Aasra Suicide Prevention.This blog is about getting people to talk about their innermost feelings and emotions in times of distress and despair.All discussions are about the issue of suicide, mental health and it's effect on society. Aasra Helpline for the depressed and suicidal. 91-22-27546669(24x7)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Coping Skills workshop, UPG College , TY BMM students
Coping Skills workshop conducted at UPG college by Aasra director, Johnson Thomas on 21st Feb Tues, 2012, bet 11 am and 1 pm
Autism - Important facts
What are the characteristics of children suffering from Autism?
There are many common patterns of characteristics noticed in children with Autism. It is not necessary that all children suffering from Autism would exhibit exactly the same characteristics. I have divided this article in to two parts due to its length and extensive data. The first part is as follows:
Physical Characteristics: Children with autism are usually normal looking with very few or no physical signs indicating autism. Some of the children may have ear malformations and lateralization is under developed for the age and usually they are ambidextrous.
Behavioral Characteristics: There are major behavioral issues in many children with autism. Some of the known behavioral characteristics are:
Lack of social relatedness: A child with autism may not smile at parents or show any kind of affection (hugging, kissing, calling out, inclination to be picked up and taken in arms) or want for parents and other people around. Eye contact is very poorly developed and usually they look down or in the opposite direction while communicating. Ability to make friends is nearly absent till a very later age. I have encountered children with autism sitting for hours together but not a word of communication be it verbal or nonverbal. It often looks like other children do not exist for the autistic child. They seem to be self occupied and happy in their own world.
Play patterns: They show strong attachment to routines and a change in the routine is not welcomed. Play patters are not age appropriate and they resort to repetitive and isolated play rather than group or constructive play. For e.g. lining up objects, playing with one specific part of a toy rather than the whole, starring at objects, over attachment to one toy or insignificant object, rotating or twisting objects, inability to follow rules and boundaries of games, etc
Cognitive skills: many children with autism respond and relate more quickly to visual spatial skills than verbal language, for e.g. children with autism understand visual images (picture of a toilet) more than verbal commands (instructions to go to the toilet). One notable feature noticed in many children with autism is inability to understand feelings or emotions of others around them, thus making it difficult for them to engage in social reciprocation, for e.g. If you tell a autistic child that you have hurt your head he or she may laugh or have no response.
Language difficulties: there is a myth that autistic children do not speak because of lack of motivation or reluctance to speak. Many a times the child appears non verbal but often babbles words and reproduces them exactly the correct way confusing the parent about the ability to speak and this is often misinterpreted as lack of motivation to speak. Language delay and deviance is one the most striking feature of autism. Autistic children have trouble putting words together and making a logical and coherent sentence even if they have excellent word vocabulary, for e.g. if you ask an autistic child “Did you have your breakfast?”, many of them would repeat the question “Did you have your breakfast?” instead of giving a “yes or no” answer.
Non-verbal language is also impaired but is usually better than verbal language. Echolalia is a prominent feature and autistic children often repeat words, phrases, sentences with or without context. For e.g.: “Bathroom, Bathroom Bathroom”. One of the cases that I handled had this peculiar behavior of picking up selective words and then reproducing them in the form of a poem. For e.g. if I said the school bell will ring in sometime, so the child said “Ding dong bell kitty in the well, ding dong bell” Pronoun reversals like “You want the ice cream” instead of “I want the ice cream” are often seen. Articulation errors like “titu for tissue”, “twim for swim” etc are common. They often develop a different voice tone and rhythm to communicate and that distinguishes them from other children.
, part II.
Cognitive skills: many children with autism respond and relate more quickly to visual spatial skills than verbal language, for e.g. children with autism understand visual images (picture of a toilet) more than verbal commands (instructions to go to the toilet). One notable feature noticed in many children with autism is inability to understand feelings or emotions of others around them, thus making it difficult for them to engage in social reciprocation, for e.g. If you tell a autistic child that you have hurt your head he or she may laugh or have no response.
Language difficulties: there is a myth that autistic children do not speak because of lack of motivation or reluctance to speak. Many a times the child appears non verbal but often babbles words and reproduces them exactly the correct way confusing the parent about the ability to speak and this is often misinterpreted as lack of motivation to speak. Language delay and deviance is one the most striking feature of autism. Autistic children have trouble putting words together and making a logical and coherent sentence even if they have excellent word vocabulary, for e.g. if you ask an autistic child “Did you have your breakfast?”, many of them would repeat the question “Did you have your breakfast?” instead of giving a “yes or no” answer.
Non-verbal language is also impaired but is usually better than verbal language. Echolalia is a prominent feature and autistic children often repeat words, phrases, sentences with or without context. For e.g.: “Bathroom, Bathroom Bathroom”. One of the cases that I handled had this peculiar behavior of picking up selective words and then reproducing them in the form of a poem. For e.g. if I said the school bell will ring in sometime, so the child said “Ding dong bell kitty in the well, ding dong bell” Pronoun reversals like “You want the ice cream” instead of “I want the ice cream” are often seen. Articulation errors like “titu for tissue”, “twim for swim” etc are common. They often develop a different voice tone and rhythm to communicate and that distinguishes them from other children.
, part II.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Anti bullying, anti-ragging video-Brian
My secrets video - It Gets Better
My Secrets Video. This is my story. My hope is that you share my message with as many people as you can and stand up for the dark horses!
I wou...
2,443 views
savealifeful uploaded
My secrets video - It Gets Better
My Secrets Video. This is my story. My hope is that you share my message with as many people as you can and stand up for the dark horses!
I wou...
2,443 views
savealifeful uploaded
Monday, February 20, 2012
Understanding suicide thjrough the eyes of a PHd who interviewed people less than 24 hours after they attempted suicide
I interviewed people less than 24 hours after they attempted suicide. Ask me anything- Tara De Liberto, PHd Psychology
For two years I worked on an NIH funded study at a major metropolitan general hospital before starting my PhD in psychology. Personal Blog: www.SwankPsych.com
What happens to someone after they attempt suicide? Are they forced to stay in a facility until they're deemed 'stable'?
It depends, actually. Many people make attempts that are not serious - especially as they can sometimes be very impulsive. A lot of people, for instance, drink heavily, periodically sink further into a depression, and decide to attempt quite suddenly without any type of preconceived plan.
If the attempts are not that serious and the person displays a will to live, commitment to outpatient treatment etc., the person is not forced into an inpatient treatment. In fact, people are more rarely forced into an inpatient treatment against their will (at least speaking from my experience in the U.S.). If the person is not in contact with reality however, and has psychotic features (e.g. they are hearing voices, think the TV is speaking to them), they are more likely to be held against their will for a period of time. If they also display distress at the suicide attempt failing, continued wish to die, have no support system, have access to lethal means (e.g. a gun), and an intent to re-attempt, they may also be mandated to stay. Do you believe it's ever the correct move to commit suicide?
Interesting question. I don't believe it is my right to tell anyone whether or not it is moral to take their lives. Especially if people are in unbearable emotional or physical pain, they should have the choice in continuing to live or dying. After all, none of us ever had a choice in being born in the first place.
Some of the stories I have heard from the people in the psychiatric emergency room are simply horrifying. From learning not only about the traumatic events people have experienced but their long-term every day repercussions, I can begin to understand why someone may chose to no longer live.
Ironically, as a therapist, I find having this stance is very beneficial. Understanding the client in this way without pretending to know what is moral fosters trust and strengths the relationship.
While the type of therapy I practice with people who are suicidal is certainly focused on keeping people alive with research validated techniques and methods, we have to respect a person's right to chose.
Were there specific reasons why they attempted suicide, or did they have a mental illness?
Rarely do people without a serious mental illness attempt to take their own lives. If my memory of statistics serves me well, about 90% of people who attempt suicide are diagnosed with a mental illness.
I interviewed about 60 people who attempted suicide w/in the past 24 hours and all had a mental illness.
One person, though, had a major depressive episode that was triggered after a specific incident involving the community placing blame on him after a death. While the patient had a history of depression, he was not currently experiencing depression before the incident.
In short, it is exceedingly rare to have a suicide attempt or completion without mental illness being present; however, some specific events can trigger an attempt, especially among people with mental illness.
After a suicide attempt, do people tend to recover from depression, or are they still miserable?
Depression may lift to some degree if the person has a lot social support after an attempt; however, this is not necessarily a good thing. After an attempt, getting the social support (that is usually much needed but never given) all of a sudden can actually reinforce suicidal behavior. Ideally, it is best to be there for the person, but gushing about how happy you are they are alive, you love them, and you couldn't live without them - especially if the person never hears loving things like this - could be trouble.
Concerning your question specifically though, I haven't really seen a marked decrease in depression after an attempt, per se. Actually, many people reattempt once they get out of the hospital. On the other hand, they're not necessarily unhappy to be alive either. Only two people I met expressed being truly upset to be alive. Of those two people, I think one really meant it.
Although it is quite disturbing to consider, the person who appeared to be truly distraught about surviving and attempt was a young woman with a long history of being repeatedly sexually abused by several male members of her immediate family. She saw no way out of the situation. How do you talk someone out of suicide? It must be hard!
I'm not necessarily in the business of talking people out of suicide, per se. I deal more with longterm treatment, but many therapists do get calls of people on the brink of an attempt.
There is an absolutely wonderful treatment called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that has successfully treated people who have attempted suicide. There is a good crisis management protocol built into it.
The treatment involves contracting people for safety for various amounts of time. For example, I might ask a client to contract not to attempt suicide for just two months to give the treatment a chance. After all, the treatment won't work if you're dead.
Some clinicians have also come up with clever contingency plans. For instance, if you kill yourself, all your money will legally be donated to the Republican party. Also, while I realize that making suicide illegal may not make sense, the idea that if you kill yourself, your insurance money will not go to your family is also a more general - albeit clever - contingency plan.
Another more simple thing to do with people who are about to attempt is revisit reasons for living.
In general though, DBT involves teaching people to meditate and become more mindful of their thoughts, urges, and emotions. It incorporates some training in reasoning ability.
The treatment is structured in part like a class that teaches various skills in a group setting along with individual treatment.
Again, it is absolutely fabulous. There was an article about the inventor, Marsha Linehan, in the NYT this week: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/health/23lives.html?_r=1 Is there usually a "last straw" that puts people over the edge, or is it more gradual?
In my experience / opinion, there is no real last straw, per se. The vast majority of people who attempt suicide have a serious mental illness like borderline personality disorder or major depression. While it is true that suicide attempts are often preceded by a trigger, that immediate trigger is almost always nestled in a long history of a real struggle with regulating emotions, depression, anxiety, and/or addiction.
It should be noted though, I have obviously only had the experience of interviewing people who have survived suicide attempts - albeit, some very serious attempts with little chance of survival. Interestingly though, people who are most likely to die by suicide often have many previous suicide attempts in their past.
