A friend of mine attempted suicide

Forgive me if I’m posting this in the wrong sub. I just found out an old friend attempted suicide by taking 60 blood pressure pills. Now I’m left wondering—could she actually have died from that many? I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before. What do you all think? And how on earth am I supposed to act when I go to visit her at the hospital? I really, truly hope she pulls through.

Asking random people if she could have died from that many pills or what the long-term damage might be is irresponsible. You aren't going to get real answers from strangers. If she wants to tell you, she will. Doctors and nurses can't say a damn thing without her explicit permission anyway. Personally? I think she could have. Taking 60 tablets of almost anything can be fatal—it just depends on the strength, her physical condition, her health, all that stuff.

The main thing is to not judge her. Honestly, don't even ask why she did it right now. It's too raw. Just wait a bit. She needs a friend right now, not a jury. I had a friend who ended up in a psych ward once—not for a suicide attempt, but still—and she didn't want anyone visiting. So, there's a question of whether you should even go see her while she's this vulnerable, especially if you guys go way back.

That said, sometimes it’s good to show that even if you haven't talked in a while, the bond isn't broken and you're still friends. Maybe she felt isolated and is realizing now that she didn't have to be. From what I know about when someone's mental health breaks, people usually feel alienated and vulnerable, which is where those dark thoughts come from. You have to help pull her back into the world so she sees there's still good stuff out there. It’s not about how many people are around you; it’s about having real friends who actually give a damn. 🙂

Grandparents are popping those supplements like they're candy every single day.
Listen, you should probably tease her about it constantly—remind her how she tried to get started. It keeps the pressure on so she doesn't lose motivation.
Once someone feels like they've already failed at something, they usually just give up to avoid feeling embarrassed again.

Blood pressure medication?
It’s a tricky subject, really, because those pills are designed to bring high blood pressure down, not push it up—that’s the whole point of them being labeled as hypertension medication in the first place. Most people aren't actually losing sleep over low blood pressure; it’s the high stuff that keeps you up at night, since that's what triggers strokes or heart attacks. On the flip side, when blood pressure drops too low, you run the risk of passing out because your heart isn't pumping enough oxygen and nutrients through your bloodstream, which is probably why she was unconscious when she was found.
So, if someone were to take a massive handful of medication intended for *low* blood pressure, they would likely end up facing a stroke or a heart attack because those drugs work by pushing the pressure back toward a normal range. But here’s the scary part: if you go way beyond the recommended dose, your blood pressure can easily skyrocket toward or even past 200!
And honestly, we shouldn't forget that the general consequences of swallowing a huge pile of pills can include severe poisoning or permanent damage to your internal organs and so on.

What can you actually do?
You can go visit her, certainly, but please, let’s not jump straight into judging her right now. There is absolutely no benefit to being judgmental, especially since I suspect her family and doctors have already given her plenty of grief. What she truly needs right now is some genuine support—to feel like she has a friend she can actually talk to about everything without feeling attacked.

Sarah Nguyen96 said:Grandparents are popping those supplements like they're candy every single day.
Listen, you should probably tease her about it constantly—remind her how she tried to get started. It keeps the pressure on so she doesn't lose motivation.
Once someone feels like they've already failed at something, they usually just give up to avoid feeling embarrassed again.

I hope you're joking, because if not, you're being a total idiot.🙂>

All I can tell you is how I feel when I’m going through those depressive stretches.
I honestly can't stand—actually, I loathe—it when people try to drop by just to "cheer me up."
I just want to be left alone.
I'm not saying this is the right way to handle things, nor that everyone feels the same, but personally? I wouldn't go pay her a visit.

Patrick Watson said:I hope you're joking, because if not, you're being a total idiot.🙂>

Bridget—that isn’t just some monkey business; it’s a full-blown condition called idiocy. 👎

nimbleharbor54 said:Bridget—that isn’t just some monkey business; it’s a full-blown condition called idiocy. 👎

It’s just a provocation—honestly, some people just live to stir the pot.

