First statistics lesson:  Correlation does not = causation!

 I think it's hugely erroneous to assume a suicide.  She's separated from her husband (highest lethality time for battered women), her mother/neighbor insists she was not suicidal, and it's *very* rare for women to shoot themselves.  Just sayin'   

 Even if she's not at all at fault, it's still a huge loss either way.... and I still stand by everything I said, regardless if there was a suicide or not.

Tragic.  No matter what.

Not everyone is obviously suicidal, though - and for those who truly want to die, a gun is the best way to do it.

When my father committed suicide, with a handgun, it was a shock because up until the point he did it, he was happier than he had ever been. We had no idea.

When my (female) cousin committed suicide with a shotgun the day before Christmas several years ago, she was newly married and had just started working at a physical therapist. No one had any idea she was suicidal, either.

You also need to realize that this mother is in denial right now because no one wants to think that someone they gave birth to could take their own life. Just sayin'.

When we were 25, my best friend shot herself.

I am sad for her. Someone very close to me be fights depression. Its real, its scary, its hard. I don't think her suicide has anything to do with weight loss surgery. It was her depression.

In all likely hood she did think losing weight would help her find happiness, so she reached for it. However, depression is much, much more complicated than that.

I am so sad for her, her loved ones and everyone that battles this very real battle. I hope they figure out how to help people suffering soon.

If your suffering please remember good days do happen, one is just around the corner. Please, don't give up. People love you. (((hugs)))

change = stress, even when it's good change. so, you lose a bunch of weight and it's going to be hard to adjust - for some more than others.

I like to think it helps to keep it real on OH: talk about how life isn't perfect even if you are at goal (duh, huh?) and how cross addictions come up.  frequently!

and, more basically, how surgery is just flat out not an answer to LIFE.  you still have to deal.

assuming she did kill herself she might have anyway and then we could have blamed it on being obese. we just never know what might have been.

Not to mention she is/was a cop. Because of the things we as law enforcement see and experience we have a high rate of suicide and going through whats called the crisis reaction. Who knows what kind of things she was involved in before she had to stop working. Like the other poster said I have had several cases of suicide that the family flat refuses to believe that their loved one would take their own life. In fact I had a family member of a suicide call me just the other day (1st year anniversary of the death) asking to obtain a copy of her brother's file. He was a happy go lucky guy and had just in fact purchased a new vehicle and had plans to get a house. You just never know. The key is to stay connected with life, with yourself, with your friends, your family and you God. Lots of times these are snap decisions made out of desperation and were not the planned out incidents that we see in movies. There is no note left behind.  

 I posted this on mm's blog ... it seems obvious to me that all WLS programs should integrate mandatory professional counseling into their aftercare programs.  As in for at least a year.

On another level entirely, it's interesting to me that, of ALL the things the press could focus on about this remarkable woman, they choose her body.   And we all do it too.  Sure, some of us are thrilled to be off meds, etc. but man, the overwhelming emphasis on these boards is about getting thin, how we look.  Still commodities are we?  It's depressing and I'm as guilty as everyone.  

I agree that we should go for counseling (who COULDN'T use some?) for a year minimum post surgery. 

Our support group is kind of big and it's mandated to attend at least once. But I don't see deeper issues addressed (since I have been there) but they DO talk about getting help if you need it. One guy stands up every meeting he's at and talks about getting counseling for his anger issues that really emerged from the surgery. Then people can't understand why they're crying etc... I tell everyone I know, come to obesity help, get support, find out what this thing is all about.

If you're in trouble, or even THINK you're in trouble, get help from professionals NOW.

Peace
Binda

I lost my father to suicide when I was 12. As someone who deals with mental illness,  I think it's VITAL that more focus be placed on post op mental health. We may lose all the weight but the issues we had that went along with it will still be there and they could be worse than before. What happens when we are no longer able to turn to food for emotional comfort? Some end up with transfer addictions, some bottle things up because people expect them to be so happy now that they've lost so much weight. Most simply don't know how to live with the new person they've become, they feel as though they've lost their identity, the very thing that has defined them for so long! It's a scary place to be when you have no idea how to be someone you've never been before. It scares the Sh*t out of me to think about being "skinny" because I have no idea what that's like. For me I have to constantly be on my toes because I know that at any time I can slip into self destruct mode and my thoughts and sometimes actions can result in extreme consequences. On the flip side I know that I'm prone to go into deep depression that can have an equally as horrible outcome.
It is all backwards, so many have this thought that if they just lose the weight they'll be happy. You can have all the reason in the world to be happy and still be completely miserable, lonely, and lost! Every aspect needs to be addressed with the extreme changes that major weight loss brings on, it's all fine and dandy to be physically healthy but if you're not mentally, emotionally healthy it can be just as deadly as heart disease or any other weight related issue. There's no shame in asking for help, talking to a therapist or seeking treatment of some kind for mental health issues. They are just as important as any medical need. I'm grateful my surgeon was persistant about making sure I was in the right place mentally before I had surgery. He wouldn't operate on me until my therapist and my primary felt I was ok and that a good, solid support system was in place.