How long did each interview last?
The first interview was about an hour (then I followed up once or twice for less time).
I started off by asking participants basic questions and then would move into more personal territory.
After that, I administered what is called the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) - those of you who read Malcolm Gladwells' book, Blink, might be familiar with it. It is a reaction time test that measures how strongly you associate various stimuli presented on a computer screen. It is most famous for detecting racial biases. Check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicit_Association_Test
For our purposes, we used the IAT to examine associations between words like "suicide" and "good" versus "bad." Roughly speaking, the more quickly people responded to "suicide" when it was paired with "good," the more likely they were to attempt suicide in the future.
In short, the computer test helps better predict who might attempt suicide once released from the hospital, which is unfortunately very difficult to do at the present moment. In fact, suicide rates are highest just after being released from the hospital.
If you're interested, results of the study were recently published in a paper I co-authored: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/4/511
There were also articles about this study in Science Daly: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100728111717.htm
and the Harvard Gazette: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/inklings-of-suicide/
What stops people from successfully committing suicide?
Sometimes alcohol, actually. Many attempts are committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and as such, one may not have the clarity of mind to successfully complete suicide. Even using firearms isn't 100% guaranteed to work, especially under the under the influence of alcohol.
While intoxication can prevent someone from carrying out an attempt to completion, many may not have a 100% will to die. Many people are apathetic and take a bunch of pills, for instance, not caring if they wake up or not. In fact, I would say that the vast majority of people I interviewed were apathetic about their attempt to some extent.
Also, some people may choose to abort their attempt, call a loved one, dial 911, or take themselves to a hospital. Perhaps a will to live prevents people from carrying out an attempt as well.
Other times, people intervene, much to the dismay of the person making the attempt. Other times the person who is attempting might feel relief or apathy if another person thwarts their attempt.
Of people who attempt suicide, what's the average number of total attempts?
This is actually a trickier question that it might seem.
Without taking into account the various ages of people in the study etc., I would say that of the people who I interviewed who made an attempt, they typically attempted 2 or maybe even 3 times beforehand (I was also interviewing people who hadn't just attempted).
But the best way to answer this question might be to look at a group of people who made attempts that have already died - both from suicide and not from suicide - and see how many total attempts they had while they were alive. I'm sure studies have looked at this, but can't recall the numbers off the top of my head (haha). I'll look it up & edit this post when I find the time.
How do they feel afterwards?
Only two people explicitly said they were upset that their attempt failed.
Of those two people, I am pretty certain that one meant it. The other seemed to have been attempting to garner social support rather than being 100% truly upset to be alive. (See the question: After a suicide attempt, do people tend to recover from depression, or are they still miserable?)
While the vast majority were certainly not thrilled to survive, they also did not report deeply wishing their attempt succeeded.
Also, I only remember two people particularly happy to be alive (and one was in the middle of a manic episode.)
Most people feel pretty low, unfortunately.
What were the primary ways people attempted suicide?
I saw a lot of different things, but probably the most common was pills. While I didn't see any attempts at hanging or sitting in garage with the car on, I saw several people who cut themselves - some tried on their arms while another person made a cut at the neck. I also met someone who walked into traffic and others who jumped off bridges.
What were some of the common patterns you noticed?
Interesting question. Since I interviewed almost 100 people for that study and remember practically every person very individually, there are so much rich qualitative and quantitative data to sift through. I'm sure we're going to be publishing results from this study for a while.
What the main data analyses showed though, was a 6 fold increase in the likelihood of making a suicide attempt after being released from the hospital if they scored in a certain range on a computer test we designed. This test- called the Implicit Associations Test - measures reaction time in milliseconds (so the test results cannot be deliberately manipulated) between words like "suicide" and positive adjectives like "good." It can be inferred that a relatively quicker response (in milliseconds) to "suicide" being paired with "good" versus "bad" indicates the participant's brain processes this association more quickly because that pathway is a road well traveled in the brain.
I wrote a little bit more about this in the post about how long each interview was. If you have any questions about this or my explanations are unclear, please let me know!
Does all this research into suicide and depression have an affect on you?
I was waiting for someone to ask me this! Thanks for asking.
It is almost impossible not to be emotionally moved when hearing people's life stories. After all, I'm a researcher not a robot. In the room, there is no question that I experience a whole range of emotions.
While this is true, I wouldn't consider this as having a negative effect on the whole. Sure, on a several occasions I left the psychiatric ER feeling pretty low or emotionally drained, but experiencing empathy or sadness isn't particularly damaging in itself. In fact, I find it has the opposite.
Whether or not I am exposed to the reality that people try to kill themselves, it exists. I find it much more fulfilling to play an active role in helping the problem.
On top of that, there is no question that I have learned skills from fantastic evidence-based & research supported treatments like Dialectical Behavior Therapy. I use these skills in some way every single day.
Did you ask suicide attemptors about the impact of their actions on people in their lives?
Actually, we did not ask about this in the particular study I was conducting; however, this is certainly an important topic that I would love to address here.
People who are not in the field often say "suicide is the most selfish thing you can do" and make comments on how people who attempt completely disregard the feelings of their loved ones. From my perspective, this statement reflects a deep misunderstanding of people who are suicidal.
First, many do not have family who are particularly supportive, which may be part of the problem in the first place. In fact, many times people who attempt suicide are surrounded by people who abuse them and see no other way out of the suffering.
And even if people who have attempted suicide do have people in their lives that are supportive, the person may be truly in so much psychological pain - e.g. they may be bombarded with flashbacks of a very traumatic event or paralyzed by depression - that it might be nearly impossible to take into consideration the perspective of a loved one.
Also, people who attempt suicide may feel so worthless that they think that ending their lives will actually be doing their loved ones a favor. Particularly if they are fixated on the idea that they are financially worth more dead than alive, they may try to kill themselves and make it look like an accident so the life insurance money goes to the family. But financial reasons aside, many people believe themselves to be a burden on their loved ones and want to take their lives to relieve their family of suffering. The reality of the situation is that in some situations the person may indeed be perceived as a burden to their family.
If you have a loved one who is chronically suicidal, a great resource is the book Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder.
Are you allowed to talk about this?
Haha, yes - as long as I don't give away any identifying information.
Do most people that attempt/commit suicide give recognizable 'signs'?
Also a very good question. While some 8th grade health classes will teach you that there are definite signs that people are planning to attempt suicide like giving away their belongings, it is not always this obvious. Some people may do things like this; however, many do not, especially if they are very serious about the attempt. According to people's reports, many did not tell a soul before the attempt and went through great lengths to conceal their plan. For example, people say may say they are going on business, will rent hotel rooms in places somewhat far from where they live, and attempt there. Others will go to parts of the city where they think no one will find them. On the other side of the coin, some people attempt very impulsively. They don't even have time to warn anyone or give away their belongings.
From a clinical standpoint though, we assess suicidality by examining the following: 1. desire people have to die 2. the intent they have to die(which is different than desire) 3. the degree to which they formed a plan 4. their number of past suicide attempts, 5. the reasons they have for living, 6. their access to lethal means, 7. their quality of their support network, 8. their plan for safety (i.e. going to the nearest emergency room if they feel suicidal.)
Looking at these pieces of the puzzle gives us a better idea of their likelihood for attempting.
What percentage of suicide attempts are caused by failed relationships or marriages
To be honest, I'm not so sure this question is as straightforward at it seems.
One of the hallmarks of both anxiety and depression is black & white thinking. For instance, if you broke up with your significant other and had thoughts/beliefs like: - I am unlovable - I will never be happy again - I am worthless without this person - I am a horrible person for treating my ex that way - No one will ever date me again
You certainly might be more prone to suicide than if you had thoughts/beliefs like: - Someone is bound to love me again - I will likely find happiness eventually, whether it be in a relationship or otherwise - I am a worthwhile person who is upset about this breakup - I feel badly about treating my ex the way that I did, but he/she will likely find someone else who treats them well and I will work harder in my next relationship to caring & faithful. Perhaps I didn't treat my ex well because we weren't a good fit. - Eventually, I will go on dates again
Again, the former set of thoughts characterize depression. Therefore, although the ending of a relationship might trigger a person to attempt, it really depends on how the person mentally processes the break up or divorce that is a real cause.
In addition to thought processes that might contribute to suicidality, intensely experiencing emotions and how people behaviorally deal with these emotions is extremely important as well.
For instance, some people may drink heavily and try to suppress their thoughts & emotions after a breakup. On the other hand, some may opt for more healthy choices of dealing with emotions like talking about the break-up with close friends, going to a cognitive-behavioral therapist, or focusing on their own lives. in short, ways of coping with intense emotion also contributes greatly to suicidality.
Within people who have depression, a fair percentage of people may report that the ending of a relationship is why they attempted suicide; however, the reality of the situation is that the picture is much more complex and involves: 1. black & white thinking 2. the degree to which people believe their dichotomous thoughts to be true 3. the intensity to which they experience negative emotions (which is effected by negative thinking and belief in negative thoughts) 4. how people cope with emotions
Therefore, in my opinion, if there are any studies reporting a percentage of people who attempted suicide because of a break-up, the results would not necessarily reflect reality.
With all of that being said though, I remember only a small number of people reporting relationships to be the primary trigger of an attempt.
What is the most common suicide attempt method?
Men typically attempt with more aggressive means like firearms, while women typically attempt with pills.
Why do people in Japan often commit suicides?
Although I only worked with people in America who are suicidal, I was involved with a World Health Organization project examining suicide rates in 27 countries while I was still primarily at Harvard University.
From what I remember, Japan was in the top five countries for highest suicide rate. Judging from the literature, unemployment, life hardship, and depression are the leading causes of depression in Japan.
While this is true, I would like to offer my personal thoughts on why this may be the case here. Because unemployment rates are higher and conditions worse in other countries with lower suicide rates, there need to be other contributing factors.
I would say the culture in Japan around honor may significantly contribute. While honor is a useful value in some cases - for instance, it may drive success - placing a lot of importance of the judgments of others has a dark side. In the case of unemployment, many times forces outside of one's control cause job loss. Nevertheless, this may cause intense (& undeserved) feelings of shame. Shame is intimately linked with the idea that one is worthless, a theme that practically defines depression. When combined with hopelessness about the future, feelings of worthlessness seem to drive suicidal behavior.
In short, I think the high value placed on honor, which may have side effects of shame yoked with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, may be part of the story behind s
suicide in Japan specifically.
Are you published?
In fact, I am. I listed a bunch of published work along with some other thoughts on my blog: http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/
D Why does the gov. feel its okay to involuntarily admit suicidal people, when killing yourself is not a crime?
Although suicide is not technically illegal, it is still considered a common law crime in many states.
