I cant describe my feelings....

[EgHunny]

I think my dad tried to overdose on meds. Serious meds too... The ones that if you take an extra one, it could cause serious problems. My dad is one of those people that if something goes bad, he thinks it is his fault.

I am hurt, angry, upset, that he would do that. He has so much going for him right now. So what if they are having a hard time with money. Its not enough to hurt or kill yourself over. And this isnt the first time either...

He almost hung himself when I was 8... I dunno what to do anymore, except ask him why? I feel like I am the problem...

So please pray for my dad... Maybe one will get through to him enough that he will stop this...

[twinfawn]

I am so sorry Hun.......:( I will say a prayer for him, and maybe mine will be the one to get thru to him.....JUst hang in there, it is not your fault.....PLease don't blame yourself....... :(

[EgHunny]

I am so sorry Hun.......:( I will say a prayer for him, and maybe mine will be the one to get thru to him.....JUst hang in there, it is not your fault.....PLease don't blame yourself....... :(


TY :( I just dont know what to do... I want to ask him y, because this is really bothering me. With all the things that are going wrong in our family right now (really too many to list), I cannot lose my dad right now...

I am going to have a heart attack... To much stress going on right now. I need to scream, and I need him here with me...

[bell_peaches]

Go ahead and scream works wonders don't hold it in. Saying prayers for you and dad. Remember its not your fault he did this. You did not give him the extra meds. ((((((((((HUGS))))))))))

[Eyore]

Will pray for you and your dad. Ask though why he did it? And no it isn't your fault. I kind of know what your going through except it was my son.
In 1997 shortly after he graduated he tried committing suicide. The first time someone found out and we talked to him some. He wouldn't tell us his reasons. We thought everything was ok. Well later in the summer we went to IN to visit my sister and the night before we were to leave to come home we got a phone call that he was in the hospital he tried again. This time he bought a lot of over the counter sleeping aids and took them. The hospital told my sister in law anther half hour and it would have been to late.
He was in the children's mental ward for a while and he turned 18 while there. They were going to move him in with the adults and I lost it. I had heard stories about the adult ward and didn't want him there. We finally found a christen place to help him. It was in Virginia. He was there for a few weeks he finally opened up and talked to them at the hospital. He is doing good now. He is in college in FL. I think he is going to be a professional student though, LOL.
So, yes I kind of know what you are going through. Committing suicide is a selfish act. The person is thinking of themselves only not anyone else. Talk to your dad. Maybe he needs to seek counseling for help. And yes we blamed ourselves with what did we do wrong. But we didn't do anything wrong. It was a personal struggle he was dealing with. Hope things work out and I will pray for him and you.

[Angel Lips]

Im sorry, Im sending prayers your way for you and your dad. ((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))

[llbriteyes]

By all means, ask him. Chances are, if he's tried to commit suicide several times, he may have a mental disorder like depression or manic depression. He needs to be evaluated by a trained mental health professional to know for sure.

He doesn't have to live like that, and neither do you. If he won't go, take him to his regular MD, and go in with him to explain whats been going on.

I wish you luck, and him good mental health.

Linda

[Tasha405]

By all means, ask him. Chances are, if he's tried to commit suicide several times, he may have a mental disorder like depression or manic depression. He needs to be evaluated by a trained mental health professional to know for sure.

He doesn't have to live like that, and neither do you. If he won't go, take him to his regular MD, and go in with him to explain whats been going on.

I wish you luck, and him good mental health.

Linda
ITA! He may need some help to cope with his problems. {{{Hugs}}}

[jonette5]

I am sending you (((((BIG HUGS))))and lots of prayers. Please don't blame yourself, it is not your fault. Someone who tries to commit suicide is not mentally healthy at that point and needs help. No one can be to blame. Please help your father get the mental help he needs. Take care and stay strong.

[YankeeMary]

EG, I am so sorry hun. I wish I knew what to tell you, I just don't. Know that I am here if it helps. Sometimes death seems the only way out when you are in that frame of mind, try to get him to the doc if he won't go, maybe you could talk him into taking St. John's it will help with the depression with out the prescription. I will pray for your family hun.

Eyore I am glad you son is doing better, must have been so hard on you.

[Eyore]

YankeeMary, Yes it was very hard time for my family. And nothing I care to go through again. He was diagnosed Bipolar, and he is also ADD. Plus he had a secret he was hiding. I think that is what drove him to try suicide was his secret. He is gay and was afraid to tell anyone or us. He was afraid we would disown him. The thing was I knew before all this started and never said anything figured he would tell us if he wanted us to know.
He knows we don't approve of gay relationships but it is his life and I would never turn my back on my kids.
We did a lot of praying during that time and asking why he did it. Because at the time we didn't know.

[kabcrisp]

I have read a lot of posts here over the years. . .

This one breaks my heart. . . You and your family are in my prayers. I wish you and your father peace and clarity.

Good luck to you.

[schsa]

Your dad chose to take his life because the pain of living was so overwhelming that he prefered death to living with the pain. I understand completely because I have been there. And I am bi-polar as well. Do not blame yourself for anything that he has done. But understand that his pain is far beyond anything that you will ever experience in your life.

Do not be angry. Or mad. Do be supportive and loving. Don't point fingers or tell him that he's done something wrong. He doesn't need the guilt. He has enough of that.

