a complex thing that I don't think it's fair to make such general statements. Maybe the same could be said for me but I think there's so much more to suicide than the act itself.

Im sorry but the sensible thing would to be seek help first not kill yourself and leave a lifetime of pain for your family

It really is the easy way out though? Instead of dealing with your problems, you just end it all. I don't see how it can be described as anything BUT the easy way out?

I disagree with it being 'selfish' in ALL cases though. Sometimes it can be.

But easy way out, most definitely. Leave everyone else to pick up the pieces.

there is no rational thought here, its a black hole that offers no solutions, we have no clue at the mo about it medically and there are no solutions or logic to make it better/understandable

Some people aren't in a fit state to get help themselves.


Sorry, I don't agree. I get where you're come from re: leaving everything behind and not wanting to deal with problems, but calling it easy just doesn't suit right with me. That's probably because of how I view the act itself though. I know there are less painful ways to take your own life, but there are some that I can't even imagine that someone's pain threshold can take. I also think that sometimes the pieces are already there for people to pick up whilst they're alive, but it unfortunately doesn't happen that way on some occasions.

I don't think it's selfish in all cases because I said in this instance it's understandable for it to be called as such.