In terms of involuntary admission, there are a few important points to note. First, it is worth noting that when people are suicidal, they can be dangerous to others as well. There are many many cases of murder suicides (e.g. Columbine). Second, as previously mentioned elsewhere on this thread, many people are happy to be alive following an attempt. Many attempts are made impulsively under the influence in highly emotional states. Even though it is not technically illegal, I definitely agree involuntarily admitting people, which may surprise some of my friends. While I believe it is a person's right to chose, many times people are not making a decision from a what can be considered a highly emotional and irrational state that is transient.
How can I read your personal blog? It seemed to mark private.
I am keeping the one listed above private for a couple weeks because it is under construction, but it should be back up soon! Thanks for trying to check it out.
If you want, you can visit my academic blog at http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/
Is money (financial position) an important reason for those who do suiside?
It certainly can be; however, the degree to which financial problems influence suicidality is likely very tied to how strongly the individual person links their self-worth with money.
For instance, if you are particularly enterprising and derive the majority of your self-worth from acquiring wealth, then you would be more at risk. On the contrary, Buddhist monks are not likely to be particularly inclined to kill themselves if they find their bank accounts dwindling.
I actually wrote a blog post a while ago about how the individual's personal valuation of money is neglected in the academic literature despite its obvious importance. I titled it Monks and Money: http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-we-value-money.html
What is the most common misconception about suicide?
I think the most common misconception about suicide is that it is selfish.
People who are not suicidal typically have a very hard time understanding why someone would want to die. Broadly speaking, those who have never been suicidal usually have people in their lives who love them and they love in return. They know they will be missed sorely if they died and could never imagine taking their own lives as it would hurt others so much.
In my experience, people who are suicidal are usually in much more complicated scenarios. This is certainly not to say, however, that if people who are suicidal kill themselves that they will not be missed. The vast majority of people who are suicidal have loved ones who would be deeply hurt by their loss. Although this is the case, the abuse many suicidal people have endured from their loved ones makes their comprehension of their own importance to the people in their lives understandably cloudy.
If you were directly and indirectly told by your mother, for instance, that you were worthless and unlovable, would you feel obligated to keep yourself alive for her? Would you have trouble believing that other significant people in your life love you? If you weren't actually sure if other people loved you, would you subject yourself to a lifetime of constant emotional or physical suffering by continuing to live for their sake?
The majority of people who are suicidal come to believe, through a variety of routes, that they really are worthless and unlovable. When someone truly believes they are worthless and unlovable at the core, all sorts of other thoughts come up that constantly bombard their daily consciousness. For instance, they might think they have nothing to contribute, their mere existence depletes resources for other people who matter, they are a burden to other people, and everyone would be better off without them. So now consider this: if you had these thoughts, would it be selfish to kill yourself? In my experience, people who are suicidal do not perceive they have many reasons to live. Upon further exploration into their histories, it becomes clear how they arrived at their current conclusions. Deeming suicide as selfish simply reflects a judgment from ignorance. Tweet | Like U 3 D What is the main reason according to you coz of which people are committing suicides.?? There is a very complicated answer to your question. There are many important factors at play including history, genetics, physiology, style of thinking, trauma, current life circumstance, religiosity, available support systems, impulsiveness, and access to lethal means - just to name a few. For each individual person, some or all of these factors combine to various degrees, to put a person in a position of immense emotional pain. At the time people attempt, they are typically typically hopeless about the future and see no way out of their suffering other than death. Tweet | Like U 3 D how do you distinguish people who really wanna stop living and people who just want some suicide act?
This is such an important question. Some people will say they made an "attempt" although they really had zero intent to die. For example, they will take a bunch of pills knowing there is no way it could kill them. If one leads someone else to believe they intended to kill themselves without having any intent to die, we technically call that a suicide gesture.
Classifying these behaviors can get tricky because many people who make suicide gestures may have suicidal thoughts and even want to die. Although it is difficult, it is really important for both clinical and research purposes to inquire about the intent and function of the suicidal behavior. The suicide literature is inconsistent with their definitions, especially in the U.K. where researchers lump suicide gestures in with non-suicidal self-injury (i.e. cutting one's own skin without intent to die). While self-injury is by definition not suicidal, the function of that behavior is rarely to make others believe you want to kill yourself. Not making the distinction in research can lead to results that are less than useful.
If you're interested more in self-injury specifically, check out my other thread here: http://www.anyasq.com/54-i-research-people-who-cut-themselves
I also wrote a blog post about why people cut themselves that has become pretty popular: http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/2011/02/why-do-people-cut-themselves.html
How you did this ? Is it possible to do by a normal human ?
Sorry - can you repeat the question (lol)? In the declaration of independence it says"life..pursuit of happiness." so if suicide makes you 'happy'. y involuntary?
Interesting question! So sorry for the delay - I've been so backed up with deadlines for a new study. I'll likely update this answer, but I'll go ahead and publish something on the site for now.
I'll start by addressing the question of legality of suicide. Although I first thought suicide shouldn't be illegal, after working in the field, I have come to understand why it is considered a common law crime in many states. Contingencies are very important in the treatment of suicidal behavior. Deeming something illegal or immoral is a very useful strategy as it keeps someone alive long enough for them to receive the proper help that they need. It is likely the case that an acutely suicidal person is extremely emotional and irrational at the time they are considering suicide (although this isn't always the case). It is important to have rules in place to keep the persona alive long enough for them to either settle down emotionally or seek treatment. As I've mentioned before, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has really been shown to be effective for treating suicidal thoughts and behaviors. I'm in the process of co-authoring a paper with Dr. Matthew Nock (who as mentioned before, is a winner of a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the Genius Award) about the efficacy of DBT. It should be submitted in a couple of months.
Do you think our gov. funded psych centers are adequately taken care of? Should the centers be more 'plush'?
Although there is always room for improvement, the current facilities have certainly come a long way! The conditions are certainly adequate from what I've seen.
Psych patients have a tendency to be abused in a sense and our merely looked at no dif. than a criminal. true?
Abused? No, I don't think so. The facilities I have worked in certainly don't abuse suicidal people.
Perhaps the public's stigma, attitudes, and behaviors towards people who are suicidal can be considered abusive, but certainly not among mental health professionals!
How many were voluntarily admitting themselves vs. Involuntarily admitting?
Off the top of my head, the vast majority were voluntary. Only a select handful were involuntary - at least out of the people who agreed to participate in our study.
Had any of those you interviewed previously been pyschiatrically hospitalized? How do they feel about psych hospitals?
Oh yes. Many. In fact, several people were enrolled in the study multiple times by accident (which we accounted for in our analyses) because they were "frequent flyers" in the psychiatric ER. Many of the people I saw were used to being in "psych hospitals" per se, but on psychiatric units in hospitals.
How many people that you interviewed had previous suicide attempts? If so,were they hospitalized?
Of the people who I interviewed who attempted, the majority had previous suicide attempts. Only a few were attempting for the first time.
It should be noted, that if people "fail" the at a suicide attempt first couple of times around, it resoundingly does NOT mean that they are at lesser risk for dying by suicide. It is the complete opposite - the more someone attempts, the more likely they are to die by suicide.
I've really heard the joke from people not in the field "wow, that person even failed at killing themselves!" more times than I can out. For the record, I really have very strong negative reactions to this!! First, as a comedy fan, the joke is beyond hack. Second, it is extremely condescending and seriously misinformed. Again, the more someone attempts, the more at-risk the person is.
Do you believe/think that our mental health system in our country helps people or merely keeps them 'safe'? (psych hosp)
Although it depends on the severity of the case, I really must stress that a great many people are immensely helped by mental health workers, especially those practicing treatments supported by research like Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT). Almost by definition, the vast majority of people aren't very severe. It is these people that need a case management approach (i.e. just making sure they are doing the bare minimum to take care of themselves and their affairs). On the other hand, hospital & outpatient workers have been shown to really make a difference.
What did you asked to them ?
I mainly asked them about the reasons they attempted, how they attempted, how many times they've attempted, the methods they used, and general questions about the state of their mental health.
After that I administered a computer task that I mentioned above.
Thanks for asking!
What will be your words if I'm going to suicide?
If you're seriously considering suicide, you should seek out a professional or go to your nearest emergency room. The best treatments around for suicidal tendencies are Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I highly suggest seeing a therapist who is highly trained and specialized in one of these two ares.
D What are your thoughts on EFT in treating depression and/or suicidal tendencies?
From what I understand, Emotional Freedom Technique involves the use of acupuncture.
I managed a study on the physiology of self-injury that will hopefully be published soon. The results of this study indicate that the body becomes much less anxious when the skin is intentionally cut under certain conditions (see my self-injury thread on AnyAsq for more info).
Perhaps acupuncture may work similarly to self-injury on a much smaller scale in without impulsiveness; however, at this current moment in time without knowing much about EFT, I am taking the stance that learning to manage emotions with psychological skills is where the vast majority of one's efforts would be best focused.
how do you validate he claim that someone attempted suicide /is suicidal?
Commonly, we employed two methods: 1) checking the urine and blood serum toxicology report so we would know if someone actually took a large number of pills and 2) if they attempted to injure themselves with a sharp object or weapon, visible wounds were noted. We were also sure to note the difference between an aborted suicide attempt (e.g. standing on the edge of a bridge but then deciding not to jump) and an actual attempt (e.g. the person jumped but survived). Additionally, interrupted suicide attempts were noted (e.g. the police stopped the person from jumping).
Have you seen Mathew Nock's work (2011 MacArthur Fellowship Award winner)? How does Nock's work relate to your work?
Haha - yes, in fact Matt was the principle investigator on the study this thread is about. For those of you who may not know the MacArthur Fellowship by its formal name, it is more commonly referred to as the Genius Award. We're all very proud now that he has been publicly deemed a genius. No surprise, though.
I worked for several years as his senior laboratory manager and we still collaborate on research together. Everything I've published so far has been with him. Something that might be interested to the readers here - Matt & I co-authored the chapter in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's Casebook on self-injury together (e.g. cutting one's skin w/o wanting to die). Therefore, to date, my work is his work. I'll be submitting my first publication without him in the coming weeks on disordered eating. Finally branching out!
How you did this ? Is it possible to do by a normal human ? :p
If you're asking how I emotionally dealt with repeatedly interviewing people after they made attempts on their lives, the short answer is simply that one naturally becomes habituated to certain experiences over time. I talk about this more in other posts, but I was certainly more moved in the beginning by this work. Eventually it got to the point where only a really striking story would have the same impact on me as when I started.
Do most insurance companies deny payment of life insurance benefits to the surviving family members?
If I'm not mistaken, I think that they all do but there are some stipulations. For instance, if you have only had your plan for 2 years, they will not pay, but they may pay after that. Interestingly, this fact can be used in treatment as a deterrent.
For two years I worked on an NIH funded study at a major metropolitan general hospital before starting my PhD in psychology. Personal Blog: www.SwankPsych.com
What happens to someone after they attempt suicide? Are they forced to stay in a facility until they're deemed 'stable'?
