Jacintha Saldanha

Before I carry on I would like to add that everything I am about to say are my thoughts only.

So this weekend has been odd. Major thinking… too much thinking. I’m hoping that this quick blog entry will somehow make some of you think a little differently today.

It all started on Friday afternoon when I was driving home from work listening to the radio when the news came on. I was in absolute shock / horror when I heard that Jacintha Saldanha had taken her own life. ( I would like to add that the coroner report has not come back yet and it is a long process. The cause of her death is still unknown)

From this last comment of mine you may guess that I actually have had great deal of exposure of suicide and I know those that have chosen to ‘check out early’. Sadly I guess I need to say known because they are now dead.

This radio hoax is awful but my initial thoughts and current thoughts are about how fragile we are as humans. Mental health is such an important and neglected topic and why? What is the point on blaming the hosts or anyone else? We all need to take some accountability in each other’s lives as a collective, we are all to blame.

People are angry, very very angry. So am I but I’m not on the twitter bandwagon like so many saying that they the DJ’s have blood on their hands. That is such a strong statement and clearly those that are saying that don’t know anyone who has taken their own life. I do and I am very close to those that they left behind. People that choose to take their own life are in a bad way that I personally feel is too difficult to put into words. They want out, that is all they want. 

I’m just so sad that the media and news have not addressed any of the background to Jacintha and her mental health.

During the days prior to this event the BBC interviewed a lady who had similar symptoms to Kate’s pregnancy etc. Since Jacintha’s death I have not seen a single interview or comment from the wonderful people that work at Mind or Samaritans. Charities where people try…..

The flowing is a small extract from a fantastic book called Conscious Loving: The Journey to co-commitment by Gay Hendricks PhD and Kathlyn Hendricks.

In the realm of emotions, many people are functioning at a kindergarten level. There is no need for self-blame. After all, in your formal education, how many courses did you take in dealing with feelings? Personally, we cannot remember one minute spent on learning about these key issues in school, whereas hours were spent on memorising the geography of South America. It is incredible that we have such a societal blind spot. No one ever landed in jail or a mental hospital because of a difficulty with geography, but both institutions are packed with people who have difficulty with their emotions.

(I found out about the book on goop)