Stunned From Celebrity Death

Think about this…our ideas concerning celebrity death.

When someone famous dies of suicide or overdose (Kate Spade, Chester Bennigton, Robin Williams, Phillip Seymour Hoffman etc…): People are stunned and say things like:

“He had everything; he was on top of the world; I don’t understand”…

Dead Is Dead

When the middle-class/upper middle-class white kid from an “in-tact” family dies of an overdose people say:

“He was from a “good” family I don’t understand”…. “we would never have thought this was happening they were such a good family…” etc…

The death of the poor kid in the middle of nowhere Nebraska who hangs himself is no different than the death of the troubled “superstar” musician.

The overdose death of the “white trash” kid in the hills of West Virginia is no different than the celebrity death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s overdose death in Beverly Hills.

Whether in a mobile home or a luxury hotel… Dead is dead.

Click-Bait

No one ever says:

“It was so surprising he took his own life…. he was such a piece of shit and his family was so poor… It makes no sense he would kills himself.”

I guess the implication is… “oh that makes sense… he killed himself because he was worthless”.

The media uses all the celebrity death as click-bait.

The entertainment and mainstream media pretty much sucks across the board. TMZ type shit.

Lots Of Work

For the rest of us:

All of this indicates exactly how deep the stigma is and how much misunderstanding exists in relation to mental health and substance use disorder.

This is a given and we have lots of work to do in the area of stigma reduction.

However, in addition: These type of statements indicate that people fundamentally believe wealth, income, status, achievement, recognition, fame, power, etc… EQUALS HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT.

That’s why they are stunned when an actor kills himself but indifferent when your average citizen does so…

Society Is Ass-Backwards

We have been conditioned to acquire things.

Our economy is driven on the constant need for more and an underlying you suck if you don’t have enough message-“so come buy this shitty thing from me so you feel better”.

We have been conditioned to admire random people who, objectively speaking, add little value to society’s bottom line (actors, athletes, etc..).

They entertain us. They don’t cure cancer or serve meals at the soup kitchen.

Certainly they are not doing an on-call shift on our overdose response team.

They are court jesters… Society is ass-backwards.

A Dent In The Universe

There is no peace in attaining things.

Yes. Poor sucks worse than having money. And I have no intention of being poor and playing the non-profit martyr. (that guy makes me just a frustrated).

But I know money and shit won’t make me happy. I will just be miserable with more toys…

It’s the pursuit of a great goal that lights me up.

As they say: “putting a dent in the universe”.

A Values Crisis

Taking care of those I love makes the list.

Trying to add value and help as many people as possible makes the list.

Fully accepting and living out my role in this battle for improved mental health and better outcomes with substance misuse makes the list.

We have a “values” crisis… the overdoses and suicides are but symptoms.

Our society is rotting from the inside out.

The post Celebrity Death is Still Death! appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

A National Plague!

All the Frankendrugs and death they bring, it’s just not normal and it’s not acceptable and it’s extremely sad… and to repeatedly write about overdoses and suicides at such young ages, well it is a major black-spot of all our lives today, not only my own.

The first 12 years of my career (2000-2012) deaths were infrequent and deeply troubling.

Considered a sentinel event for institutions and stunning news for everyone in the community.

I rarely, very rarely, had a client who passed away.

1 Overdose & 1 Suicide

Despite the fact I worked within intense community based programs in the streets of Pittsburgh. For example, I ran an assertive community treatment team during the full out execution of de-institutionalization movement in mental health.

“Dual diagnosis” as it was called back then.

Deep end schizophrenia and crack cocaine.

Bipolar type 1 and decades of alcohol.

Serious and persistent mental illness.

Literally the emptying of the state hospitals; we managed the reintegration.

And in 6 years 2 deaths that I can remember. 1 overdose and 1 suicide.

Tragic Resignation

There may have been others I can’t remember. But not likely.

People are getting numb to these deaths of despair. And the norms around these deaths are changing.

Although universally acknowledged as tragic, there is a resignation among people. As if “shit happens”…..

It makes me very sad.

I guess we all deal with it in our own way.

The Brink Of Madness

I will say this. I get called nearly every week (or a face to face visit) by a family who has lost someone.

The stories are usually similar. “Tried treatment etc….but didn’t stick and stay in recovery etc….”

One really troubling thing. These kids have NO WIGGLE ROOM. No room for a bad day and a slip.

And that is the problem a with all the Frankendrugs and death, it is a –

Problem Without A Solution

No current treatment or medication can account for the desire when it comes full force.

You can be doing great and still take the wrong turn on one random day.
What do you do in the age of Frankendrugs and death….?

All this leaves me at the brink of madness…at times…

“Just myself talking to myself about myself”….

The post Frankendrugs and Deaths of Despair appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

SHARE THIS!

This #socialmedia stuff is getting real serious. Our kids are suffering from anxiety, depression and reporting record levels of suicidal thinking.

Our children are purposefully being hi-jacked, taken over and gravely affected. We can’t take our eyes off the screen.

The average age of kids using smartphones is just 10 years old. WHAT???

Social media giants are very aware of the control and influence they have over our kids. They spend millions polishing and perfecting their tactics and honing their craft.

RECOVERY CARTEL PSA

 STARTLING RESEARCH

Researchers believe this has caused, and will continue to give rise to, the staggering increase in teen-aged and young adult depression and suicidal thinking.

Can you even imagine a 11 year child committing or attempting suicide? Well, imagine the impact constant connection and comparison with other pre-teens may have on a young person. Imagine middle school 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

It is an absolute fact that, in large part, social media is the culprit.

Constant connection and constant comparison is not normal. Human being are not designed for this aspect of modern life.

Fear of missing out and fear of being left out are very difficult for teenagers and young adults to accept. These anxieties are taken to another level via social media.

WE MUST TALK ABOUT THIS!!!

Many of us do not understand the impact this has. We were taken by surprise with the smartphone. I did not address this issue with my older kids (now 26, 23, 20).

We must work to provide these kids with a better perspective.

100% SMOKE & MIRRORS

Social media, at its most fundamental level, capitalizes on the human desire to establish oneself in the tribe. It is a natural instinct. However, this instinct can backfire when it involves technology.

Stating the obvious. Our kids need to know that: a) Social media is not a reflection on real life. People do not always look that good. People do not put up bad news. The group that you envy is full of young people who are just as insecure and envious as you. b) Social media is essentially entertainment. Treat it as such. c) Social media is not going away. Each family and each person is going to need to figure out their relationship with social media. Do you engage at all? If so, how much? When and where? How old when you begin?

And perhaps most importantly: d) Social media doesn’t reflect real life achievement or a human being’s value. Anyone can look good, anyone can get a following, anyone can be an internet superstar. Literally, you can pay for likes, followers, and social media engagement.

It’s the matrix.

FACTS & INFO

Here’s the link to USA Today article – https://www.usatoday.com/…/depression-suicide-m…/3172743002/.

And here is the link to the actual American Psychological Association study. – https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/abn-abn0000410.pdf

The post ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA: THIS ONE GOES OUT TO THE KIDS! appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.