It depends, actually. Many people make attempts that are not serious - especially as they can sometimes be very impulsive. A lot of people, for instance, drink heavily, periodically sink further into a depression, and decide to attempt quite suddenly without any type of preconceived plan.
If the attempts are not that serious and the person displays a will to live, commitment to outpatient treatment etc., the person is not forced into an inpatient treatment. In fact, people are more rarely forced into an inpatient treatment against their will (at least speaking from my experience in the U.S.). If the person is not in contact with reality however, and has psychotic features (e.g. they are hearing voices, think the TV is speaking to them), they are more likely to be held against their will for a period of time. If they also display distress at the suicide attempt failing, continued wish to die, have no support system, have access to lethal means (e.g. a gun), and an intent to re-attempt, they may also be mandated to stay. Do you believe it's ever the correct move to commit suicide?
Interesting question. I don't believe it is my right to tell anyone whether or not it is moral to take their lives. Especially if people are in unbearable emotional or physical pain, they should have the choice in continuing to live or dying. After all, none of us ever had a choice in being born in the first place.
Some of the stories I have heard from the people in the psychiatric emergency room are simply horrifying. From learning not only about the traumatic events people have experienced but their long-term every day repercussions, I can begin to understand why someone may chose to no longer live.
Ironically, as a therapist, I find having this stance is very beneficial. Understanding the client in this way without pretending to know what is moral fosters trust and strengths the relationship.
While the type of therapy I practice with people who are suicidal is certainly focused on keeping people alive with research validated techniques and methods, we have to respect a person's right to chose.
Were there specific reasons why they attempted suicide, or did they have a mental illness?
Rarely do people without a serious mental illness attempt to take their own lives. If my memory of statistics serves me well, about 90% of people who attempt suicide are diagnosed with a mental illness.
I interviewed about 60 people who attempted suicide w/in the past 24 hours and all had a mental illness.
One person, though, had a major depressive episode that was triggered after a specific incident involving the community placing blame on him after a death. While the patient had a history of depression, he was not currently experiencing depression before the incident.
In short, it is exceedingly rare to have a suicide attempt or completion without mental illness being present; however, some specific events can trigger an attempt, especially among people with mental illness.
After a suicide attempt, do people tend to recover from depression, or are they still miserable?
Depression may lift to some degree if the person has a lot social support after an attempt; however, this is not necessarily a good thing. After an attempt, getting the social support (that is usually much needed but never given) all of a sudden can actually reinforce suicidal behavior. Ideally, it is best to be there for the person, but gushing about how happy you are they are alive, you love them, and you couldn't live without them - especially if the person never hears loving things like this - could be trouble.
Concerning your question specifically though, I haven't really seen a marked decrease in depression after an attempt, per se. Actually, many people reattempt once they get out of the hospital. On the other hand, they're not necessarily unhappy to be alive either. Only two people I met expressed being truly upset to be alive. Of those two people, I think one really meant it.
Although it is quite disturbing to consider, the person who appeared to be truly distraught about surviving and attempt was a young woman with a long history of being repeatedly sexually abused by several male members of her immediate family. She saw no way out of the situation. How do you talk someone out of suicide? It must be hard!
I'm not necessarily in the business of talking people out of suicide, per se. I deal more with longterm treatment, but many therapists do get calls of people on the brink of an attempt.
There is an absolutely wonderful treatment called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that has successfully treated people who have attempted suicide. There is a good crisis management protocol built into it.
The treatment involves contracting people for safety for various amounts of time. For example, I might ask a client to contract not to attempt suicide for just two months to give the treatment a chance. After all, the treatment won't work if you're dead.
Some clinicians have also come up with clever contingency plans. For instance, if you kill yourself, all your money will legally be donated to the Republican party. Also, while I realize that making suicide illegal may not make sense, the idea that if you kill yourself, your insurance money will not go to your family is also a more general - albeit clever - contingency plan.
Another more simple thing to do with people who are about to attempt is revisit reasons for living.
In general though, DBT involves teaching people to meditate and become more mindful of their thoughts, urges, and emotions. It incorporates some training in reasoning ability.
The treatment is structured in part like a class that teaches various skills in a group setting along with individual treatment.
Again, it is absolutely fabulous. There was an article about the inventor, Marsha Linehan, in the NYT this week: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/health/23lives.html?_r=1 Is there usually a "last straw" that puts people over the edge, or is it more gradual?
In my experience / opinion, there is no real last straw, per se. The vast majority of people who attempt suicide have a serious mental illness like borderline personality disorder or major depression. While it is true that suicide attempts are often preceded by a trigger, that immediate trigger is almost always nestled in a long history of a real struggle with regulating emotions, depression, anxiety, and/or addiction.
It should be noted though, I have obviously only had the experience of interviewing people who have survived suicide attempts - albeit, some very serious attempts with little chance of survival. Interestingly though, people who are most likely to die by suicide often have many previous suicide attempts in their past.
How long did each interview last?
The first interview was about an hour (then I followed up once or twice for less time).
I started off by asking participants basic questions and then would move into more personal territory.
After that, I administered what is called the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) - those of you who read Malcolm Gladwells' book, Blink, might be familiar with it. It is a reaction time test that measures how strongly you associate various stimuli presented on a computer screen. It is most famous for detecting racial biases. Check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicit_Association_Test
For our purposes, we used the IAT to examine associations between words like "suicide" and "good" versus "bad." Roughly speaking, the more quickly people responded to "suicide" when it was paired with "good," the more likely they were to attempt suicide in the future.
In short, the computer test helps better predict who might attempt suicide once released from the hospital, which is unfortunately very difficult to do at the present moment. In fact, suicide rates are highest just after being released from the hospital.
If you're interested, results of the study were recently published in a paper I co-authored: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/4/511
There were also articles about this study in Science Daly: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100728111717.htm
and the Harvard Gazette: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/inklings-of-suicide/
What stops people from successfully committing suicide?
Sometimes alcohol, actually. Many attempts are committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and as such, one may not have the clarity of mind to successfully complete suicide. Even using firearms isn't 100% guaranteed to work, especially under the under the influence of alcohol.
While intoxication can prevent someone from carrying out an attempt to completion, many may not have a 100% will to die. Many people are apathetic and take a bunch of pills, for instance, not caring if they wake up or not. In fact, I would say that the vast majority of people I interviewed were apathetic about their attempt to some extent.
Also, some people may choose to abort their attempt, call a loved one, dial 911, or take themselves to a hospital. Perhaps a will to live prevents people from carrying out an attempt as well.
Other times, people intervene, much to the dismay of the person making the attempt. Other times the person who is attempting might feel relief or apathy if another person thwarts their attempt.
Of people who attempt suicide, what's the average number of total attempts?
This is actually a trickier question that it might seem.
Without taking into account the various ages of people in the study etc., I would say that of the people who I interviewed who made an attempt, they typically attempted 2 or maybe even 3 times beforehand (I was also interviewing people who hadn't just attempted).
But the best way to answer this question might be to look at a group of people who made attempts that have already died - both from suicide and not from suicide - and see how many total attempts they had while they were alive. I'm sure studies have looked at this, but can't recall the numbers off the top of my head (haha). I'll look it up & edit this post when I find the time.
How do they feel afterwards?
Only two people explicitly said they were upset that their attempt failed.
Of those two people, I am pretty certain that one meant it. The other seemed to have been attempting to garner social support rather than being 100% truly upset to be alive. (See the question: After a suicide attempt, do people tend to recover from depression, or are they still miserable?)
While the vast majority were certainly not thrilled to survive, they also did not report deeply wishing their attempt succeeded.
Also, I only remember two people particularly happy to be alive (and one was in the middle of a manic episode.)
Most people feel pretty low, unfortunately.
What were the primary ways people attempted suicide?
I saw a lot of different things, but probably the most common was pills. While I didn't see any attempts at hanging or sitting in garage with the car on, I saw several people who cut themselves - some tried on their arms while another person made a cut at the neck. I also met someone who walked into traffic and others who jumped off bridges.
What were some of the common patterns you noticed?
Interesting question. Since I interviewed almost 100 people for that study and remember practically every person very individually, there are so much rich qualitative and quantitative data to sift through. I'm sure we're going to be publishing results from this study for a while.
What the main data analyses showed though, was a 6 fold increase in the likelihood of making a suicide attempt after being released from the hospital if they scored in a certain range on a computer test we designed. This test- called the Implicit Associations Test - measures reaction time in milliseconds (so the test results cannot be deliberately manipulated) between words like "suicide" and positive adjectives like "good." It can be inferred that a relatively quicker response (in milliseconds) to "suicide" being paired with "good" versus "bad" indicates the participant's brain processes this association more quickly because that pathway is a road well traveled in the brain.
I wrote a little bit more about this in the post about how long each interview was. If you have any questions about this or my explanations are unclear, please let me know!
Does all this research into suicide and depression have an affect on you?
I was waiting for someone to ask me this! Thanks for asking.
It is almost impossible not to be emotionally moved when hearing people's life stories. After all, I'm a researcher not a robot. In the room, there is no question that I experience a whole range of emotions.
While this is true, I wouldn't consider this as having a negative effect on the whole. Sure, on a several occasions I left the psychiatric ER feeling pretty low or emotionally drained, but experiencing empathy or sadness isn't particularly damaging in itself. In fact, I find it has the opposite.
Whether or not I am exposed to the reality that people try to kill themselves, it exists. I find it much more fulfilling to play an active role in helping the problem.
On top of that, there is no question that I have learned skills from fantastic evidence-based & research supported treatments like Dialectical Behavior Therapy. I use these skills in some way every single day.
Did you ask suicide attemptors about the impact of their actions on people in their lives?
Actually, we did not ask about this in the particular study I was conducting; however, this is certainly an important topic that I would love to address here.
People who are not in the field often say "suicide is the most selfish thing you can do" and make comments on how people who attempt completely disregard the feelings of their loved ones. From my perspective, this statement reflects a deep misunderstanding of people who are suicidal.
First, many do not have family who are particularly supportive, which may be part of the problem in the first place. In fact, many times people who attempt suicide are surrounded by people who abuse them and see no other way out of the suffering.
And even if people who have attempted suicide do have people in their lives that are supportive, the person may be truly in so much psychological pain - e.g. they may be bombarded with flashbacks of a very traumatic event or paralyzed by depression - that it might be nearly impossible to take into consideration the perspective of a loved one.
Also, people who attempt suicide may feel so worthless that they think that ending their lives will actually be doing their loved ones a favor. Particularly if they are fixated on the idea that they are financially worth more dead than alive, they may try to kill themselves and make it look like an accident so the life insurance money goes to the family. But financial reasons aside, many people believe themselves to be a burden on their loved ones and want to take their lives to relieve their family of suffering. The reality of the situation is that in some situations the person may indeed be perceived as a burden to their family.
