Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
New York Police Sergeant Commits Suicide After Sex-Crime Charges
Source: New York Times
A New York police sergeant who was arrested this month on charges that he had sex with an underage girl he met online committed suicide on Thursday, the police said.
The sergeant, Joel Doseau, 43, who was suspended after his arrest, killed himself at his home in Canarsie, Brooklyn, a police official said. Earlier, the official had said he died at a home of a relative.
A family member went to the sergeant’s home after he had not been heard from for a few days and discovered his body. The official said the sergeant had inhaled gas fumes and appeared to have died from asphyxiation.
Sergeant Doseau was arrested on Aug. 5 and arraigned in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on 40 criminal counts, including rape and sexual abuse. He had worked for the Police Department for 12 years at the time of his arrest.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/nyregion/new-york-police-sergeant-commits-suicide-after-sex-crime-charges.html
27 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last edited Fri Aug 21, 2015, 10:12 AM - Edit history (2)
Before we get the inevitable post saying that "he did everyone a favor," I'm going to reprint this information. It's time, too, because I haven't posted the links to suicide prevention hotlines since April.
From the College of William & Mary:
About Suicide
According to national resources such as the Jed Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), one in ten college students has at one time considered suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death nationally among those 15-24 years of age. Almost all who die by suicide are suffering from an emotional disorder, most commonly depression. As the AFSP notes, "90% of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death." Therefore, identifying and treating these illnesses is especially important; someone with an untreated emotional disorder may be more likely to attempt suicide in the wake of stressful life events.
Recognizing Warning Signs
The most effective way to help in preventing suicide is to recognize warning signs, take those signs seriously, and respond appropriately. Fortunately, people who are suicidal CAN be helped with the proper treatment. Common warning signs of suicide include:
•Hopelessness
•Rage, uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
•Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
•Feeling trapped, like there is no way out
•Increased alcohol or drug use
•Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
•Anxiety, agitation, inability to sleep or sleeping all the time
•Dramatic mood changes
•Expressing no reason for living or no purpose in life
•Inability to see the future without pain
•Inability to make decisions or think clearly
•Decision to stop taking prescribed medication for depression or other psychological disorder
•Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
How To Respond if You are Concerned About Someone
•DO Listen and offer support in a non-judgmental way
•DO Help the person explore feelings
•DO Widen options and explore alternatives for problem solving
•DO Ask direct questions about the person's intentions; ask if the person is considering suicide
•DO Communicate your concern for the person's well being
•DO Recommend that the person contact a mental health professional
•DO Call a professional yourself and offer to accompany the person to an initial appointment
•DO Call the police if you believe the risk of suicide is immediate
•DON'T say "everything will be alright"
•DON'T dare the person to "do it"
•DON'T tell the person about someone who "has it worse"
•DON'T promise secrecy to the suicidal person
•DON'T leave the person alone if you believe the risk of suicide is imminent
According to national resources such as the Jed Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), one in ten college students has at one time considered suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death nationally among those 15-24 years of age. Almost all who die by suicide are suffering from an emotional disorder, most commonly depression. As the AFSP notes, "90% of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death." Therefore, identifying and treating these illnesses is especially important; someone with an untreated emotional disorder may be more likely to attempt suicide in the wake of stressful life events.
Recognizing Warning Signs
The most effective way to help in preventing suicide is to recognize warning signs, take those signs seriously, and respond appropriately. Fortunately, people who are suicidal CAN be helped with the proper treatment. Common warning signs of suicide include:
•Hopelessness
•Rage, uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
•Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
•Feeling trapped, like there is no way out
•Increased alcohol or drug use
•Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
•Anxiety, agitation, inability to sleep or sleeping all the time
•Dramatic mood changes
•Expressing no reason for living or no purpose in life
•Inability to see the future without pain
•Inability to make decisions or think clearly
•Decision to stop taking prescribed medication for depression or other psychological disorder
•Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
How To Respond if You are Concerned About Someone
•DO Listen and offer support in a non-judgmental way
•DO Help the person explore feelings
•DO Widen options and explore alternatives for problem solving
•DO Ask direct questions about the person's intentions; ask if the person is considering suicide
•DO Communicate your concern for the person's well being
•DO Recommend that the person contact a mental health professional
•DO Call a professional yourself and offer to accompany the person to an initial appointment
•DO Call the police if you believe the risk of suicide is immediate
•DON'T say "everything will be alright"
•DON'T dare the person to "do it"
•DON'T tell the person about someone who "has it worse"
•DON'T promise secrecy to the suicidal person
•DON'T leave the person alone if you believe the risk of suicide is imminent
From June 2014: Need help? In the U.S. or Canada, call 1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Ayuda en Español
¿Qué pasa cuando llamo?
Cuando usted llama al número 1-888-628-9454, su llamada se dirige al centro de ayuda de nuestra red disponible más cercano. Tenemos actualmente 150 centros en la red y usted hablará probablemente con uno situado en su zona. Cada centro funciona en forma independiente y tiene su propio personal calificado.
Veterans Crisis Line
Young Adults
ETA this comment to the article at Gawker:
Mississippi Tea Party Leader Commits Suicide After Conspiracy Arrest
jtstillwater {responding to Allie Jones}
Yesterday 12:18pm
Before anyone jokes about this guy's suicide, I should say that whenever someone with a mental illness (hi!) reads about a suicide, there's a certain amount of fear — the thought process is sort of like, "Well I always tell myself I wouldn't do it, but clearly some people do, so what's saying that won't change?"
No question he did something awful, no question his political beliefs are unreasonable. But suicide is a horror.
Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Yesterday 12:18pm
Before anyone jokes about this guy's suicide, I should say that whenever someone with a mental illness (hi!) reads about a suicide, there's a certain amount of fear — the thought process is sort of like, "Well I always tell myself I wouldn't do it, but clearly some people do, so what's saying that won't change?"
No question he did something awful, no question his political beliefs are unreasonable. But suicide is a horror.
Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255
And, yes, I do find this scary.
April really is the cruelest month (if I am not mistaken):
The Season of Renewal and Suicide
Dec. 7 2012 3:12 PM
Why are people more likely to kill themselves in springtime than during the holidays?
By Brian Palmer
The suicide rate does not peak during the holidays, and the media should stop saying it does, according to a report released Tuesday by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. In fact, the suicide rate is highest in spring and summer. The holiday suicide-spike myth persists because it has a convenient narrative: Lonely people become despondent around Christmastime. So why do people kill themselves in the spring?
Possibly because they interact more. Doctors first observed in the 1820s that suicide rates spike during late spring. Researchers have since postulated and tested all sorts of explanations for the global phenomenon, making this one of the most studied questions in psychiatry. There’s still no consensus, but evidence suggests it has to do with so-called sociodemographic factors. During the winter, many people go into semihibernation: They work less, see fewer people, and are exposed to less frustration and conflict. That all changes in the spring, when increased interaction with others and the stress of work may trigger suicidal thoughts. The theory is based on a couple of observations. First, the spring suicide peak is more pronounced among people employed on farms or in factories who experience greater seasonal variation in the intensity of work and social interactions. In addition, developing countries with a higher proportion of agricultural workers see more seasonal change in the suicide rate than do developed countries. The magnitude of seasonal changes in the suicide rate is more than 10 times higher in Uruguay, for example, than in Belgium. Researchers have also detected a smoothing out of the seasonal variation in suicides in recent decades as more people move from farm to office. (There are smaller peaks in other parts of the year. Cubicle workers are more likely to commit suicide in the fall than in the spring, as are mothers who send their children off to school in September.)
Why are people more likely to kill themselves in springtime than during the holidays?
By Brian Palmer
The suicide rate does not peak during the holidays, and the media should stop saying it does, according to a report released Tuesday by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. In fact, the suicide rate is highest in spring and summer. The holiday suicide-spike myth persists because it has a convenient narrative: Lonely people become despondent around Christmastime. So why do people kill themselves in the spring?
Possibly because they interact more. Doctors first observed in the 1820s that suicide rates spike during late spring. Researchers have since postulated and tested all sorts of explanations for the global phenomenon, making this one of the most studied questions in psychiatry. There’s still no consensus, but evidence suggests it has to do with so-called sociodemographic factors. During the winter, many people go into semihibernation: They work less, see fewer people, and are exposed to less frustration and conflict. That all changes in the spring, when increased interaction with others and the stress of work may trigger suicidal thoughts. The theory is based on a couple of observations. First, the spring suicide peak is more pronounced among people employed on farms or in factories who experience greater seasonal variation in the intensity of work and social interactions. In addition, developing countries with a higher proportion of agricultural workers see more seasonal change in the suicide rate than do developed countries. The magnitude of seasonal changes in the suicide rate is more than 10 times higher in Uruguay, for example, than in Belgium. Researchers have also detected a smoothing out of the seasonal variation in suicides in recent decades as more people move from farm to office. (There are smaller peaks in other parts of the year. Cubicle workers are more likely to commit suicide in the fall than in the spring, as are mothers who send their children off to school in September.)
In Britain: Male suicide rates: 'My father left and took his own life'
13 April 2015 Last updated at 09:38 BST
....
Are you affected by this?
Samaritans provides emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or thoughts of suicide
Its number is 08457 90 90 90
Rethink Mental Illness has more than 200 mental health services and 150 support groups across England.
Its number is 0300 5000 927
....
Are you affected by this?
Samaritans provides emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or thoughts of suicide
Its number is 08457 90 90 90
Rethink Mental Illness has more than 200 mental health services and 150 support groups across England.
Its number is 0300 5000 927
List of suicide crisis lines
Thx. 
Hope the victim is doing okay.
