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Wednesday, February 15, 2006 12:00 AM

Will I ever get over my parents' suicides?

I used to be a carefree person. Now I am trapped by tragic history.

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  • Wednesday, February 15, 2006 10:19 AM

    the important first step

    People don't kill themselves because they are broke or physically sick. They kill themselves because they are mentally ill. 10% of clinically depressed people attempt suicide.

    I am from a family with lots of mental illness and alcoholism. Unlike many children of troubled parents, you have made the important first step, realizing how profoundly your parent's problems have affected you. Of course, since they committed suicide, this is obvious to you. However, for many of us who sufferred trama at the hands of our parents that is just slightly less dramatic than suicide, it often takes many years of grief to arrive at this discovery.

    The next step is to seek professional help. Find a person to listen to your story and to help you make sense of it. This seems like an approach that is too simple to help such a complex and difficult problem. However, in my case, and many others, it has made a world of difference.

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