If you have a loved one who is chronically suicidal, a great resource is the book Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder.
Are you allowed to talk about this?
Haha, yes - as long as I don't give away any identifying information.
Do most people that attempt/commit suicide give recognizable 'signs'?
Also a very good question. While some 8th grade health classes will teach you that there are definite signs that people are planning to attempt suicide like giving away their belongings, it is not always this obvious. Some people may do things like this; however, many do not, especially if they are very serious about the attempt. According to people's reports, many did not tell a soul before the attempt and went through great lengths to conceal their plan. For example, people say may say they are going on business, will rent hotel rooms in places somewhat far from where they live, and attempt there. Others will go to parts of the city where they think no one will find them. On the other side of the coin, some people attempt very impulsively. They don't even have time to warn anyone or give away their belongings.
From a clinical standpoint though, we assess suicidality by examining the following: 1. desire people have to die 2. the intent they have to die(which is different than desire) 3. the degree to which they formed a plan 4. their number of past suicide attempts, 5. the reasons they have for living, 6. their access to lethal means, 7. their quality of their support network, 8. their plan for safety (i.e. going to the nearest emergency room if they feel suicidal.)
Looking at these pieces of the puzzle gives us a better idea of their likelihood for attempting.
What percentage of suicide attempts are caused by failed relationships or marriages
To be honest, I'm not so sure this question is as straightforward at it seems.
One of the hallmarks of both anxiety and depression is black & white thinking. For instance, if you broke up with your significant other and had thoughts/beliefs like: - I am unlovable - I will never be happy again - I am worthless without this person - I am a horrible person for treating my ex that way - No one will ever date me again
You certainly might be more prone to suicide than if you had thoughts/beliefs like: - Someone is bound to love me again - I will likely find happiness eventually, whether it be in a relationship or otherwise - I am a worthwhile person who is upset about this breakup - I feel badly about treating my ex the way that I did, but he/she will likely find someone else who treats them well and I will work harder in my next relationship to caring & faithful. Perhaps I didn't treat my ex well because we weren't a good fit. - Eventually, I will go on dates again
Again, the former set of thoughts characterize depression. Therefore, although the ending of a relationship might trigger a person to attempt, it really depends on how the person mentally processes the break up or divorce that is a real cause.
In addition to thought processes that might contribute to suicidality, intensely experiencing emotions and how people behaviorally deal with these emotions is extremely important as well.
For instance, some people may drink heavily and try to suppress their thoughts & emotions after a breakup. On the other hand, some may opt for more healthy choices of dealing with emotions like talking about the break-up with close friends, going to a cognitive-behavioral therapist, or focusing on their own lives. in short, ways of coping with intense emotion also contributes greatly to suicidality.
Within people who have depression, a fair percentage of people may report that the ending of a relationship is why they attempted suicide; however, the reality of the situation is that the picture is much more complex and involves: 1. black & white thinking 2. the degree to which people believe their dichotomous thoughts to be true 3. the intensity to which they experience negative emotions (which is effected by negative thinking and belief in negative thoughts) 4. how people cope with emotions
Therefore, in my opinion, if there are any studies reporting a percentage of people who attempted suicide because of a break-up, the results would not necessarily reflect reality.
With all of that being said though, I remember only a small number of people reporting relationships to be the primary trigger of an attempt.
What is the most common suicide attempt method?
Men typically attempt with more aggressive means like firearms, while women typically attempt with pills.
Why do people in Japan often commit suicides?
Although I only worked with people in America who are suicidal, I was involved with a World Health Organization project examining suicide rates in 27 countries while I was still primarily at Harvard University.
From what I remember, Japan was in the top five countries for highest suicide rate. Judging from the literature, unemployment, life hardship, and depression are the leading causes of depression in Japan.
While this is true, I would like to offer my personal thoughts on why this may be the case here. Because unemployment rates are higher and conditions worse in other countries with lower suicide rates, there need to be other contributing factors.
I would say the culture in Japan around honor may significantly contribute. While honor is a useful value in some cases - for instance, it may drive success - placing a lot of importance of the judgments of others has a dark side. In the case of unemployment, many times forces outside of one's control cause job loss. Nevertheless, this may cause intense (& undeserved) feelings of shame. Shame is intimately linked with the idea that one is worthless, a theme that practically defines depression. When combined with hopelessness about the future, feelings of worthlessness seem to drive suicidal behavior.
In short, I think the high value placed on honor, which may have side effects of shame yoked with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, may be part of the story behind s
suicide in Japan specifically.
Are you published?
In fact, I am. I listed a bunch of published work along with some other thoughts on my blog: http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/
D Why does the gov. feel its okay to involuntarily admit suicidal people, when killing yourself is not a crime?
Although suicide is not technically illegal, it is still considered a common law crime in many states.
In terms of involuntary admission, there are a few important points to note. First, it is worth noting that when people are suicidal, they can be dangerous to others as well. There are many many cases of murder suicides (e.g. Columbine). Second, as previously mentioned elsewhere on this thread, many people are happy to be alive following an attempt. Many attempts are made impulsively under the influence in highly emotional states. Even though it is not technically illegal, I definitely agree involuntarily admitting people, which may surprise some of my friends. While I believe it is a person's right to chose, many times people are not making a decision from a what can be considered a highly emotional and irrational state that is transient.
How can I read your personal blog? It seemed to mark private.
I am keeping the one listed above private for a couple weeks because it is under construction, but it should be back up soon! Thanks for trying to check it out.
If you want, you can visit my academic blog at http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/
Is money (financial position) an important reason for those who do suiside?
It certainly can be; however, the degree to which financial problems influence suicidality is likely very tied to how strongly the individual person links their self-worth with money.
For instance, if you are particularly enterprising and derive the majority of your self-worth from acquiring wealth, then you would be more at risk. On the contrary, Buddhist monks are not likely to be particularly inclined to kill themselves if they find their bank accounts dwindling.
I actually wrote a blog post a while ago about how the individual's personal valuation of money is neglected in the academic literature despite its obvious importance. I titled it Monks and Money: http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-we-value-money.html
What is the most common misconception about suicide?
I think the most common misconception about suicide is that it is selfish.
People who are not suicidal typically have a very hard time understanding why someone would want to die. Broadly speaking, those who have never been suicidal usually have people in their lives who love them and they love in return. They know they will be missed sorely if they died and could never imagine taking their own lives as it would hurt others so much.
In my experience, people who are suicidal are usually in much more complicated scenarios. This is certainly not to say, however, that if people who are suicidal kill themselves that they will not be missed. The vast majority of people who are suicidal have loved ones who would be deeply hurt by their loss. Although this is the case, the abuse many suicidal people have endured from their loved ones makes their comprehension of their own importance to the people in their lives understandably cloudy.
If you were directly and indirectly told by your mother, for instance, that you were worthless and unlovable, would you feel obligated to keep yourself alive for her? Would you have trouble believing that other significant people in your life love you? If you weren't actually sure if other people loved you, would you subject yourself to a lifetime of constant emotional or physical suffering by continuing to live for their sake?
The majority of people who are suicidal come to believe, through a variety of routes, that they really are worthless and unlovable. When someone truly believes they are worthless and unlovable at the core, all sorts of other thoughts come up that constantly bombard their daily consciousness. For instance, they might think they have nothing to contribute, their mere existence depletes resources for other people who matter, they are a burden to other people, and everyone would be better off without them. So now consider this: if you had these thoughts, would it be selfish to kill yourself? In my experience, people who are suicidal do not perceive they have many reasons to live. Upon further exploration into their histories, it becomes clear how they arrived at their current conclusions. Deeming suicide as selfish simply reflects a judgment from ignorance. Tweet | Like U 3 D What is the main reason according to you coz of which people are committing suicides.?? There is a very complicated answer to your question. There are many important factors at play including history, genetics, physiology, style of thinking, trauma, current life circumstance, religiosity, available support systems, impulsiveness, and access to lethal means - just to name a few. For each individual person, some or all of these factors combine to various degrees, to put a person in a position of immense emotional pain. At the time people attempt, they are typically typically hopeless about the future and see no way out of their suffering other than death. Tweet | Like U 3 D how do you distinguish people who really wanna stop living and people who just want some suicide act?
This is such an important question. Some people will say they made an "attempt" although they really had zero intent to die. For example, they will take a bunch of pills knowing there is no way it could kill them. If one leads someone else to believe they intended to kill themselves without having any intent to die, we technically call that a suicide gesture.
Classifying these behaviors can get tricky because many people who make suicide gestures may have suicidal thoughts and even want to die. Although it is difficult, it is really important for both clinical and research purposes to inquire about the intent and function of the suicidal behavior. The suicide literature is inconsistent with their definitions, especially in the U.K. where researchers lump suicide gestures in with non-suicidal self-injury (i.e. cutting one's own skin without intent to die). While self-injury is by definition not suicidal, the function of that behavior is rarely to make others believe you want to kill yourself. Not making the distinction in research can lead to results that are less than useful.
If you're interested more in self-injury specifically, check out my other thread here: http://www.anyasq.com/54-i-research-people-who-cut-themselves
I also wrote a blog post about why people cut themselves that has become pretty popular: http://taradeliberto.blogspot.com/2011/02/why-do-people-cut-themselves.html
How you did this ? Is it possible to do by a normal human ?
Sorry - can you repeat the question (lol)? In the declaration of independence it says"life..pursuit of happiness." so if suicide makes you 'happy'. y involuntary?
Interesting question! So sorry for the delay - I've been so backed up with deadlines for a new study. I'll likely update this answer, but I'll go ahead and publish something on the site for now.
I'll start by addressing the question of legality of suicide. Although I first thought suicide shouldn't be illegal, after working in the field, I have come to understand why it is considered a common law crime in many states. Contingencies are very important in the treatment of suicidal behavior. Deeming something illegal or immoral is a very useful strategy as it keeps someone alive long enough for them to receive the proper help that they need. It is likely the case that an acutely suicidal person is extremely emotional and irrational at the time they are considering suicide (although this isn't always the case). It is important to have rules in place to keep the persona alive long enough for them to either settle down emotionally or seek treatment. As I've mentioned before, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has really been shown to be effective for treating suicidal thoughts and behaviors. I'm in the process of co-authoring a paper with Dr. Matthew Nock (who as mentioned before, is a winner of a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the Genius Award) about the efficacy of DBT. It should be submitted in a couple of months.
Do you think our gov. funded psych centers are adequately taken care of? Should the centers be more 'plush'?
Although there is always room for improvement, the current facilities have certainly come a long way! The conditions are certainly adequate from what I've seen.
Psych patients have a tendency to be abused in a sense and our merely looked at no dif. than a criminal. true?
Abused? No, I don't think so. The facilities I have worked in certainly don't abuse suicidal people.
Perhaps the public's stigma, attitudes, and behaviors towards people who are suicidal can be considered abusive, but certainly not among mental health professionals!
