[cpayne5]

Originally Posted by BaltimoreSkins

How A Patient's Suicide Changed A Doctor's Approach To Guns : Shots - Health News : NPR

Kind of off topic but they started off the radio segment stating that 2/3rds of all gun deaths in the U.S. are from suicides. I think this speaks volumes of the importance of improving our mental health programs and providing general practitioners with resources to aid diagnosing and treating disorders such as depression. This is basically the transcript of the radio piece but both can be accessed from the website.

I've had two family members kill themselves without the use of guns. One used an herbicide, the other a plastic bag. If someone wants out of this world, they will find a way out. The one family member who asphyxiated himself was not known to be depressed. Like many of like mind, he knew how to hide it so that it could not be diagnosed or noticed. He didn't want to be treated. As long as these people don't take out others in the process, then I have no problem with their decision to take their own lives.