The Golden Gate Bridge came to be recognized as a symbol of the power and progress of the United States, and it set a precedent for suspension-bridge design around the world. I recently lost a good friend to suicide. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge suicide net, a coarse web of steel designed to catch and cradle people who jump, is two years behind . After graduating high school in 2019, she decided to take a gap year in Australia. I feel if I constantly feel like this over the years why dont I just die now? BERKELEY, CA The parents of Sydney "Syd" West, a missing person who was previously a University of California, Berkeley student, have divulged new details in her case and are asking anyone with information to come forward. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe now to receive more just like it. She is an amazing musician. I once attributed that simply to having realized I wanted to live and (narrowly) surving my attempt. 2023 Audacy, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. West's family urges anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Scott Dudek, their investigator, who can be reached at 925-705-8328. Simply put, means restriction saves lives. : The Fate of Suicide Attempt Survivors, A Follow-up Study of Suicide Attempters from. But as long as your solution is to kill yourself , you wont see them even if theyre right in front of you. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings. There were probably signs that you had a drinking problem from the very beginning. It was a startling revelation. Interviews with jump survivors and potential jumpers . All rights reserved. It may help,, Kind Regards, Berkeley. Ive been hospitalized 4 times in the past 6 weeks, after my 9th suicide attempt. It is also possible she was wearing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses. It was a serious, intentional attempt to end my own life. Horrified spectators screamed and mothers covered their childrens eyes as Chief Sundowns lifeless body bobbed under the bridge and out to sea. She is from Chapel Hill, N.C. Andrew Chamings is an editor at SFGATE. I want you to know you are loveable and precious. But then they are stopped from jumping. Indie Pop Star Michelle Lambert Kicks Off the Bankhead Courtyard Concert Series! Her family still has hope that they will one day find her. As 6 months passes where we have not seen or heard fromSydney, it becomes increasingly painful, her parents, Jay and Kimberly West, said in a statement provided to SFGATE. I often think that if we are going to make up what we tell ourselves about our future, we might at least make it good. Her disappearance was every parents worst nightmare. Camera footage has been reviewed and interviews have been conducted among West's friends and acquaintances, but there are no leads. Despite having to raise two young children alone with barely a cent to her name, Lorraine refused many offers from news agencies to sell the film of her husbands demise. Theres another post that might be helpful to you, too: You Cant Do Everything: Limitations in Helping a Suicidal Person. Its not always a change of mind when deciding not to jump its fear of failure, Hi Londa, I am resigned to staying alive until I die in some other way. Getting through them is the way to make your life your own again.. Aside from seeing a therapist, I didnt find anything out there to help. This Walking Pad treadmill made getting 10,000 steps a How to get tickets for Depeche Mode's new tour dates. I did find this website and it has so much information that I needed to read. Try convincing someone like me that life is worth it. 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. Someone mustve seen something nothing is being ruled out. Her family has stated that she enjoyed the area around the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was not unlike her to take pictures and go for a walk or run. According to Find Sydney West, there is a $25,000 reward for information that leads to finding Syd, who is described as 5'10 tall and about 130 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair. She was at Crissy Field, near the bridge. You provide inspiration to others who still are stuck in that hopelessness and despair. Thanks again. 19-year-old Sydney West was last seen Sept. 30. Dressed in a blue sweatshirt, leggings and Vans slip-on sneakers, the 19-year-old college student last contacted her family the day before with a lengthy phone call to her dad, Jay West. He grew up in the Los Angeles area, went to UC Berkeley and has previously worked as a news reporter at USA Today and SFGATE and as a music writer at NPR. West vanished Sept. 30 in San Francisco. SFGATE's Editor-at-Large Andrew Chamings is a British writer in San Francisco. Where Are They Now? Dayna. I am a survivor as well of rape and spousal abuse, Am feeling empowered today, thanks to you. If you havent already joined a support group for other suicide loss survivors, that might help you; such groups are available in person and online. Confessed to my dad and got shipped to a hospital. Thats simply not true, but it took stepping outside my beliefs, becoming teachable and following the leads of others to find a life worth living. And the children are adults now. And they did for the Hollywood stuntmans attempt to sail off the Golden Gate Bridge on Feb. 6, 1948. Sydney Kaitlyn West, 19, was last seen near the Golden Gate Bridge around 6:45 a.m. on September 30, 2020. The San Francisco Police Department's tip line can be reached at 415-575-4444. She was struggling with depression for years. Your message here is a good one. She was last seen wearing a light teal hoodie, dark leggings, and slip-on vans sneakers with dark green and black print. But what about people like me? 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Part of Audacy. 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. Its complicated, Bay Area city cracks top 10 best for sleep: US News, JV talked about health struggles before disappearance, Martinez residents warned not to eat food grown in, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Some die instantly from internal injuries, while others . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I interviewed her parents.https://t.co/tiBGM53NZz pic.twitter.com/lvHh2cCrZg. So, I have two choices: Miraculously stop all self harm and suicide attempts, or have to make sure they are 100% successful, because I cant stand the thought of long term in patient. In the midst of a struggle with mental illness, Hines got a running start . I am a three time attempt suicide survivor and it has been a year since my last attempt and the ideation has pretty much left me. Sydney West Cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge recorded Sydney the morning of Sept. 30. 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. It seems to be an if all else fails, Ill just kill myself attempt to cope that gives me short-term comfort but itlike alcoholonly provides temporary relief and Im still left with my limited ability to cope with life. We certainly do need to continue educating people about suicide prevention, including the reality that most people who survive a suicide attempt choose life afterwards. "Together we will find Sydney and bring her home," her mother said. We are going to keep looking.. "No detail is too small," said her mother, Kimberly West. 