Back when I was nineteen, I attempted to end it all by taking a cocktail of pills. To be perfectly honest, the last thing I wanted to see were my friends—or what I *thought* were my friends. In reality, I didn't care to look at anyone for very long. I only ever discussed the whole ordeal with the therapist they assigned to me, and even then, it was only because they practically forced me to talk. Beyond that, I kept it to myself. It took an incredibly long time before I could even bring up the subject with my parents, let alone actually process it out loud with them. For the most part, everything I ever wanted to say was poured into a suicide note. My only desire was to simply vanish from this earth. I wasn't even angry at anyone, or anything... I was just empty enough to want to disappear.

Andrew Doyle said:Back when I was nineteen, I attempted to end it all by taking a cocktail of pills. To be perfectly honest, the last thing I wanted to see were my friends—or what I *thought* were my friends. In reality, I didn't care to look at anyone for very long. I only ever discussed the whole ordeal with the therapist they assigned to me, and even then, it was only because they practically forced me to talk. Beyond that, I kept it to myself. It took an incredibly long time before I could even bring up the subject with my parents, let alone actually process it out loud with them. For the most part, everything I ever wanted to say was poured into a suicide note. My only desire was to simply vanish from this earth. I wasn't even angry at anyone, or anything... I was just empty enough to want to disappear.

I suspect the reasons you had back then probably seem pretty ridiculous to you now. 😉

Charles Rodriguez37 said:I suspect the reasons you had back then probably seem pretty ridiculous to you now. 😉

Laughable? Absolutely not. They weren't funny then, and they sure as hell aren't funny now. That pattern of self-destruction might have changed its outward appearance, but the core remains exactly the same. I'm still dealing with psych meds and seeing a therapist today. So, let me be very clear: this stuff is never a joke.

Andrew Doyle said:Laughable? Absolutely not. They weren't funny then, and they sure as hell aren't funny now. That pattern of self-destruction might have changed its outward appearance, but the core remains exactly the same. I'm still dealing with psych meds and seeing a therapist today. So, let me be very clear: this stuff is never a joke.

Respect.

I don't know what is wrong with people, thinking they have to brush off everything living with that "it all passes" nonsense... well, maybe some things don't just pass. It's like saying a war is funny right now, or that events during wartime are jokes... or that losing family members is somehow amusing when you look back at it. People really ought to use their brains once in a while.😵

God, it's exhausting... sexual assault, pedophilia, violence, workplace harassment, bullying... you name the pathology, it exists. Yet everyone treats it like a punchline, sipping their coffee and acting like it's all just one big joke.☕

People need actual help, not just random passersby tossing out their supposed "world wisdom" as they walk past. They practically spit it at you. Honestly, just leave them alone.🙂

Adam Gray said:Forgive me if I’m posting this in the wrong sub. I just found out an old friend attempted suicide by taking 60 blood pressure pills. Now I’m left wondering—could she actually have died from that many? I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before. What do you all think? And how on earth am I supposed to act when I go to visit her at the hospital? I really, truly hope she pulls through.

If I were in your shoes, I would act as if the suicide attempt hadn't happened. I'd talk about whatever normal things we would normally discuss if we were meeting up. Now, listen—I wouldn't ignore the situation or the circumstances entirely, but I certainly wouldn't go poking at a topic that is still so raw. Who knows what is going through her mind? Of course, I would always say, "If you want to talk, you can turn to me, and I won't judge you." Everyone who knows me knows that's my policy, but again... I would only mention it if the opportunity naturally arose.

P.S. I have a friend—well, an acquaintance now—who has been struggling with suicidal ideation for quite some time. That’s actually why I distanced myself from him when I started going through my own dark period (I spent about two years completely obsessed with the idea of suicide)... I figured it was better not to be drowning together. 😬 One should respect a person in any situation and realize that you cannot live someone else's life; everyone deals with their problems in their own way. Offer a hand, help when necessary—but it's up to each individual to figure out when the time is right. Don't be too harsh on yourself or others. Humanity seems to be a lost value these days... a moral crisis, hypocrisy... everything comes with a price, but even this conversation feels too narrow for such heavy topics. Ah, just let me off the leash.😬

Adam Gray said:Forgive me if I’m posting this in the wrong sub. I just found out an old friend attempted suicide by taking 60 blood pressure pills. Now I’m left wondering—could she actually have died from that many? I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before. What do you all think? And how on earth am I supposed to act when I go to visit her at the hospital? I really, truly hope she pulls through.

