Donal Walshâs comments shouldnât have infuriated anybody. Itâs that a dying 16 year old was given the media platform to make what could only be simplistic, generalising and ill-informed comments, given his age and his undoubted anger that he was going to die, that was the problem.
That said, Walshâs comments may have done some good for some people. But they may also have had the opposite effect for some people and helped to further stigmatise people suffering from various forms of depression.
The worst feature of the publicising of Walshâs comments was that it generalised and lumped all forms of depression together. There probably isnât enough focus on differentiating between different forms of depression in the media.
I donât want to be seen to be criticising Donal Walsh too much because he showed great courage, and was only a young lad, but I have seen people posting videos of him on Facebook proclaiming him as some type of prophet. That really fucking grates me.
[quote=âSidney, post: 883906, member: 183â]Donal Walshâs comments shouldnât have infuriated anybody. Itâs that a dying 16 year old was given the media platform to make what could only be simplistic, generalising and ill-informed comments, given his age and his undoubted anger that he was going to die, that was the problem.
That said, Walshâs comments may have done some good for some people. But they may also have had the opposite effect for some people and helped to further stigmatise people suffering from various forms of depression.
The worst feature of the publicising of Walshâs comments was that it generalised and lumped all forms of depression together. There probably isnât enough focus on differentiating between different forms of depression in the media.[/quote]
I would say that it wasnât so much that he was given the platform, but more that people who should know better thought that he had hit the nail on the head.
Otherwise I think youâre spot on with everything else you say.
[quote=âfarmerinthecity, post: 883908, member: 24â]That is a superb piece by Garreth.
I donât want to be seen to be criticising Donal Walsh too much because he showed great courage, and was only a young lad, but I have seen people posting videos of him on Facebook proclaiming him as some type of prophet. That really fucking grates me.[/quote]
I also donât want to be seen to be partonising towards Donal. He faced down something which I have thankfully never faced so I am not even going to pretend to know what that was like in order to say whether he was showed courage etc.
Yeah, Iâve seen people post shit on FB and Iâve had to hold back from commenting⌠At the end of the day he was only a kid, an immensley brave one at that, and thereâs a fine line between attacking him and nit picking at some of his comments. Youâre safe here tho broâŚ
[quote=âfarmerinthecity, post: 883911, member: 24â]I would say that it wasnât so much that he was given the platform, but more that people who should know better thought that he had hit the nail on the head.
Otherwise I think youâre spot on with everything else you say.[/quote]
Funny enough Iâd guess thereâs quite a bit of crossover between people who eulogised his comments and people who call for more understanding of depression, despite the comments being pretty much diametrically opposed.
[quote=âfarmerinthecity, post: 883908, member: 24â]That is a superb piece by Garreth.
I donât want to be seen to be criticising Donal Walsh too much because he showed great courage, and was only a young lad, but I have seen people posting videos of him on Facebook proclaiming him as some type of prophet. That really fucking grates me.[/quote]
I think parts of garreths piece are excellent but one part sticks out for me and it the âiphone, ipad, new car and penthouse in dun laoghaireâ. And it seems to me, and i could be way off the mark here, that a lot of suicides are when people attain what others would describe the perfect of optimal life but find that even with things that make lots happy they are still miserable and see no way out
I am not fully sure what point you are trying to make here Art. I suspect it is that when people get all the material goods in the world that they want, they still have the human trait to long for something and because they have nothing left to long for then they get depressed. It is a certainly something I could imagine happening.
Personally speaking, when I was going through it, to an outsider looking in I would have had a great life - good supporting family and girlfriend, good job, loads of mates, tremendous taste in music. I wouldnât say that they didnât impact on anything - of course they did. If they werenât there I would have been twice as bad. But the point is that I still felt like shit despite having what seemed like a great life which is what I think Garreth is getting at.
[quote=âfarmerinthecity, post: 883927, member: 24â]I am not fully sure what point you are trying to make here Art. I suspect it is that when people get all the material goods in the world that they want, they still have the human trait to long for something and because they have nothing left to long for then they get depressed. It is a certainly something I could imagine happening.
Personally speaking, when I was going through it, to an outsider looking in I would have had a great life - good supporting family and girlfriend, good job, loads of mates, tremendous taste in music. I wouldnât say that they didnât impact on anything - of course they did. If they werenât there I would have been twice as bad. But the point is that I still felt like shit despite having what seemed like a great life which is what I think Garreth is getting at.[/quote]
What im trying to say, badly, is that reaching the pinnacle of what others would consider the ideal life and still being depressed could be the tipping point into suicide for some. It would certainly make sense to me given a number of suicides at home
I imagine what art is trying to say is something like the following:
Having material goods and wealth doesnât make you happy but not having them can contribute to depression, especially if you see others having the type of material goods and wealth you covet.
People who measure their worth by the acquisition of material goods and wealth tend to have a rather empty existence, by definition, and acquiring these goods and wealth can expose this emptiness.
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This article deals with these points.
Iâm suicidal because proc has banned my ip and I canât interact with my online friends there anymore. Iâm lost and alone and finding it very hard to cope. Can somebody help me please?
Personally speaking, when I was going through it, to an outsider looking in I would have had a great life - good supporting family and girlfriend, good job, loads of mates, tremendous taste in music. at.[/quote]
Good Support Family, Good girlfriend Good Job Tremendous taste in music
Then it comes to Bandage, Rocko et al⌠eh âloadsâ
Just back online ( and Iâve had a drop) but some excellent observations made here by @farmerinthecity[/USER] @[USER=183]Sidney[/USER] and @[USER=179]artfoley.
Great value in the piece posted by @Mark Renton also.
Itâs refreshing to see this discussion being treated in a constructive manner. (I know, cue the inevitable idiot reply)
The material thing is very interesting and may well be a far greater factor in mental health issues in this country than is currently recognised. Iâd have a slightly different angle thoughâŚ
I donât think itâs a question of envy, craving or attainment. Materialism and apparent well-being has become the lowest common denominator in the established perception of oneâs status in Ireland. As has been correctly pointed out, attainment in itself can be a greater curse than blessing, in that one is now grouped with the âsuccessfulâ and in that particular stratum a major issue can arise.
Iâm blessed to say that I want for little. I have a wife and children I adore but I donât compare myself to anybody. In fact, most of my peers, or those who would class themselves as same, utterly irritate me. Most have little in common with me, as Iâm basically a very simple chap, but the emphasis that others place on materialism really gets to me. It can be down to small things like them talking about family events and holidays, new gadgets or possessions. Everything seems to be a competition or comparison as to how theirs was/is better. A better deal, a better gizmo, a better experience.
We all have good days and bad days. We all get lucky sometimes and all get screwed sometimes. We all play the hero and the martyr.
I just donât think we should be imposing values on others. It has consequences far beyond comprehension.
You guys mentioned at the top are doing good. Keep doing it.
You might think Donal Walshâs view was very simplistic, however, it might have struck a chord with people his own age and if it stopped one person from committing suicide then the air time he was afford was worth it.
He also got people talking about mental health which is a positive thing.
Some doom and gloom merchants on this forum. Fucking hell do something with your lives ye miserable bastards rather than being on here patting each other on the back and congratulating each other for not slashing yeâre wrists. Talk about a depressing shower of cunts, this place is fucking unbelievable. Get out for a walk ye miserable bastards!
I meant to refer to your earlier post but this will do. Would your tremendous taste in music have included a lot of awful depressing shite? Would you not have been better listening to some more upbeat pop or hip hop in a club?