Encourage him to see a psychiatrist and encourage him to find the right medications to help him. Believe me when I say he is far beyond St. John's Wort and people who are bi-polar can end up far worse off by taking it. And remind him over and over again that you love him and care about him. That who he is is far more important to you alive and you need him in your life. Tell him that he can come to you if he needs anything.

You are dealing with a very fragile mind. He has a chemical imbalance that makes him paranoid, flighty, angry, irresponsible, unbelievably sad and overwhelmingly happy and those emotional states can happen in just a few minutes. Be kind. Be caring. Be his friend. He needs one now more than ever.

[EgHunny]

Thanks guys. Today we did an intervention with him.... He said (I dont know whether to believe this or not) that the first pill didnt help him at all, and was going to try 2 when the second dose came around.

I told him about the side effects of taking two pills at once, and he started crying. So hopefully this wont happen again. But we are watching. Now I think I need some sleep. All I kept dreaming about was my grandma...

[schsa]

It sounds as if his meds were not working properly. I think that if he gets on the right meds and the right dosage (and it takes time to do it) he will get better. Invervention is good. And like I said be supportive. He needs your love now more than ever.

[YankeeMary]

[QUOTE=schsa] Believe me when I say he is far beyond St. John's Wort and people who are bi-polar can end up far worse off by taking it.

I didn't know he was bipolar, didn't remember reading that. But I will say this my stepdaughter is bipolar and her doc. told her to take St. Johns Wort in the beginning (reason it is cheaper than prescription) and she is fine. But after a year or so they had to put her on other meds, therefore deleting the St. Johns.
I merely suggested St. Johns, if he wouldn't go to the doc, since you don't have to have a prescription.
I also have to add that just because someone is suicidal doesn't make them bipolar.

[schsa]

Generally speaking, St John's Wort is used for very mild depression. And Bi-polar has many different degrees. I am more depressed than manic. My BF is more manic than depressed. We take different meds but we are both bi-polar. I am also considered Clinically Depressed with PTSD. St Johns Wort would not have begun to treat my depression. But let me say again, there are different degrees of illness. Some more severe than others.

All I was saying is that when you reach the point where you are suicidal, St John's Wort is probably not going to be a first choice for your doctor to prescribe. The chemical imbalance that leads you to suicide truely needs to be treated with prescription medications that can help bring your seratonin levels into line as well as the other chemicals that are out of balance.

[llbriteyes]

EG, I am so sorry hun. I wish I knew what to tell you, I just don't. Know that I am here if it helps. Sometimes death seems the only way out when you are in that frame of mind, try to get him to the doc if he won't go, maybe you could talk him into taking St. John's it will help with the depression with out the prescription. I will pray for your family hun.

Eyore I am glad you son is doing better, must have been so hard on you.

A note of STW... Yes, it is natural. That doesn't mean its safe. Check with a qualified medical/mental professional before taking ANYTHING... including herbs.

L

[llbriteyes]

Your dad chose to take his life because the pain of living was so overwhelming that he prefered death to living with the pain. I understand completely because I have been there. And I am bi-polar as well. Do not blame yourself for anything that he has done. But understand that his pain is far beyond anything that you will ever experience in your life.

Do not be angry. Or mad. Do be supportive and loving. Don't point fingers or tell him that he's done something wrong. He doesn't need the guilt. He has enough of that.

Encourage him to see a psychiatrist and encourage him to find the right medications to help him. Believe me when I say he is far beyond St. John's Wort and people who are bi-polar can end up far worse off by taking it. And remind him over and over again that you love him and care about him. That who he is is far more important to you alive and you need him in your life. Tell him that he can come to you if he needs anything.

You are dealing with a very fragile mind. He has a chemical imbalance that makes him paranoid, flighty, angry, irresponsible, unbelievably sad and overwhelmingly happy and those emotional states can happen in just a few minutes. Be kind. Be caring. Be his friend. He needs one now more than ever.

And yet again... I couldn't have said it better.

L

[llbriteyes]

Thanks guys. Today we did an intervention with him.... He said (I dont know whether to believe this or not) that the first pill didnt help him at all, and was going to try 2 when the second dose came around.

I told him about the side effects of taking two pills at once, and he started crying. So hopefully this wont happen again. But we are watching. Now I think I need some sleep. All I kept dreaming about was my grandma...

Unfortunately, an intervention can cause someone bipolar to turn in. We have many faces we wear. He's old enough to know what the effects will be, especially if he can read the bottle. Many times, just taking one more will cause you to get a little sick, but won't cause you to die.

My advice? Don't "watch" him. It will belittle him and make him feel off balance. Its like hiding the food from a bulimic. If he truly wants to kill himself, he will, and watching him won't prevent it. Sometimes, people can be in so much pain that suicide is the only way out. I know what I'm talking about. As Scsha knows firsthand, so do I.

He needs intensive help in order to get this under control. Serious mental health care. I would recommend a qualified psychopharmacologist. Someone who KNOWS meds and how they mix. Keep in mind that this is CHEMICAL. In the brain. He is mentally ill, not mentally retarded. Treat him accordingly (as you would someone with say... diabetes). Let him know you are there for him whatever he needs... and mean it. Its really easy for people to blow off the mentally ill BECAUSE they're mentally ill. Read up on his disorder. Learn as much as you can. A couple great sites are: www.nami.org and www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/76.cfm.

Most of all, let him know you love him UNconditionally. Don't let him hibernate. Bipolar disorder can be a terminal illness if allowed to be. It doesn't HAVE to be.

If I have offended you or anyone else with this post, I am truly sorry. Its important to know what you're dealing with.

Linda