How many were voluntarily admitting themselves vs. Involuntarily admitting?
Off the top of my head, the vast majority were voluntary. Only a select handful were involuntary - at least out of the people who agreed to participate in our study.
Had any of those you interviewed previously been pyschiatrically hospitalized? How do they feel about psych hospitals?
Oh yes. Many. In fact, several people were enrolled in the study multiple times by accident (which we accounted for in our analyses) because they were "frequent flyers" in the psychiatric ER. Many of the people I saw were used to being in "psych hospitals" per se, but on psychiatric units in hospitals.
How many people that you interviewed had previous suicide attempts? If so,were they hospitalized?
Of the people who I interviewed who attempted, the majority had previous suicide attempts. Only a few were attempting for the first time.
It should be noted, that if people "fail" the at a suicide attempt first couple of times around, it resoundingly does NOT mean that they are at lesser risk for dying by suicide. It is the complete opposite - the more someone attempts, the more likely they are to die by suicide.
I've really heard the joke from people not in the field "wow, that person even failed at killing themselves!" more times than I can out. For the record, I really have very strong negative reactions to this!! First, as a comedy fan, the joke is beyond hack. Second, it is extremely condescending and seriously misinformed. Again, the more someone attempts, the more at-risk the person is.
Do you believe/think that our mental health system in our country helps people or merely keeps them 'safe'? (psych hosp)
Although it depends on the severity of the case, I really must stress that a great many people are immensely helped by mental health workers, especially those practicing treatments supported by research like Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT). Almost by definition, the vast majority of people aren't very severe. It is these people that need a case management approach (i.e. just making sure they are doing the bare minimum to take care of themselves and their affairs). On the other hand, hospital & outpatient workers have been shown to really make a difference.
What did you asked to them ?
I mainly asked them about the reasons they attempted, how they attempted, how many times they've attempted, the methods they used, and general questions about the state of their mental health.
After that I administered a computer task that I mentioned above.
Thanks for asking!
What will be your words if I'm going to suicide?
If you're seriously considering suicide, you should seek out a professional or go to your nearest emergency room. The best treatments around for suicidal tendencies are Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I highly suggest seeing a therapist who is highly trained and specialized in one of these two ares.
D What are your thoughts on EFT in treating depression and/or suicidal tendencies?
From what I understand, Emotional Freedom Technique involves the use of acupuncture.
I managed a study on the physiology of self-injury that will hopefully be published soon. The results of this study indicate that the body becomes much less anxious when the skin is intentionally cut under certain conditions (see my self-injury thread on AnyAsq for more info).
Perhaps acupuncture may work similarly to self-injury on a much smaller scale in without impulsiveness; however, at this current moment in time without knowing much about EFT, I am taking the stance that learning to manage emotions with psychological skills is where the vast majority of one's efforts would be best focused.
how do you validate he claim that someone attempted suicide /is suicidal?
Commonly, we employed two methods: 1) checking the urine and blood serum toxicology report so we would know if someone actually took a large number of pills and 2) if they attempted to injure themselves with a sharp object or weapon, visible wounds were noted. We were also sure to note the difference between an aborted suicide attempt (e.g. standing on the edge of a bridge but then deciding not to jump) and an actual attempt (e.g. the person jumped but survived). Additionally, interrupted suicide attempts were noted (e.g. the police stopped the person from jumping).
Have you seen Mathew Nock's work (2011 MacArthur Fellowship Award winner)? How does Nock's work relate to your work?
Haha - yes, in fact Matt was the principle investigator on the study this thread is about. For those of you who may not know the MacArthur Fellowship by its formal name, it is more commonly referred to as the Genius Award. We're all very proud now that he has been publicly deemed a genius. No surprise, though.
I worked for several years as his senior laboratory manager and we still collaborate on research together. Everything I've published so far has been with him. Something that might be interested to the readers here - Matt & I co-authored the chapter in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's Casebook on self-injury together (e.g. cutting one's skin w/o wanting to die). Therefore, to date, my work is his work. I'll be submitting my first publication without him in the coming weeks on disordered eating. Finally branching out!
How you did this ? Is it possible to do by a normal human ? :p
If you're asking how I emotionally dealt with repeatedly interviewing people after they made attempts on their lives, the short answer is simply that one naturally becomes habituated to certain experiences over time. I talk about this more in other posts, but I was certainly more moved in the beginning by this work. Eventually it got to the point where only a really striking story would have the same impact on me as when I started.
Do most insurance companies deny payment of life insurance benefits to the surviving family members?
If I'm not mistaken, I think that they all do but there are some stipulations. For instance, if you have only had your plan for 2 years, they will not pay, but they may pay after that. Interestingly, this fact can be used in treatment as a deterrent.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Whitney Houston found dead in her hotel bathtub
Whitney Houston's Cause of Death: Experts 'Covering Themselves' Due To High-Profile
February 15, 2012 09:10 AM EST
Whitney Houston is dead but what is its cause and why is it taking so long? While the autopsy on Whitney has been done since Sunday, very few details have been released and the coroner has said that toxicology tests will take "weeks". Haven't people have heard this before? With Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Heath Ledger, it's always the same story. Why do these tests take so long? Are the results in long before they are announced? Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky says that while toxicology labs are often backlogged with other tests for criminal cases or drug testing for jobs applicants, the actual test itself doesn't take too long -- about a week is the average.
However, maybe the public just wants an answer faster than experts can give one. "I suspect the popular media has made toxicology tests almost as magical as everything else," Dr. Andrew Baker, who is the President of the National Association of Medical Examiners, said. "I am sure there are TV shows where they squirt blood into a machine and five seconds later, they get a print out of every drug the person has ever taken. (But) it just doesn't work like that." Since Whitney Houston is far from your average Jane, it will probably take longer for experts to determine her death since everything they release will surely be scrutinized and talked about extensively.
"That's what these tests are all about, finding what you may not expect to find," Dr. Kobilinsky said. "I think with six to eight weeks they're covering themselves because it's such a high-profile case. They want to dot the i's and cross the t's in case something comes up strange." Who knows what will show in Whitney's toxicology tests -- and once the results do come in, authorities will have to decide how to convey the information.
Shocking moment Whitney Houston's daughter was rushed to hospital after star's death as family 'fear she is suicidal'
Daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, hospitalised TWICE since mother's death Whitney Houston's bodyguard 'found her drowned in bath in her hotel room' Star found under water after mixing a cocktail of prescription drugs with alcohol, it is claimed Award-winning star was on 'brink of bankruptcy' having 'frittered away pop fortune on crack cocaine'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTw5LKGf
Fears are growing that Whitney Houston’s 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina may be feeling suicidal - after she was rushed to hospital twice in the 24 hours following the discovery of her mother’s dead body in the bathtub of a Hollywood hotel. The teenager was first admitted after allegedly passing out, after drinking alcohol and then taking a sedative pill given to her by one of her mother's entourage to calm her down, upon learning of the devastating news. She was then pictured being taken out of the Beverly Hilton - the same hotel where her mother had died just hours earlier- on a stretcher at 10.30am yesterday and being rushed to Cedars-Sinai where she was treated for extreme anxiety. She was released several hours later, but friends and family are still very concerned about her mental state. Scroll down for video of her last performance Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTwUQgXN
Crack cocaine user Houston, 48, was found dead under the bath water by her bodyguard in luxury suite number 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday afternoon, which is said to have been littered with bottles of prescription pills. On Thursday she is said to have gone on a 'wild binge' where she clashed with security guards. The next evening she 'partied heavily, drank and chatted loudly' with friends at the hotel bar. Bottles of Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax and a sleeping medication were found in the hotel room, it has been claimed. The drugs were believed to have acted as sedatives, causing her to fall asleep in the bathtub once they had been mixed with alcohol from the previous evenings. Paramedics battled to revive the singer but she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm, hours before she had been due to perform at a pre-Grammys party at the same hotel. Los Angeles coroner's office refused to comment on rumours that water was found on her lungs, indicating she had drowned. It said further details will not be officially released until a police investigation is completed, which may take between one and two months, and revealed no one may visit the body while it is in their custody. At first it was thought that singer and reality TV star Ray-J, her on/off boyfriend who at 17 years younger dated her between 2007 and 2009 and was believed to have rekindled the romance, found the star. But the brother of pop star Brandy, who made a sex tape with Kim Kardashian in 2003, later released a statement saying he 'was nowhere near the scene but no less distraught'. He added that he had received 'missed calls' from his ex, and said: 'We all gotta live with that.' Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown, with whom she had a notoriously turbulent 14-year relationship riddled with drug use, was in Nashville at the time of her death and his daughter's trips to the hospital. Brown - whom she blamed partly for her drug issues - was said to be 'in and out of crying fits' upon hearing the news - but still appeared on stage on Saturday with his band New Edition, and cried out 'I love you, Whitney!' in the middle of the concert. Singer Johnny Gill, one of Brown's New Edition bandmates on tour in Memphis with the star, said: 'Bobby is struggling and he's devastate
From pop music's queen to a fallen star ravaged by drug use: The life of Whitney Houston in pictures Doomed to self-destruct: No one could save Whitney Houston as she blew £100m and sought oblivion in crack cocaine Distraught Bobby Brown jets back to LA to comfort daughter after breaking down in concert over ex-wife Whitney's death Ray J seeks solace in the arms of his sister Brandy after being turned away from hotel where his ‘lover’ Whitney Houston died
Brown then cancelled a concert in order to be by Bobbi Kirstina's side and was pictured last night arriving at LAX Airport. He said: 'I am deeply saddened at the passing of my ex-wife, Whitney Houston. At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter, Bobbi-Kristina. I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and I at this most difficult time.' Houston's family also released a statement yesterday expressing their grief: 'We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends.' Whitney Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTwhPlhw
Celebrities, from singers and rappers to television personalities and business leaders, took to Twitter to express their sadness at the news. Stars praised the singer's unmatched talent and passed on their wishes to her bereaved family, while others expressed their shock at how the award-winning singer passed away at the age of just 48. 'Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston,' said Mariah Carey, who recorded the Oscar-winning song When You Believe with the late star in 1998. SALES OF HITS EXPECTED TO SOAR Whitney Houston's music is expected to soar to the top of the charts after the shock news of her death last night, the Official Charts Company (OCC) said. The firm said it was already expecting a sales surge to impact on the charts, with the singer's songs expected to take places in the Official Singles Chart and Official Albums Chart over the next week. Although first verified sales reports will not be made until Tuesday morning, incorporating sales from Sunday and Monday, the OCC said it understood that sales are already surging. A similar effect was seen after the deaths of Michael Jackson in June 2009 and Amy Winehouse in August 2011 as fans paid tribute by buying the artists' singles and albums. In summer 2009, six Michael Jackson albums hit the Official Albums Chart Top 40, including a greatest hits at Number 1, while five singles hit the Official Singles Chart Top 40, a week after the singer's death. Two years later, Amy Winehouse's albums took three places in the Official Top 10, along with five singles in the Official Top 40. The OCC described Houston as a 'true legend' of the UK's Official Charts - her first UK hit Saving All My Love For You, became Official number 1 in 1985. She racked up four number one singles and 13 more top 10 singles, along with two number one albums and five more top 10 singles. The star's biggest hit was a cover of Dolly's Parton's I Will Always Love You, which featured in The Bodyguard, which became the biggest-selling single of 1992 and the 10th biggest single of 1993, according to Official Charts data. It held the Official Number 1 spot for 10 weeks. 'Shocked we've lost the immensely talented Whitney Houston!' wrote fellow singer Gloria Estefan. Rihanna tweeted: 'No words! Just tears. I honestly can't think of anything else!!! Feels so strange being at the Grammy rehearsal right now!!' Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb added his condolences, saying: 'In my estimation we have lost one of the greatest voices in popular music today...but as we always learn too late....we never cherish it until it's gone. My thoughts are with her family.' A 'devastated' Mitch Winehouse, the father of late Amy Winehouse who died last year after a public battle with class A drugs, paid tribute on Twitter, writing: 'Amy, Etta, Whitney. Their music will NEVER die. What a great girl group in heaven. Mitch'. Former Boyzone star Ronan Keating said the severity of the singer's problems had become apparent two years ago at the start of her comeback. He told Sky: 'I'm devastated. I cannot believe it. It's hard to believe she's gone. Another legend, we've lost another singer, probably the greatest singer the world has ever seen.' 'It's very sad to see the tough times in her life. I saw her two years ago when she was trying to make her comeback and I could see that she was weathered and you could see that she had been through tough time but you could see the voice was still there and she was trying.' Asked if the music industry does enough to look after vulnerable performers, he said: 'It's about the people you surround yourself with. She really got involved in bad situations and the wrong crowd of people who led her down the wrong road.' And music mogul Simon Cowell said that before her death he had approached her to ask if she would consider becoming a judge on the next season of the U.S. X-Factor. He also paid tribute to Ms Houston and said the warning signs that she ‘still had problems’ came after the singer made an erratic appearance on the X Factor in 2009. The performance was to promote a new album after seven years off the scene. He said: ‘There are always moments in your life that are horrible to remember. The day John Lennon died, the day Elvis died. More recently Michael Jackson, last year Amy Winehouse and now Whitney. 'I know quite a few people who had been working with her over the years. We all knew Whitney had issues. I last met her when she came on the X Factor. You could see at the time there were still a few problems but she was a delight to work with on the day.' The guest appearance on X Factor - her first UK TV appearance for 12 years - was billed as the start of her comeback but the worrying performance raised concerns for her well being and she suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction when her dress straps snapped. Miss Houston then embarked on her Nothing But Love World Tour tour in 2010, but the UK leg was beset by cancellations. She was forced to reschedule the first three dates in Manchester and Glasgow after picking up a respiratory infection. She finally played her first UK gig in 11 years at the Birmingham LG Arena. The talent show judge told Sky: ‘She probably wasn’t all together but it was still Whitney Houston and you were in the presence of a legend and I will never forget that day. 'There are so few people like her in the world. They are a rarefied breed, these are true superstar legendary divas, but I say diva that in the nicest possible way. She had one of the best voices I heard in my life ever.’ And it was not just the music industry that felt the influence of Houston, with other celebrities expressing their condolences and thanks to the award-winning singer. One high-profile figure to speak out was Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, who said: 'R.I.P. Whitney Houston. Thank you for the amazing music you brought into the world.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTxRolPu
Whitney Houston's death cast a shadow over the music industry's most prestigious event - last night's Grammys. Stars lined up to pay tribute to the singer, who had previously won six of the awards, with X-Factor judge Kelly Rowland saying on the red carpet: 'We lost our hero. 'I would not be standing here today if it was not for her. My prayers go out to her mother and her daughter. If we feel this loss, I can only imagine how heavy their loss is.' Bruce Springsteen opened the show and host, rapper LL Cool J said: ‘There is no way around this. We’ve had a death in the family.’ He then led the audience in prayer to ‘our fallen sister.’ Jennifer Hudson went on to sing an emotionally charged version of one of Miss Houston’s greatest hits, ‘I Will Always Love You.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTxsP8Sx
TRIBUTES TO A FALLEN STAR 'One of the best voices I have heard in my life ever. A true superstar legendary diva.' Simon Cowell 'Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, Whitney, I will always love you.' Dolly Parton 'This is a sad day today, all I want to talk about is her music. She was the most beautiful woman I think I ever saw. ... Thank you for giving us your talent, and one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.' Elton John 'Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.' Mariah Carey 'I can't believe that Whitney is gone. My heart goes out to her family, to Clive (Davis), and to everyone who knew and loved this amazingly talented and beautiful artist. I will always love her.' Barry Manilow 'She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us.' Barbra Streisand 'We have lost another legend. Love and prayers to Whitney's family. She will be missed.' Christina Aguilera 'Whitney Houston was the first CD I ever bought. She had a God given gift. Hopefully, she’s singing with angels now.' LeAnn Rimes 'I am devastated by the loss of Whitney. We have lost a true angel. My prayers, my heart goes out to her family. We have lost an extraordinary voice to the world.' Lionel Richie 'This is the saddest thing I've ever had to write in my life, R I P to one of the greatest humans that I have ever known Whitney Houston.' Wyclef Jean 'R.I.P. Whitney Houston. Thank you for the amazing music you brought into the world.' Mark Zuckerberg 'Stunned by Whitney Houston's death at just 48. One of the greatest voices ever heard. #RIP.' Piers Morgan 'So sad to hear the news about Whitney Houston. She was such a beautiful and talented woman. My heart goes out to her family. RIP.' Paris Hilton 'At Grammys rehearsal hearing Whitney Houston has passed away at 48. Everyone here is absolutely stunned.' Ryan Seacrest 'Just heard Whitney Houston passed away. Many prayers go out to her family and all who are grieving the loss of an icon.' Khloe Kardashian Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTyVDxHx
Houston also won two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards. Her 1985 album Whitney was the first album by a woman to ever debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. She has sold more than 170million albums worldwide. The album also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit - a stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, which sat atop the charts for weeks and featured in The Bodyguard in 1992. It was Grammy record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the Bodyguard soundtrack was named album of the year. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTykpV30
More recently Miss Houston had just completed a role in the musical Sparkle, in which she played the mother to Jordin Sparks, who has the role of a singer. The film is set to be released in August and tells the story of three sisters who form a successful group learning to cope with the fallout of fame and drugs. But for the most part, the star's life had spiralled downhill since her early hits. She suffered a long battle with drugs, including cocaine, as well as alcohol and spent various spells in rehab. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTz2eLVM
Recent appearances had become increasingly erratic and the years of substance abuse had clearly taken a toll. She cancelled a string of concerts and talk shows as she struggled to cope. In a chat show with Oprah in 2003, the star admitted the scale of her addiction to smoking crack cocaine. 'It was every day, every,' she said. 'I didn't think about the singing part of it any more.' Her powerful voice began to suffer because of her demons prompting record sales to nosedive and in 2007 she split from husband Bobby Brown after 15 years of marriage. Recent reports suggested that the soul star was on the brink of bankruptcy, with her pop fortune said to have dwindled away, much of it going to her drug dealers. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTzO0x6A
At her peak, Whitney Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen. Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale." She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise. She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston. But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime. "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side. It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone. She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform. "The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America." "To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added. Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," "You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles. Another multi-platinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity." Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989. "Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them." Whitney Houston performing in 1988 Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support. But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed. "When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy." It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart. In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success. It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year. She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay." But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself." In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007. Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns. She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years. Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum. Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice. A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Cancelled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mU0m04lL
Whitney Houston is dead but what is its cause and why is it taking so long? While the autopsy on Whitney has been done since Sunday, very few details have been released and the coroner has said that toxicology tests will take "weeks". Haven't people have heard this before? With Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Heath Ledger, it's always the same story. Why do these tests take so long? Are the results in long before they are announced? Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky says that while toxicology labs are often backlogged with other tests for criminal cases or drug testing for jobs applicants, the actual test itself doesn't take too long -- about a week is the average.
However, maybe the public just wants an answer faster than experts can give one. "I suspect the popular media has made toxicology tests almost as magical as everything else," Dr. Andrew Baker, who is the President of the National Association of Medical Examiners, said. "I am sure there are TV shows where they squirt blood into a machine and five seconds later, they get a print out of every drug the person has ever taken. (But) it just doesn't work like that." Since Whitney Houston is far from your average Jane, it will probably take longer for experts to determine her death since everything they release will surely be scrutinized and talked about extensively.
"That's what these tests are all about, finding what you may not expect to find," Dr. Kobilinsky said. "I think with six to eight weeks they're covering themselves because it's such a high-profile case. They want to dot the i's and cross the t's in case something comes up strange." Who knows what will show in Whitney's toxicology tests -- and once the results do come in, authorities will have to decide how to convey the information.
