Looking at obituaries

[divinemistress36]

Anyone else look at obituarys and wonder if the young people on there ctb? Usually the manner of death is said but they dont say as much with suicides. I think the suicide statistics are higher than what is reported

 

[tirednwired]

I've done this a few times. For some reason when the death isn't stated I always think about what if it was a suicide, and then about what that person could have been going through, and then I get sad lol. The internet has definitely impacted my perspective of death because some people have had such an active online presence, and when they die and their obituary is posted their online profiles become frozen in time. I have so many usernames memorized of people on SaSu who made a goodbye post and then were never active again... it hits me hard. But back to your post, I definitely think the statistics are higher than what is reported, especially in young people.

 

[L'absent]

Suicide statistics are, in all likelihood, significantly underestimated, and this occurs for multiple reasons, ranging from governmental manipulations to the socio-cultural and psychological aspects surrounding the phenomenon. This underestimation includes not only direct suicides but also indirect suicides, which encompass self-destructive behaviors that are often overlooked or misinterpreted.

Governments, in an effort to maintain a positive public image or to avoid addressing the issue, often manipulate or alter suicide statistics. This has happened in the past with other societal issues, such as deaths related to HIV in the 1980s and 1990s, or the existence of LGBTQ communities denied by countries like Iran, where such realities are criminalized and censored.

Moreover, the social stigma surrounding suicide leads many families and authorities to classify these deaths as accidents, accidental overdoses, or natural causes. The fear of the Werther Effect—where media coverage of suicides could encourage imitative behavior—also pushes media outlets and authorities to downplay the numbers, further obscuring the reality.

However, there is an even more complex and often ignored aspect: indirect suicides. Many individuals overwhelmed by pain engage in self-destructive lifestyles that lead to death without committing an explicit act. Driving at extreme speeds, abusing drugs or alcohol, or deliberately exposing themselves to infectious diseases through high-risk sexual behaviors are all forms of self-destruction often classified as accidents or natural illnesses, but they represent a masked form of suicide.

These behaviors often stem from shame or fear of confronting a direct and definitive act. The phenomenon of missing persons adds another crucial dimension: millions of people go missing every year without a trace, and many of them may have chosen to end their lives far from the public eye.

When we combine all these realities—government manipulations, social stigma, indirect suicides, and missing persons—it becomes evident that the actual number of suicides is likely much higher than official estimates. Suicide is not only a visible act but a collection of behaviors and decisions reflecting a deep struggle with pain and despair. To truly address this issue, we must begin to recognize all its nuances and break the silence surrounding it.

 

[ShatteredSerenity]

One of my morbid little pasttimes is to read the daily list of deaths posted by the county medical examiner. That report has many details including cause and manner of death, full name, age, and where it occured.

One of the first things I notice about almost every day's report is just how many OD's there are, like sometimes it's almost all OD's with fentanyl being by far the most common.

Then there are the suicides, about half are by gun and state the same cause with minor variations: "Penetrating contact shotgun wound of the head".

Thre are occasionally more unusual suicides, like this one is more gruesome: "Multiple stab wounds of the neck". I looked up that guy's obituary and it omitted the caused of death, stating simply that "His journey came to an unforeseen end..." It's sad, I can't imagine what would drive someone to stab themselves in the neck, and he sounded like a great guy from the obituary.

 

[LostLily]

That would make you wonder what your obituary will look like. I bet, my parents won't even mention suicide.

 

[divinemistress36]

One of my morbid little pasttimes is to read the daily list of deaths posted by the county medical examiner. That report has many details including cause and manner of death, full name, age, and where it occured.

One of the first things I notice about almost every day's report is just how many OD's there are, like sometimes it's almost all OD's with fentanyl being by far the most common.

Then there are the suicides, about half are by gun and state the same cause with minor variations: "Penetrating contact shotgun wound of the head".

Thre are occasionally more unusual suicides, like this one is more gruesome: "Multiple stab wounds of the neck". I looked up that guy's obituary and it omitted the caused of death, stating simply that "His journey came to an unforeseen end..." It's sad, I can't imagine what would drive someone to stab themselves in the neck, and he sounded like a great guy from the obituary.

Oh wow that is a very violent painful way to go he must have been on drugs to not have SI kick in.

That would make you wonder what your obituary will look like. I bet, my parents won't even mention suicide.

It would probably say how we loved life and everyone around us loved us and other bs and our death was unexpected accident