1 hour ago, Liberty City said:

It's not about someone knowing / not knowing... mental health is non-linear. People can suffer in silence while being outwardly happy and unbothered. And even if cracks show, it does not necessarily click with others. It's partially why mental health is still a stigma in society. We've come a ways, but it is still a complicated disease to battle, unfortunately.

While I realize all of that, it seems to me there is always someone who "knew" this or that about a person with suicidal tendencies. And I also know that the person has to get the help for themselves, and often times no one can do anything to help them. But still, these celebrity types are around a LOT of people and I believe someone close to most of them knows they are going through something.

For example, I personally knew the shooter (and his mother) of the Borderline murders that happened in Thousand Oaks, CA back in 2018. That man was a peer of my sons, they played baseball together as young teens and throughout high school. I often gave that kid a ride to and from baseball practice in Orange Co., CA. He was a very angry young man which I (and everyone around him) could see when he was a pre-teen. His mother could do nothing about her son's physically violent tendencies. He scared many grown adults with his outbursts on the baseball diamond. That said, none of us who knew him were the LEAST bit surprised when it turned out he was the shooter in a mass shooting. As sad as that sounds, you are absolutely right that when there is mental illness, it cannot be addressed solely by other people. It's a very, very troubling and sad situation.

Please share this to/for anyone/anywhere it seems needed:

Hotlines for help, if you or anyone you know is in crisis:

Dial 988
https://988lifeline.org 

Crisis Text Line International
https://www.crisistextline.org/ 

USA text HOME to 741741

United Kingdom – Text SHOUT to 85258

Canada – Text CONNECT to 686868

Ireland – Text HOME to 50808

58 minutes ago, Beachstorm said:

While I realize all of that, it seems to me there is always someone who "knew" this or that about a person with suicidal tendencies. And I also know that the person has to get the help for themselves, and often times no one can do anything to help them. But still, these celebrity types are around a LOT of people and I believe someone close to most of them knows they are going through something.

That's the thing: you are assuming a person has shown signs of suicidal tendencies. There is zero proof they have. Your belief, unfortunately, is very narrow-minded. Look at Naomi Judd.... her family knew of her struggles, and yet did not see what happened coming, because she shows no signs of it. By your own thinking, her daughters should've been watching her 24/7, and that's just... illogical. Knowing someone is going through something ≠ knowing they have suicidal tendencies. I can speak from my personal experience in saying as a teen I have severely depressed (undiagnosed) and had suicidal thoughts, and when I did bring it up to certain people, they remarked they had no idea, because they did not see that. Different situation again, but it all correlates.

1 hour ago, Beachstorm said:

For example, I personally knew the shooter (and his mother) of the Borderline murders that happened in Thousand Oaks, CA back in 2018. That man was a peer of my sons, they played baseball together as young teens and throughout high school. I often gave that kid a ride to and from baseball practice in Orange Co., CA. He was a very angry young man which I (and everyone around him) could see when he was a pre-teen. His mother could do nothing about her son's physically violent tendencies. He scared many grown adults with his outbursts on the baseball diamond. That said, none of us who knew him were the LEAST bit surprised when it turned out he was the shooter in a mass shooting. As sad as that sounds, you are absolutely right that when there is mental illness, it cannot be addressed solely by other people. It's a very, very troubling and sad situation.

And while that is a sad situation, he easily could've just been a quiet kid battling demons and still shoot up a school. Also, two very different situations. A situation I will share: someone I work with's brother's fiancée killed herself before her wedding. Showed zero signs of suffering, and was outwardly happy and go-lucky, always smiling and appeared optimistic about her wedding, which she was planning for quite some time. She was due to travel for her bachelorette weekend, told her fiancé she'd call him when she arrived at the destination, and instead.... took her own life. So, to correlate to your earlier comment, no one "knew" she was struggling mentally. No one. It was a genuine shock to every single person in her life.

The point is: one person can show signs of possibly doing something and not do it, and equally someone can not show signs of doing something, and then do it. Mental illness is ugly and non-linear.

Regardless of anything else, it is sad he is no longer with us. And it's a sad, sad situation.

@Liberty City: I certainly didn't say that in ALL cases someone knew. Suicide is such a lonely thing. No one knows why people feel the way they do.

Then with a lot of these celebrity deaths, they are often self-medicating with all different kinds of drugs. People on drugs show certain behaviors which I am very well aware of having many addicts in my early life. That was more the behavior I was talking about which other people around them would know to be out of character for these individuals. But of course, someone else can't make a drug user quit.

Still, doesn't matter if you know someone is using, or if someone is depressed, or if someone is just such an angry person that you are not surprised when the do something horrific. Mental health in this country has been lacking for a long, long time. It should be a priority, but it is NOT.