OT - St. Bonnie board chairman suicide?

[JonInMiddleGA]

ESPN on Swan's death (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=1600302)

Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- William Swan, a banking chief executive who helped St. Bonaventure weather an eligibility scandal as the school's board chairman, died of an apparent suicide. He was 55.

Swan, who was found by his wife at their home Wednesday night, had been "despondent over issues that had occurred as a result of his positions" at the university, state police said. The coroner was conducting an autopsy.

Police wouldn't say how he died. But emergency workers responded to a report of a hanging at Swan's suburban Clarence home, according to fire control reports.

[JonInMiddleGA]

This story probably won't make much of a ripple but it just ... bothers me.

I mean, best I can tell, this is the guy who cleaned up the mess not the guy who made the mess. If anybody should have felt like swinging from the end of a rope, it should have been the villians.

Like I said, I can't fully explain why this disturbed me, it just did.

[Eaglesfan27]

Suicide in general really bothers me. Men "successfully" complete suicide 4.4 times more often then females. Furthermore, elderly men (over 55) complete suicide 12.5 times more then females. Men rarely seek out professional help when they are suffering from depression secondary to a variety of factors. I think part of it is from a sociological perspective men are just not supposed to reveal their emotional vulnerability. I know this is changing, but not enough with the most recent stastics I have just read. This really bothers me as many people don't see depression for what it is: a medical illness mediated by neurochemical changes in the brain. It can improve with a combination of medicine and therapy. Anyway, I didn't mean to rant on this board, but suicides really trouble me.

[BigDPW]

Having been in the trauma bay at my medical school and having attempted to revive a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head (~55yo who was a successful business man, father, and husband) this story brings up alot of emotions for me.

Eaglefan has just presented accurate info in relation to suicide rates in men and women as well as sucess rates. I too wish that our society would do more to address this problem (public awareness, increased funding for psychiatric programs, etc).

I grieve for Mr. Swan's family with much more compassion and empathy (and dumbfounded) after having to stop resuscitative efforts for the man I mentioned in order to allow his family to come in and say goodbye to him. (He was unresponsive and his entire body was failing as a result of irrepairable damage to his brain). I have never witnessed such intense emotions than in that room (pain, anger, grief, etc...). I continue to have flashbacks about that day and I had no emotional bond with that man at all. I shutter to think at what his family is still going through.

Having also spent time during my training as a student in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings I realize first hand the raw deal people that access these systems often get. The clinics and hospitals are vastly underfunded and are forced to offer care to the most profoundly effected individuals (paranoid schizophrenics, etc...) - often leaving little time, effort, and money for people who are simply depressed (which can be just as - if not more deadly a condition as anything).

I also agree with Eaglesfan about the social implication of "being a man" in out society and the burden that places on us to not reveal our emotions. I am not sure this will ever change enough to void the differences in suicide rates between men and women but I certainly wish it would.

[John Galt]

One thing I would quibble with in Eaglefan's post is that depression is always about chemistry. I think just as many people are too dismissive of that idea, some doctors are prone to prescribe rather than treat. Many depressions can be dealt with without drugs and through therapy. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all model for dealing with depression or suicide.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm a psychiatrist (medical doctor, not a psychologist) and I definitely agree that some depression cases can be treated without medicine and just therapy. But many studies have shown for significant depression (which is rated using scales such as the HAM-D) that the combination of therapy and medicine work best. That being said, I would say 20% of my patients receive just therapy, and no medication. Either way can work, it is just a matter of percentages. I didn't mean to imply that medications must be used every time. My main point was: suicide is a really serious problem, particularly in men. My other main point: Most men don't seek help for whatever reason (cultural, societal, etc.) I hope more men will eventually consider it acceptable to go get help if they are depressed. Those were my main points, and I didn't mean to imply all cases need medication. However, I would argue that almost all significant depression is due to a neurochemical imbalance in the brain. However, functional MRI (which is SO cool) has shown that even therapy alone can change the neurochemical activity of the brain.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Eaglesfan27
However, functional MRI (which is SO cool) has shown that even therapy alone can change the neurochemical activity of the brain.

Is there somewhere that one might read a little bit more about this? Sounds intriguing, even to a lay schmuck like myself.

[Eaglesfan27]

Psychiatry's Green Journal (the name of which is escaping me at the moment as we all just call it the green journal) had a recent article which I have a copy of and would be willing to send to you. Also, you could go to a local medical school library and get your hands on it. If you go to OVID (which is a medical literature search engine) you can use the search engine and find other articles regarding function MRI. Fortunately, I work at a research center (but I don't do research currently, I just see patients and work on my fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry) where we do work with this and it is really cool.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

I was so embarassed that I couldn't remember the official name of the Green Journal that I went into my spare office at home to see if I had any issues that I hadn't taken to my work office yet. It is the American Journal of Psychiatry. On Monday, when I head back to work I can tell you which issue has that specific issue on functional MRI and therapy. An interesting article this past month showed that Teenagers whom attempt suicide have decreased activitity (via Functional MRI) in certain parts of the brain associated with depression. Also, there is an interesting article in this month's issue which showed that people who are predisposed to stress induced depression have an abnormal allele of a sertonin transporting gene (serotonin is the chemical that is believed to be "imbalanced" in depression. The science behind many illnesses is going to progress in amazing ways the next ten to twenty years (which should still be in my lifetime :) )

By the way, if you just wanted to read general info about function MRI's, then I would suggest the following website:

http://www.functionalmri.org/

Edited to fix typo

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by John Galt
One thing I would quibble with in Eaglefan's post is that depression is always about chemistry. I think just as many people are too dismissive of that idea, some doctors are prone to prescribe rather than treat. Many depressions can be dealt with without drugs and through therapy. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all model for dealing with depression or suicide.

While I agree with John's post, I can't help but find a certain irony in it.