Let the guy who's spent the last 15 months trying to figure out how to solve the army suicide problem come up with a phrase that can help anyone who cares about suicide prevention.
Army Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commenting on a recently released military report on suicide and high-risk behavior, said:
"For some, the rigors of service, repeated deployments, injuries and family separations have resulted in a sense of loneliness, hopelessness and life's fatigue."
Life fatigue.
This phrase captures very well the combination of hopelessness and anger, feelings of being trapped, anxious and in a bad mood, which are warning signs of suicide.
It is also a testament to the utter exhaustion a suicidal person feels when it reaches the point where it seems best to end emotional pain by ending life entirely.
I'm always looking for better and easier ways to talk about suicide and suicide prevention, terms that simplify conversations and clarify solutions.
For me, that term long ago, gives a greater voice to the sighs of people who say, "I've had enough." This illustrates just how far and how far these feelings go - it's not just about getting tired of being tired of war or difficult relationships and family responsibilities, but about being tired of life, of everything.
Diagnosis (psychiatrists and other mental health service providers) may incorporate a question using a term such as "vital fatigue" into an individual's assessment. I think about how many people could get the help they need sooner because, yes, they are feeling the fatigue of life and, yes, they would like not to feel that.
This term could be used in a campaign to encourage people to ask for help. It could be used in place of other words so loaded with negative connotations that people are afraid to use them to describe their own feelings for fear of being labeled and stigmatized.
I wonder what makes some mental health terms more attractive than others. Do you have any ideas about what contributes to the growth of some terms and the obsolescence of others? What do you think of this "vital fatigue" idea?
Copyright 2010 Elana Premack Sandler, All Rights Reserved
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