You're a good friend, seriously.😉

Since I couldn't find an open thread here specifically discussing suicide, and seeing as one was recently locked, I wanted to bring up the connection between mental health crises and road safety. Specifically, can we do anything to help people before they take their own lives and end up killing innocent bystanders in the process?
I actually started a discussion on another thread about a highway accident where it looks like the driver went the wrong way on a major interstate, essentially committing suicide and taking two innocent people with them.
What kind of methods could actually identify these types of tendencies in drivers?
Can extreme road rage triggered by someone else's minor mistake be seen as a red flag for this, or is it something else entirely? More importantly, can society implement any effective ways to mitigate the fallout from these disorders?
Has anyone here ever felt a similar impulse—just pure, dark frustration with traffic situations?
I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences or any personal struggles you've dealt with regarding mental health.

lonehound14 said:Since I couldn't find an open thread here specifically discussing suicide, and seeing as one was recently locked, I wanted to bring up the connection between mental health crises and road safety. Specifically, can we do anything to help people before they take their own lives and end up killing innocent bystanders in the process?
I actually started a discussion on another thread about a highway accident where it looks like the driver went the wrong way on a major interstate, essentially committing suicide and taking two innocent people with them.
What kind of methods could actually identify these types of tendencies in drivers?
Can extreme road rage triggered by someone else's minor mistake be seen as a red flag for this, or is it something else entirely? More importantly, can society implement any effective ways to mitigate the fallout from these disorders?
Has anyone here ever felt a similar impulse—just pure, dark frustration with traffic situations?
I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences or any personal struggles you've dealt with regarding mental health.

The issue at hand is merely a cough... in the worst-case scenario, perhaps pneumonia. But what you’re describing here is a much more dangerous sort of "illness." If we are following the clinical definitions used by psychiatrists, that would be classified as a disease—a permanent pathology. A disorder, on the other hand, tends to be something more short-term, though I suppose it can certainly evolve into a full-blown disease over time. Now, I should clarify that I am hardly an expert on this. I’ve just spent a little bit of time looking into the terminology to get my bearings. I don't mean to lecture you or act like I have all the answers—as I said, I’m no professional. ☕

Has anyone else here experienced those sudden, inexplicable surges of agitation—perhaps even a physical urge to lash out—simply because of the sheer absurdity of certain traffic situations? I find myself wondering if it's just me, or if others have felt that specific brand of road rage simmering beneath the surface after dealing with particularly incompetent drivers on the interstate.

I must admit, I was feeling so profoundly despondent earlier that I nearly ended it all right there in the middle of a crosswalk. It was quite a grim scene, really. I felt as though I were drifting through this life entirely numb, almost suicidal in my apathy toward the oncoming traffic. To be perfectly honest, no one even blinked; not a single soul seemed to notice or care that someone was essentially inviting disaster on a public street. I suppose I should clarify, though—I didn't actually go through with it. I lacked the nerve, I guess. And, when I sit back and reflect on it with a bit more distance, the whole thing was rather foolish. Just a momentary lapse into a very dark, very irrational headspace.

... if I recall correctly, how did Einstein define it? It seems rather futile, doesn't it? I suppose there is a certain level of absurdity in repeating the exact same action over and over again while somehow expecting a different outcome. It’s a cycle that feels both predictable and entirely exhausting.

Objectively speaking, people continue to suffer, and quite frankly, nothing ever seems to change regarding this issue. I suppose if I were to face my own misfortune again, it wouldn't actually alter the course of anything; the only certain outcome would be that those around me would simply end up grieving even more deeply after everything that has transpired. So... we see thousands of suicides occurring, yet what exactly has been achieved? It remains clear that suicide is still treated as a taboo subject in this country. One could argue there hasn't been any real progress at all. 😵 It seems we have arrived at that familiar, rather tiresome crossroads where censorship once again emerges as one of the primary instruments of modern society. I suppose it’s almost predictable at this stage. It serves as a convenient mechanism to enforce a certain brand of conformist, local primitivism—if one can even call it that. It’s all quite wearying, really.