Shocking moment Whitney Houston's daughter was rushed to hospital after star's death as family 'fear she is suicidal'
Daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, hospitalised TWICE since mother's death Whitney Houston's bodyguard 'found her drowned in bath in her hotel room' Star found under water after mixing a cocktail of prescription drugs with alcohol, it is claimed Award-winning star was on 'brink of bankruptcy' having 'frittered away pop fortune on crack cocaine'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTw5LKGf
Fears are growing that Whitney Houston’s 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina may be feeling suicidal - after she was rushed to hospital twice in the 24 hours following the discovery of her mother’s dead body in the bathtub of a Hollywood hotel. The teenager was first admitted after allegedly passing out, after drinking alcohol and then taking a sedative pill given to her by one of her mother's entourage to calm her down, upon learning of the devastating news. She was then pictured being taken out of the Beverly Hilton - the same hotel where her mother had died just hours earlier- on a stretcher at 10.30am yesterday and being rushed to Cedars-Sinai where she was treated for extreme anxiety. She was released several hours later, but friends and family are still very concerned about her mental state. Scroll down for video of her last performance Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTwUQgXN
Crack cocaine user Houston, 48, was found dead under the bath water by her bodyguard in luxury suite number 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday afternoon, which is said to have been littered with bottles of prescription pills. On Thursday she is said to have gone on a 'wild binge' where she clashed with security guards. The next evening she 'partied heavily, drank and chatted loudly' with friends at the hotel bar. Bottles of Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax and a sleeping medication were found in the hotel room, it has been claimed. The drugs were believed to have acted as sedatives, causing her to fall asleep in the bathtub once they had been mixed with alcohol from the previous evenings. Paramedics battled to revive the singer but she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm, hours before she had been due to perform at a pre-Grammys party at the same hotel. Los Angeles coroner's office refused to comment on rumours that water was found on her lungs, indicating she had drowned. It said further details will not be officially released until a police investigation is completed, which may take between one and two months, and revealed no one may visit the body while it is in their custody. At first it was thought that singer and reality TV star Ray-J, her on/off boyfriend who at 17 years younger dated her between 2007 and 2009 and was believed to have rekindled the romance, found the star. But the brother of pop star Brandy, who made a sex tape with Kim Kardashian in 2003, later released a statement saying he 'was nowhere near the scene but no less distraught'. He added that he had received 'missed calls' from his ex, and said: 'We all gotta live with that.' Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown, with whom she had a notoriously turbulent 14-year relationship riddled with drug use, was in Nashville at the time of her death and his daughter's trips to the hospital. Brown - whom she blamed partly for her drug issues - was said to be 'in and out of crying fits' upon hearing the news - but still appeared on stage on Saturday with his band New Edition, and cried out 'I love you, Whitney!' in the middle of the concert. Singer Johnny Gill, one of Brown's New Edition bandmates on tour in Memphis with the star, said: 'Bobby is struggling and he's devastate
From pop music's queen to a fallen star ravaged by drug use: The life of Whitney Houston in pictures Doomed to self-destruct: No one could save Whitney Houston as she blew £100m and sought oblivion in crack cocaine Distraught Bobby Brown jets back to LA to comfort daughter after breaking down in concert over ex-wife Whitney's death Ray J seeks solace in the arms of his sister Brandy after being turned away from hotel where his ‘lover’ Whitney Houston died
Brown then cancelled a concert in order to be by Bobbi Kirstina's side and was pictured last night arriving at LAX Airport. He said: 'I am deeply saddened at the passing of my ex-wife, Whitney Houston. At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter, Bobbi-Kristina. I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and I at this most difficult time.' Houston's family also released a statement yesterday expressing their grief: 'We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends.' Whitney Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTwhPlhw
Celebrities, from singers and rappers to television personalities and business leaders, took to Twitter to express their sadness at the news. Stars praised the singer's unmatched talent and passed on their wishes to her bereaved family, while others expressed their shock at how the award-winning singer passed away at the age of just 48. 'Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston,' said Mariah Carey, who recorded the Oscar-winning song When You Believe with the late star in 1998. SALES OF HITS EXPECTED TO SOAR Whitney Houston's music is expected to soar to the top of the charts after the shock news of her death last night, the Official Charts Company (OCC) said. The firm said it was already expecting a sales surge to impact on the charts, with the singer's songs expected to take places in the Official Singles Chart and Official Albums Chart over the next week. Although first verified sales reports will not be made until Tuesday morning, incorporating sales from Sunday and Monday, the OCC said it understood that sales are already surging. A similar effect was seen after the deaths of Michael Jackson in June 2009 and Amy Winehouse in August 2011 as fans paid tribute by buying the artists' singles and albums. In summer 2009, six Michael Jackson albums hit the Official Albums Chart Top 40, including a greatest hits at Number 1, while five singles hit the Official Singles Chart Top 40, a week after the singer's death. Two years later, Amy Winehouse's albums took three places in the Official Top 10, along with five singles in the Official Top 40. The OCC described Houston as a 'true legend' of the UK's Official Charts - her first UK hit Saving All My Love For You, became Official number 1 in 1985. She racked up four number one singles and 13 more top 10 singles, along with two number one albums and five more top 10 singles. The star's biggest hit was a cover of Dolly's Parton's I Will Always Love You, which featured in The Bodyguard, which became the biggest-selling single of 1992 and the 10th biggest single of 1993, according to Official Charts data. It held the Official Number 1 spot for 10 weeks. 'Shocked we've lost the immensely talented Whitney Houston!' wrote fellow singer Gloria Estefan. Rihanna tweeted: 'No words! Just tears. I honestly can't think of anything else!!! Feels so strange being at the Grammy rehearsal right now!!' Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb added his condolences, saying: 'In my estimation we have lost one of the greatest voices in popular music today...but as we always learn too late....we never cherish it until it's gone. My thoughts are with her family.' A 'devastated' Mitch Winehouse, the father of late Amy Winehouse who died last year after a public battle with class A drugs, paid tribute on Twitter, writing: 'Amy, Etta, Whitney. Their music will NEVER die. What a great girl group in heaven. Mitch'. Former Boyzone star Ronan Keating said the severity of the singer's problems had become apparent two years ago at the start of her comeback. He told Sky: 'I'm devastated. I cannot believe it. It's hard to believe she's gone. Another legend, we've lost another singer, probably the greatest singer the world has ever seen.' 'It's very sad to see the tough times in her life. I saw her two years ago when she was trying to make her comeback and I could see that she was weathered and you could see that she had been through tough time but you could see the voice was still there and she was trying.' Asked if the music industry does enough to look after vulnerable performers, he said: 'It's about the people you surround yourself with. She really got involved in bad situations and the wrong crowd of people who led her down the wrong road.' And music mogul Simon Cowell said that before her death he had approached her to ask if she would consider becoming a judge on the next season of the U.S. X-Factor. He also paid tribute to Ms Houston and said the warning signs that she ‘still had problems’ came after the singer made an erratic appearance on the X Factor in 2009. The performance was to promote a new album after seven years off the scene. He said: ‘There are always moments in your life that are horrible to remember. The day John Lennon died, the day Elvis died. More recently Michael Jackson, last year Amy Winehouse and now Whitney. 'I know quite a few people who had been working with her over the years. We all knew Whitney had issues. I last met her when she came on the X Factor. You could see at the time there were still a few problems but she was a delight to work with on the day.' The guest appearance on X Factor - her first UK TV appearance for 12 years - was billed as the start of her comeback but the worrying performance raised concerns for her well being and she suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction when her dress straps snapped. Miss Houston then embarked on her Nothing But Love World Tour tour in 2010, but the UK leg was beset by cancellations. She was forced to reschedule the first three dates in Manchester and Glasgow after picking up a respiratory infection. She finally played her first UK gig in 11 years at the Birmingham LG Arena. The talent show judge told Sky: ‘She probably wasn’t all together but it was still Whitney Houston and you were in the presence of a legend and I will never forget that day. 'There are so few people like her in the world. They are a rarefied breed, these are true superstar legendary divas, but I say diva that in the nicest possible way. She had one of the best voices I heard in my life ever.’ And it was not just the music industry that felt the influence of Houston, with other celebrities expressing their condolences and thanks to the award-winning singer. One high-profile figure to speak out was Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, who said: 'R.I.P. Whitney Houston. Thank you for the amazing music you brought into the world.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTxRolPu
Whitney Houston's death cast a shadow over the music industry's most prestigious event - last night's Grammys. Stars lined up to pay tribute to the singer, who had previously won six of the awards, with X-Factor judge Kelly Rowland saying on the red carpet: 'We lost our hero. 'I would not be standing here today if it was not for her. My prayers go out to her mother and her daughter. If we feel this loss, I can only imagine how heavy their loss is.' Bruce Springsteen opened the show and host, rapper LL Cool J said: ‘There is no way around this. We’ve had a death in the family.’ He then led the audience in prayer to ‘our fallen sister.’ Jennifer Hudson went on to sing an emotionally charged version of one of Miss Houston’s greatest hits, ‘I Will Always Love You.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTxsP8Sx
TRIBUTES TO A FALLEN STAR 'One of the best voices I have heard in my life ever. A true superstar legendary diva.' Simon Cowell 'Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, Whitney, I will always love you.' Dolly Parton 'This is a sad day today, all I want to talk about is her music. She was the most beautiful woman I think I ever saw. ... Thank you for giving us your talent, and one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.' Elton John 'Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.' Mariah Carey 'I can't believe that Whitney is gone. My heart goes out to her family, to Clive (Davis), and to everyone who knew and loved this amazingly talented and beautiful artist. I will always love her.' Barry Manilow 'She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us.' Barbra Streisand 'We have lost another legend. Love and prayers to Whitney's family. She will be missed.' Christina Aguilera 'Whitney Houston was the first CD I ever bought. She had a God given gift. Hopefully, she’s singing with angels now.' LeAnn Rimes 'I am devastated by the loss of Whitney. We have lost a true angel. My prayers, my heart goes out to her family. We have lost an extraordinary voice to the world.' Lionel Richie 'This is the saddest thing I've ever had to write in my life, R I P to one of the greatest humans that I have ever known Whitney Houston.' Wyclef Jean 'R.I.P. Whitney Houston. Thank you for the amazing music you brought into the world.' Mark Zuckerberg 'Stunned by Whitney Houston's death at just 48. One of the greatest voices ever heard. #RIP.' Piers Morgan 'So sad to hear the news about Whitney Houston. She was such a beautiful and talented woman. My heart goes out to her family. RIP.' Paris Hilton 'At Grammys rehearsal hearing Whitney Houston has passed away at 48. Everyone here is absolutely stunned.' Ryan Seacrest 'Just heard Whitney Houston passed away. Many prayers go out to her family and all who are grieving the loss of an icon.' Khloe Kardashian Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTyVDxHx
Houston also won two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards. Her 1985 album Whitney was the first album by a woman to ever debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. She has sold more than 170million albums worldwide. The album also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit - a stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, which sat atop the charts for weeks and featured in The Bodyguard in 1992. It was Grammy record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the Bodyguard soundtrack was named album of the year. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTykpV30
More recently Miss Houston had just completed a role in the musical Sparkle, in which she played the mother to Jordin Sparks, who has the role of a singer. The film is set to be released in August and tells the story of three sisters who form a successful group learning to cope with the fallout of fame and drugs. But for the most part, the star's life had spiralled downhill since her early hits. She suffered a long battle with drugs, including cocaine, as well as alcohol and spent various spells in rehab. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTz2eLVM
Recent appearances had become increasingly erratic and the years of substance abuse had clearly taken a toll. She cancelled a string of concerts and talk shows as she struggled to cope. In a chat show with Oprah in 2003, the star admitted the scale of her addiction to smoking crack cocaine. 'It was every day, every,' she said. 'I didn't think about the singing part of it any more.' Her powerful voice began to suffer because of her demons prompting record sales to nosedive and in 2007 she split from husband Bobby Brown after 15 years of marriage. Recent reports suggested that the soul star was on the brink of bankruptcy, with her pop fortune said to have dwindled away, much of it going to her drug dealers. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mTzO0x6A
At her peak, Whitney Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen. Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale." She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise. She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston. But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime. "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side. It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone. She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform. "The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America." "To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added. Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," "You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles. Another multi-platinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity." Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989. "Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them." Whitney Houston performing in 1988 Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support. But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed. "When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy." It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart. In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success. It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year. She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay." But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself." In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007. Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns. She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years. Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum. Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice. A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Cancelled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099983/Whitney-Houston-cause-death-Did-star-drown-bath-taking-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz1mU0m04lL
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