what can I do. For his big ticket to stardom, Rhodes was inspired by a circus performer named Frank Cushing who was plucked out of the bay the previous year after claiming that he had just leaped from the bridge, though no one was there to see it. Too, people who attempt suicide may receive the help they need afterwards. I know you mean well, but I always feel I wished I never survived. Copyright 2013 Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, All Rights Reserved. The Jumpers | Psychology Today Ive been hospitalized 4 times in the past 6 weeks, after my 9th suicide attempt. Its not always a change of mind when deciding not to jump its fear of failure, Hi Londa, Please enter valid email address to continue. Its great to hear that things are going well for you now. Reach out to someone, anyone because I can tell you they have no idea how you feel. Sydney Kaitlyn West, 19, was last seen near the Golden Gate Bridge around 6:45 a.m. on September 30, 2020. They have a good, nonjudgmental, and supportive discussions at ChronicSuicideSupport.com/forum/. r/redsox. The four-second fall from the Golden Gate Bridge sends a person plunging . She was last seen wearing a light teal hoodie, dark leggings, and slip-on vans sneakers with dark green and black print. But in reality, he cant know what the future holds. After all, they were intent on dying. She was said to be very close with her family. I am hopeful that similar results will be found after the suicide barrier at the Golden Gate bridge is in place. Growing up Sydney was described as a sweet and goofy girl who wasnt afraid of being herself. First published on January 25, 2021 / 11:03 AM. and the evidence around them is not good. Sydney West is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but also grew up in the Pleasanton area. She attempted suicide three times and was in mental hospitals, etc. Indie Pop Star Michelle Lambert Kicks Off the Bankhead Courtyard Concert Series! I wear various hats: I created and maintain this website, Speaking of Suicide, I'm an associate professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, and I have a psychotherapy and consulting practice. The night before she disappeared (Sept. 29) she and her father Jay West had a lengthy phone conversation according to her family. Missing College Student - Sydney West : r/TrueCrime - reddit Has left me pretty much bankrupt and not willing to live. Case Contact Information: SFPD at 415-575-444 or text TIP411 (Start your message with SFPD) Or contact: private investigator Scott Dudek at 925-705-8328 or dudek.associates@gmail.com, *there is a reward for information that leads to her location and return, For more info: https://findsydneywest.com/ Facebook: Find Sydney West Instagram @find_sydney_west Polly Klaas Foundation: https://www.pollyklaas.org/missing-children/sydney-west/, Sources: https://pleasantonweekly.com/news/2021/09/30/what-a-week-find-sydney-west https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/searching-for-sydney-san-francisco-police-still-asking-for-publics-help/?fbclid=IwAR2uVE3anCjr5EvpUerTiD6JZxCAENR83-xIRz3TRzAfRuGckyYFzRqnobM https://storiesoftheunsolved.com/2020/11/27/the-disappearance-of-sydney-west/. Why Prevent Suicide? An estimated 1,600 people have committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, which has warnings but no barrier. But the cameras lost sight of her because of heavy fog, making it impossible to know what happened toher. Pandora I put up a front so my kids wont end up the same way. FAQs - Statistics & Data | Golden Gate Police do not necessarily believe there was foul play involved, according to an interview Rueca had with KRON4. Im afraid to try again and it just adds for anger, desperation, loss of control over my own life and guilt for those in my life who have to worry. She vanished without a trace from San Francisco, California, near the Golden Gate Bridge, a popular tourist spot for many. I've taken the Fenway Park Tour 3 times in my life. Each year I did Maybe in order to evade authorities who had refused permission to allow the jump legally 18 months earlier, he removed the weighted boots that were intended to keep him upright during the plunge. Even for people who passionately wish and perhaps even need (for health reasons) to lose weight, they do not always prevail. I know there will be a lot of people out there who will think a certain thing happened to Sydney. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. I feel fortunate and very grateful that so many individuals take their time and devote energy to sharing what they have experienced in their lives-it is so difficult for most people to understand in its wholeness-the value of life ..the science of every day living and the extreme depth and mystery and solstice to human beings, but one way to start understanding why people: innocents commit suicide is to acknowlege the exact factors of why a healthy person would just turn off the switch to existence. Wishing you peace, I am both, not realizing this until reading today My dad ended his life by his own hands , when I was 9. What, Im supposed to carry on with the HOPE that things MIGHT get better. What We Get Wrong About the Golden Gate Bridge Suicides After he was rescued, he continued to live, and lives still, serving as a suicide prevention advocate at the national level. For more information, click here. I lost my boyfriend to