Not a greyhound
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Great advice and that is why I didnāt rise to the bait. Maybe Iāve matured 
I donāt know whatās going on off line in other peopleās life which is causing them to lash out.
Firstly, when I liked your post I was liking you opening up about crying in therapy, which is a very manly thing to say. I didnt even know who you were talking about. I think that lad has had a decent enough lockdown but I also think that the only people I know who go through posts to see who gave them likes are gay men.
Secondly, thereās something Iāve been meaning to say that might disappoint you. A few people on here, yourself included, have been very harsh on anyone who tried to link the lockdown to any self-harm stories. Yourself, @Batigol , @Lazarus and so in have shown immense decency in not going down that road, even though it would suit your narrative. Self-harm and suicide is too serious a subject for you too exploit. You say that there are a lot of causes to suicide and self-harm and itās wrong to attribute to any one cause, especially a political cause that will lead to bitterness, rancour and division. You lads are an enormous credit to yourselves.
There was a family incident about a month ago that has me questioning this approach. I have a cousin about 10 years older than me and obviously Iāve known him all my life. He has always seemed to me incredibly well-grounded and focused. A very level-headed chap, probably the most ānormalā in my weird family. He is very hardworking and successful. He runs a business providing professional services to a highstreet industry that has been completely destroyed by covid. He also has a beautiful wife, a mortgage and two babies. About a month ago I got a text from my mother saying that if my cousin contacted me I should immediately contact the police. It transpired that he had suffered a complete mental breakdown. He had been getting more and more stressed an excitable the worse his balance sheet got. When the wife had finally invited the men in white coats to the house he had jumped over the garden wall and ran along the Dart line and was now completely awol, sleeping rough. They eventually found him and admitted him safely to hospital but he could easily have been killed by a train. He was in hospital for about a month and got out last week.
I just donāt see anyway that my cousin could have broken down like this without the collapse of his business. He had no psychiatric history. He is a life-long tee-totaller and very sporty. I have to accept that obviously I donāt know him as well as I thought I did. I probably only saw him a few times a year but still, I think his problem was trying to control everything with his business when it was falling apart. And what if heād been hurt physically? I just donāt see how this could have happened without the lockdown.
I risk sliding into bitterness. Any time I hear someone on TV complaining about long covid I want to shout āWhat about my cousin? What about his kids?ā I find myself wondering if his stress was made worse by certain commentators dismissing anyone who speaks against the lockdown as a corporate shill or an immoral or uncaring person. Nothing good will come of that approach of course and plenty of people my cousinās age have actually died of this disease. They wonāt get out of hospital ever and how do their families cope with the anger.
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We all operate along a fine line mate. It doesnāt take much to push anyone across that line.
Sometimes people attached too much of their identity to their career or businessā¦ When that rug is pulled from under them then it can have a profound impact.
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Yes maybe thatās how it sounds but I just see a guy who had let a lot of people go and has a young family and a mortgage and felt huge responsibility to make things right. Maybe youāre right, I donāt know.
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A very sobering read.
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I think in Ireland especially thereās a lot of pressure to maintain a status if youāre seem to have it, or moreso if youāve talked up that you have it (this is general, not necessarily your cousin) When thats under threat it can cause massive stress understandably.
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Well put
Iād agree with what everything @Mac said, but dont be afraid to seek professional help if you feel you need it. Fresh air and exercise and hobbies are very, very important, but they may not work on their own
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That 70% rise in October compared to the same month the year before is huge
Ill send you a PM in a bit.
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Thatās very sadā¦I think we are all capable of having a breakdown once something goes in the head ā¦stress can break a person ā¦must be so tough to invest your time and energy to build up a successful business and then see it disappear in a short time ā¦
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Looks like one of Chris Eubanks sons took his own life reading between the lines.
Dreadfully sad.
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I was wondering that. Very sad.
Is that the son he didnāt have much contact with or there was some story behind it ? Very sad either way.
Iām not sure. Sebastian is the lad thst passed. Has he many children?
1 I think, only born a few months ago.
Itās a terrible terrible story. It rains stones on Chris Eubank, the poor man.
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A very close friendās mother took her own life this morning. She had had a horrendously long battle with depression, including being hospitalised for months on end repeatedly. Looked to have turned the corner and was even out for a few drinks after the Munster final. As friendly and as sincere a lady as Iāve ever encountered.
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