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. It is always wonderful to hear from someone who made it out to the other side. Has left me pretty much bankrupt and not willing to live. 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.. I worry almost everyday that Ill maim myself again and not die. We talked for a long time. But the cameras lost sight of her because of heavy fog, making it impossible to know what happened. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Theyre asking anyone "who may have been walking, biking, running, who commute over the bridge particularly Wednesday mornings at that time" to share information if they might have seen West or anything that can help locate the missing teen. Of the 515 people whose attempt was interrupted, only 35 later died by suicide in the years to come. But overall, the evidence is that prevention is not simply a temporary delay of death. They then examine the demographic characteristics of those who commit suicide from the bridge as well as the fatal attraction of the Golden Gate Bridge. I am literally living day by day and full of guilt, regret and anger. Log In Sign Up. ChiMaxx, thank you for writing and for raising important points in your comment. The chances of surviving. I know someone who hanged themself 18 months ago after a buildup of personal problems and much alcohol that night, but rescue services were called and saved him. I woke up on my own after my first attempt. 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. Sydneyhas not used her phone, social media or bank accounts since she disappeared. An estimated 1,600 people have committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, which has warnings but no barrier. Woke up yesterday and realized I needed to make another pilgrimage before the series begins. At this point, the instinct is what keeps me living. That changes things. So it is with anything else, including suicidal thoughts. So they dont die, but continue miserable lives wishing for it to be over. I saw him hit the water like a bullet, said his wife. [This comment was edited to abide by the Comments Policy. Yet it gives me great hope that the vast majority of suicide attempt survivors remain just that survivors. of the different medications. I have battled the thoughts of suicide for many years but after I had children those thoughts died. Search within r/redsox. Even though 2/3 are started by women, Virtually every article is written by women. God Bless You. And half of people who die by suicide had attempted suicide at least once previously. I was determined and had written a detailed letter with instructions for the police and family. More often than not, the crisis passes. Somehow I survived. For more information, please see our They have a good, nonjudgmental, and supportive discussions at ChronicSuicideSupport.com/forum/. Even though a prior suicide attempt dramatically increases the risk for future suicide, studies have demonstrated that most people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide: There are different possible reasons why people who attempt suicide, or try to make such an attempt, might choose afterward to stay alive. Except that my fiance was making me depressed because he wouldnt move in with me again like how we were living together before. I couldnt pull all the way. In 2000, he actually did jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. At approximately 6:45 am, Sydney was captured by cameras entering the Golden Gate Bridge. He managed to turn himself upright in the few seconds it took for him to hit the water; this way, he did not land on his head. These findings are consistent with other studies that have looked at method substitution, which can occur when one suicide method is made unavailable and people substitute it with another. Have had lots of therapy after that. I attempted when I was a teenager. I am hopeful that similar results will be found after the suicide barrier at the Golden Gate bridge is in place. Will I Be Committed to a Mental Hospital if I Tell a Therapist about my Suicidal Thoughts? The Suicide Deterrent System, also known as the Safety Net, is being constructed to keep people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. I am now 49, and I fantasize about suicide knowing I will never actually do it but wishing it was an option. I think it could be helpful to you. Not having the courage to fulfill my plan, I checked into treatment centers and each time I checked out I sank into suicidal depression again. And there ended Rhodes four-years-in-the-making attempt to wow crowds and find fame by jumping from the bridge into the bay. "On Aug. 20, 1985, I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and I survived." Ken Baldwin was 28 years old and had just started a family. In the 1970s, a researcher named Richard Seiden wanted to find out what happened to 515 people who came to the Golden Gate Bridge to die within the previous 35 years, but who were stopped by California Highway Patrol officers. Note: I wanted to make this post to hopefully create some sort of discussion around the case since it was almost a year and a half ago. Upon its completion in 1937, it was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world. I will just speak it: Their lies destroyed me and there is no one on earth greater than you and those you love and want to protect. West was born in Walnut Creek and lived briefly in Castro Valley before her family moved to Pleasanton. It is important to note that there has been no activity on her phone, bank accounts, or social media accounts since Sept. 30. I just need time to tidy up affairs, belongings, finances, assemble the plan. Kevin Briggs. Theres just a lack of evidence that shes not with us anyone, Jay West said. I know you mean well, but I always feel I wished I never survived. Being a freshman and isolated on campus due to the COVID pandemic was hard for West, her family said. Im not sure that preventing suicide is such a noble act. I live with a higher purpose now, but prior to my children I went through hell and constantly entertained the thought of killing myself. I tried to help her, I really did Except I didnt. On the morning of September 30, 2020, Sydney took a ride share service to the Golden Gate Bridge, where she often went to jog, practice yoga, and exercise in nearby Crissy Field. I lost my boyfriend to suicide two years ago and I have not been able to forgive myself. West's parents are asking anyone who may have been commuting or exercising on the bridge to come forward with anything they may have seen. The Pittsburg Sun-Telegraph on May 2, 1948. My failure as a person was responsible for my extreme step. My overdose gave me seizures. 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. Also, I've authored 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. There are some reports that Sydney may have suffered from depression. 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. God will come through for you but you have to make an attempt. In Mental Health circles there is a saying , that Sometimes suicide is inevitable. Also, on the Resources page, I list a number of websites and other resources for people who have lost someone to suicide. West had just gone off to college to her dream school, University of California Berkeley.
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