People generally fail to grasp the reality of things... I suppose there is a certain necessity in stepping away from this immediate environment to experience different cultures and social structures. It allows one to see that living in peace and genuine happiness isn't just some manufactured concept or a display of hypocrisy—it’s actually possible. Somewhere else, perhaps in a different part of the country or even abroad, the value placed on human life feels far more authentic than the constant, muddy friction we deal with here. There are places where people look out for one another, not because they fear legal repercussions or a fine, but out of a fundamental respect for life and a sincere desire to maintain the community they inhabit. They don't wish ill upon their neighbors, simply because they realize that acting with malice ultimately degrades the very environment they themselves have to live in. I guess it's just a matter of perspective, but it's certainly worth considering. 🙂

I certainly didn't intend to cause harm to anyone else... not ever, really. Regardless of how one looks at it, I suppose I am relieved that the whole ordeal is behind us. If I may digress slightly—as I was mentioning a few posts back—there is an acquaintance of mine who has spent years creating nothing but chaos for himself and everyone around him. Yet, nobody reacts, and frankly, it doesn't seem like anyone ever will. He isn't the only one, of course, but he is certainly a primary reason why these types of situations keep repeating themselves. It seems far easier for "society" to simply dismiss these behaviors as some sort of natural phenomenon or just "the way the world works" rather than actually standing up and doing something about it. Pardon my bluntness, but I doubt anyone is losing any sleep over that realization. Meanwhile, due to what feels like a massive wave of collective schizophrenia, many more people will continue to suffer. Life is moving faster and faster; everyone is constantly rushed, perpetually stressed, and increasingly on edge. Aggression has become a sought-after trait. It’s this pervasive "strike first before you're struck" mentality. It is almost as if being predatory is being celebrated as some sort of desirable "alpha" characteristic. I suppose that is just the state of things now. 😵 I suppose one could argue that you’re being presented with pure, unadulterated primitivism, served up right on a silver platter. Or perhaps it's more like being handed a blunt instrument when you were expecting a scalpel. I don't know. It feels rather crude, doesn't it? One might even say it's being offered quite brazenly. ☕

I suppose I should express my gratitude to everyone here for sharing their personal experiences and opening up about their own mental health struggles. It’s quite a lot to take in, I guess.

Why exactly are you feeling thankful?
What kind of benefit do you actually get from hearing all these confessions?
.. I would be grateful if you could provide an answer to that. 😛

lonehound14 said:Since I couldn't find an open thread here specifically discussing suicide, and seeing as one was recently locked, I wanted to bring up the connection between mental health crises and road safety. Specifically, can we do anything to help people before they take their own lives and end up killing innocent bystanders in the process?
I actually started a discussion on another thread about a highway accident where it looks like the driver went the wrong way on a major interstate, essentially committing suicide and taking two innocent people with them.
What kind of methods could actually identify these types of tendencies in drivers?
Can extreme road rage triggered by someone else's minor mistake be seen as a red flag for this, or is it something else entirely? More importantly, can society implement any effective ways to mitigate the fallout from these disorders?
Has anyone here ever felt a similar impulse—just pure, dark frustration with traffic situations?
I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences or any personal struggles you've dealt with regarding mental health.

I have no clue. Go watch "Minority Report"—maybe you'll stumble upon some brilliant idea there...

lonehound14 said:Since I couldn't find an open thread here specifically discussing suicide, and seeing as one was recently locked, I wanted to bring up the connection between mental health crises and road safety. Specifically, can we do anything to help people before they take their own lives and end up killing innocent bystanders in the process?
I actually started a discussion on another thread about a highway accident where it looks like the driver went the wrong way on a major interstate, essentially committing suicide and taking two innocent people with them.
What kind of methods could actually identify these types of tendencies in drivers?
Can extreme road rage triggered by someone else's minor mistake be seen as a red flag for this, or is it something else entirely? More importantly, can society implement any effective ways to mitigate the fallout from these disorders?
Has anyone here ever felt a similar impulse—just pure, dark frustration with traffic situations?
I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences or any personal struggles you've dealt with regarding mental health.

No, I haven't felt any such impulses so far...