In need of a class on "How to commit suicide"

[medic1963]

Scene 1: 28 YOF attempted suicide by overdose. Arrive on scene with law. PT's mother advised PT took a whole bottle of pills. Mother hands over the bottle. Bottle label reads "Vitamin C Supplement"

Scene 2: 44 YOM; possible suicide/attempt; gunshot heard during call in; no further response from caller.

Arrive on scene. Law on scene deems safe to enter. Officer can not keep a straight face. Led to PT sitting on couch. Gun is secured by law. PT has no obvious injuy. PT advises he had placed the gun (a 9mm auto) in his mouth and pulled the trigger. However, he was shaking so bad from being nervous about what he was going to do, he must have pulled the gun out before it fired as he missed. After the first shot rang out next to his head, he was so scared, he could not try it again. Transported PT to ward for eval.

[Just Plain Ruff]

why is this funny? Sounds like with the gun guy you could have just as easily been working a trauma code. Suicide is no laughing matter and to make fun of it trivializes it.

[AnthonyM83]

A local FFMedic had pt who tried to commit suicide by slitting his throat with a vertical cut, apparently was the second unsuccessful attempt....en-route medic informed him that to kill himself he had to cut horizontally. Short time later, they were recalled to same patient for a now successful suicide (with horizontal cut, this time).

:?

[medic1963]

why is this funny? Sounds like with the gun guy you could have just as easily been working a trauma code. Suicide is no laughing matter and to make fun of it trivializes it.

Maybe so. I apologize if my sense of humor has offended anyone. The "gunguy" was laughing while he told us what happened, so I guess you had to be there to understand the humor in it.

On a personal note: I have been to so many suicide calls where the outcome was not as good I have lost count. To many times I have had to scoop up the brains of someone who thought there was nothing left to live for. To many times have the reason for their belief, by their own note or by the family's account, been petty or trivial. Call it cold, but I have not much respect for anyone who commits or attempts suicide. In a world where all we see is death, injury, and sickness, it is a good thing to find something humorous about a possible detrimental situation.

[Richard B the EMT]

I'm going to keep this one simple: If the patient did an unsuccessful attempt at suicide, NEVER tell them a better way, as you might be the "ripped from the headlines" influence to a "Law and Order" plot line. You might be held responsible for giving the patient a "How-to" guide on killing themselves.

Suicide is only funny in one line of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado", where it is stated the punishment for suicide is death.

[JPINFV]

On a trivial side note, train engineers kill an average of 3 people over their career.

/more you know.

[DwayneEMTP]

Maybe so. I apologize if my sense of humor has offended anyone. The "gunguy" was laughing while he told us what happened, so I guess you had to be there to understand the humor in it.

On a personal note: I have been to so many suicide calls where the outcome was not as good I have lost count. To many times I have had to scoop up the brains of someone who thought there was nothing left to live for. To many times have the reason for their belief, by their own note or by the family's account, been petty or trivial. Call it cold, but I have not much respect for anyone who commits or attempts suicide. In a world where all we see is death, injury, and sickness, it is a good thing to find something humorous about a possible detrimental situation.

Agreed. This is the funny forum and certainly the appropriate place for this. In the short time I've been involved in EMS I've heard tons of 'off color' stories that I found funny...

No shame in laughing at the those stories...those that don't like to be offended are warned before entering the forum.

As to the medic explaining proper suicide techique in Anthony's post...I watched an episode of "Paramedic" (or whatever that show was) where they brought in a person with their throat slashed...while the trauma team is working on them, the medic explains, Paraphrased, "See, the mistake people make is pulling someone's head back before slitting their throat. This pulls all of the important anatomy back behind the trachea where it's protected. To do it right, you really should push the head forward, and then slit the throat. You'll have much better success."

He found that terribly funny...me...not so much.

Laughing about healthy, living people too dumb to die...well...that's kind of funny to me.

Dwayne

[evilmedic13]

[ninjaemtff]

I believe that I agree with ruff on this one...I'm not to sure that suicide..or someone attempting suicide and failing is something to joke about...

[DwayneEMTP]

I guess where I'm coming from is this...Because these folks claimed to have attempted suicide does not make it true.

So Ruff, as someone with a million years in this business, I ask respectfully, how many attempted suicides have you run on that were really attempts? I'm still in my clinicals and I've run on, say, a couple dozen...not a single one of them really wanted to die. Usually it's some incredibly drunk guy that has scratched his wrists with something and is squeezing the scratches as we walk in, trying to make them bleed. His pain? Not funny. His behavior? Funny.

The psychological literature is full of studies on suicide, and nearly unanimously will tell you that people that want to kill themselves, do. It's not rocket science, it's simple. The failures are, by and large, posers...pretenders.

That's what I find funny about those stories. These were not attempted suicides at all. They were a couple of goofy kids looking for attention, for help.

If they'd wanted to be dead, both would now be dead.

One of my best friends in the world hung herself not long ago after calling me for help for a month. I was too busy to call her back. That is the 3rd suicide of someone I've loved in my life. I'm no stranger to this subject.

(See! Right there, if I wouldn't have spoiled it for them someone would have posted..."Hmmm, do you suppose there's a reason the people that know you are killing themselves?" If you're my friend, like many here...that's funny! If not = ass beating.)

So for me. Suicide = not funny. Silly pretend attempts w/o injury = Sometimes hilarious.

Dwayne