suicide two years ago and I have not been able to forgive myself. Same with divorce. While at Berkeley she joined the rowing team and showed a strong interest in medicine, business, and biological science. Anyone in the Bay Area with any information regarding her disappearancecan contact Sgt. It turns out that I had, and still have, many misconceptions about myself and the people in encounter. He recovered physically, but mentally he is now depressed and on anti-depressants,has anxiety attacks, is too emotional for working, and keeps saying he wishes he had succeeded with his attempt as he feels a burden to everyone. I am now 49, and I fantasize about suicide knowing I will never actually do it but wishing it was an option. suicide sometimes defies even the best efforts to thwart it, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, http://www.SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources/#immediatehelp, If Only: Self-Blame After a Loved Ones Suicide, You Cant Do Everything: Limitations in Helping a Suicidal Person, a meta-analysis of numerous studies that looked at bridges suicide barriers, Generally, research into method substitution, 10 Things Not to Say to a Suicidal Person. Come home.. Shortly after 1 p.m. on March 8, San Francisco officials pulled the fully clothed body of a 56-year-old white man from the waves off secluded Marshall's Beach, just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. Now I wonder whether I also pressed reset on my brain. Im wondering if youve seen the post If Only: Self-Blame After a Loved Ones Suicide. I am very sorry for your loss. Friends and family may rally to their side. Kevin Briggs. Im all right, Im prepared for this! Dusty Rhodes yelled as he launched himself from the Golden Gate Bridge. I fantasize a lot about suicide. Throughout the years, Ive engaged in self-injurious behaviors. She struggled with being so far away from her parents and sister, who reside in North Carolina. What % of those people were financially ruined (ie dead broke) with no job or no home? Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. And now Ive been out of rehab for 5 months and its weird because all a sudden everything is going my way now. At times I hate myself. After my attempt at suicide, I tried to find information about my feelings and what others were feeling. Missing Ex-Cal Student Last Seen On Golden Gate Bridge I mean how long can I go ahead. The family of Sydney West is offering a $25,000 reward for her return. I hear you. For me, the will to live kicked in. Part of Audacy. But, as you said, the problem is also bigger than a question of means. I find myself returning to that time in my life and wondering if this is the way Im supposed to go, or if the survival instinct will continue to win. The attempt was no cry for help. I feel if I constantly feel like this over the years why dont I just die now? My mother battled w depression I watched her battle hard all my life and still. The man who tried to find fame by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, Horoscope for Saturday, 3/04/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, West I-80 closed near Tahoe due to snow and 'multiple spinouts', Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, Even Salesforces tower HQ isnt safe from office cuts, Inside Harry and Meghans favorite In-N-Out, Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Massive Lake Tahoe waterfront compound slashes price by $20M, This beloved East Bay hybrid cafe and bike shop is closing, Ja Morant says he'll get help after video shows apparent gun. People are stupid. But overall, the evidence is that prevention is not simply a temporary delay of death. They're asking anyone "who may have been walking, biking, running, who commute over the bridge particularly Wednesday mornings at that time" to share information. At the age of 19, Kevin Hines attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, an all-too-common act that nearly always results in death. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thank you for contributing to the discussion. Although severe depression led him to jump off the bridge, Kevin Hines has stated: "The very second I let go, I knew I had made a big mistake." Obviously, I failed. Precious few people survive such a fall; the water about 200 feet below acts the same as concrete when a person lands on it at high speed. Confessed to my dad and got shipped to a hospital. She was last seen in the area around 6:45 a.m. Me and my childrens life broke into pieces and our life will never be the same. ChiMaxx, thank you for writing and for raising important points in your comment. A vigil was held last week for West in Pleasanton. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. She is an amazing musician. SFGATE news editor Amy Graff contributed to this report. [This comment was edited to abide by the Comments Policy. September 30, 2020 was the last time anyone saw or heard from 19-year-old Sydney West. Yes I know this fear of failure as well. The sad thing is that, as I say in my letter, some of what your friend thinks and believes may actually be true, but his mind is probably also shutting him out of other truths that could balance out his pain. / CBS San Francisco. Written forwww.speakingofsuicide.com. I tried by drinking mosquito poison. Between 1937 and 2012, an estimated 1,400 bodies were recovered of people who had jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, located in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States.. Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, is the author of the books Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques for Professionals and Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do. Whether ones anchor to life is children or some other passion, it is a gift to have a reason for living that outweighs suicidal thoughts. On average, 30 people or more die from suicide here each year. Suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge - Wikipedia Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Golden Gate lacks a suicide barrier . At this point I feel like Ill just maim myself or end up locked up for a minimum of six months( yes thats happened to me). :A Follow-up Study of Suicide Attempters fromthe Golden Gate Bridge.. You provide inspiration to others who still are stuck in that hopelessness and despair. Im sorry to hear about all the pain youve been through. In February 2009, following the murder of a four-year-old girl who was thrown off the bridge by her father, the first stage of a temporary suicide barrier was erected on Westgate Bridge, constructed of concrete crash barriers topped with a welded mesh fence. Generally, research into method substitution has found that blocking access to a suicide method results in fewer suicides overall, even when taking into consideration those suicides by people who found other ways to die. Yet it gives me great hope that the vast majority of suicide attempt survivors remain just that survivors. A missing person case has also been launched in Orange County, North Carolina, where West's family lives. I pretended to have an awakening and successfully faked a born-again quality joy that warded off the idiotic, feeble attempts of others to help me. So in a couple days with no vehicle no money and no job, Im just supposed to trudge on, because life is precious or whatever other placating device people Banty about? A couple hours. It was the last thing Dusty did, and it was a failure, she said. Have you found commonality in your suicidal patients? I couldnt pull all the way. I hope you can find peace within. For example, upon hearing me take total responsibility for the failure of my first marriage a gifted woman who is a counselor and pastor said, I typically find that both parties share responsibility equally. Suicide needs to be addressed from many angles, of which means restriction is only one. Theres just a lack of evidence that shes not with us anyone, Jay West said. West may have been wearing dark leggings, blue Vans shoes and a teal sweatshirt at the time of her disappearance. Anyone with information is asked to call 415-575-4444. It is important to note that there has been no activity on her phone, bank accounts, or social media accounts since Sept. 30. For suicidal individuals and their loved ones, survivors, mental health professionals, & others who care, Although severe depression led him to jump off the bridge, Kevin Hines, Yet it gives me great hope that the vast majority of suicide attempt survivors remain just that survivors. Have had lots of therapy after that. Life really sucked and so did I. I blamed myself for everything that was wrong and then some. Press J to jump to the feed. Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Good luck to you, Joan. Wests parents confirmed in a new video released late Thursday she was last seen shortly before 7 a.m. on the Golden Gate Bridge. Its death toll has since been surpassed only by the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in China.. There is only a 4ft safety rail separating the sidewalk from the void, and 98% of suicide attempts there have succeeded. My advice to you or to those considering suicide or attempted suicide, please THINK of your loved one, your family and friends. The Suicide Deterrent System, also known as the Safety Net, is being constructed to keep people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. In 2000, he actually did jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. I think it could be helpful to you. Sydney West never returned home, and has not been heard from since. What Dr. Seiden found is a remarkable testament to the fact that a suicidal crisis is often very often temporary. How Parents Can Support a Child With Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Survivor Stories Empowered Me to Live, How Ive Survived and Thrived with Suicidal Thoughts, A Personal Note to Readers of Speaking of Suicide, Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques for Professionals, psychotherapist and consultant in private practice. Say someone wants to die by suicideso badly that they go to the Golden Gate Bridge to jump off. Taking into account suicides that might have been missed by researchers, Dr. Seiden stated that 90% of people who tried to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge did not go on to die by suicide. Here I thought I just occasionally drank too much. San Francisco Police have previously said the teenager "is considered at risk due to depression." There are many people with children whose pain or distorted thinking overrides all else, in spite of their best wishes. Sydney West's parents confirmed she was last seen on the Golden Gate Bridge. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment.