Suicide by train

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Soldato
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Come on guys, there will be some people reading this who actually are, or sometimes are, suffering suicidal thoughts.

Let's show some responsibility and not be going into detailed suicide systems.
 
Caporegime
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Careful doing that, you can quite easily miss vitals and just sever the optic nerve, leaving you blind and depressed rather than just depressed. I would aim from a reasonably high point on the forehead with a slight downward deflection, that way you destroy the largest amount of brain tissue.

You’d be better off with a morphine/heroin OD.

Gun isn’t always successful apparently.

Actually that doesn't all ways work, the actor Daniel von Bargen survived a suicide attempt on the 20th Feb 2012 when he shot himself in the temple with a .38 caliber hand gun, and not only did he survive it was him who called the emergency services to tell them he'd tried to kill himself by shooting himself in the head, he died 3 years later of complications from diabetes which he'd been suffering from for years.

It worked well enough for my father 30 years ago. Just need a suitably powerful gun, and some careful placement.
 
Caporegime
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About 15 years ago I was on a train with my mum to a BBQ, when we went past this junction and heard a massive bang. Loads of little black pieces of crap flew past the window, it all happened so suddenly and the black stuff was so small my initial panic thought was that the train was being pulled by a steam train which had somehow blown up and all the coal was flying past the windows (dude, I was like 16 years old, gimme a rest). Turns out that some poor fella had decided enough was enough and parked his Clio on the tracks and was promptly hit by a train at 120kph. I only recognized it as a Clio due to a wheeltrim which had come off and avoided most of the damage, the car itself was covered by the time we were allowed to walk past (train stopped obviously, we were stuck on it for about 2 hours before they let us off) but there was no denying that the remains were absolutely mangled in to a pulp, in fact the shape hidden under the tarps wasn't even recognizable as a car anymore.

Suicide is a topic far too close to home for me but yeah, getting to the point of thinking that it's the only way out of whatever situation you're in is horrible indeed, and I will actively encourage anyone suffering from depression to get help. There's no shame in reaching out, never let it get to you.
 
Man of Honour
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Is it because they think it will get them more attention?

See you mentioned the word "think".. and this is where people lack in understanding because there is no thought..

Unless you are in that mind-set, then it's not an easy question to answer. It's easy for people to say these things when they are not in "that place" and probably never likely to be. These people have got to stage that they don't think rationally when it comes to taking their own life. Thinking is just not in their remit.
 
Soldato
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This thread makes me shudder :/.

That being said i have been through stages of viewing grim videos on websites such as ********, bestgore ect. Morbid curiosity i believe it is.
 
Soldato
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I'm scared of trains when they pass through the platform without stopping. They are loud and scary, definitely hard for me to understand that being a way anyone would want to end it. Maybe some people want to make a statement.

I know two people who worked at my company who after leaving the business killed themselves, both by hanging. Life is a terrifying and lonely thing sometimes.
 
Soldato
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I live about 3 mins from Beachy Head, which seems to be the preferred method down here. Unfortunately suicide is almost a weekly thing there and we get people from all over the country. Some people do make the mistake and jump at the wrong place and hit a ledge on the way down and survive with pretty severe injuries.

Horrible stuff :(
 
Man of Honour
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Grim thread.

I suppose it might be something along the lines of “a message.”

“I suffered in silence and now look at me.”

:(
 
Soldato
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A work colleague did this very act no more than two months ago. Came in to work one day, left at lunch time and went out to the Peak District and stepped in front of a train. Awful thing to happen but it was his only way out in his eyes.
 
Soldato
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I can’t answer your question but here’s an interesting thing.

I used to work in a building that overlooks a train station, one where fast trains often go through at great speed. I was there for fifteen years and I think there were suicides there on average two or three times a year.

Access to the platforms were open, you didn’t have to go through any ticket checks or barriers.

When the station was refurbished and barriers erected, the suicide rate dropped to zero. Literally zero overnight. There were no more cases of people throwing themselves in front of trains.

The conclusion: people weren’t prepared to pay to be able to kill themselves. I don’t know why that would be, you’d think that if someone wanted to top themselves, buying a platform ticket wouldn’t stop them but it did.

IT's very interesting.

I've heard similar things to putting up small barriers etc in places.

It's because it creates an extra mental step they have to take in order to reach the platform. That extra step can be all it takes to make someone revaluate their choices.... makes me wonder how many suicides something so simple may have prevented? sure they could have instead walked off and used another method. But I wonder how many turned around went home slept on it and didn't go through with it.
 
Caporegime
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I suspect one main reason that a train is often considered is because it would generally be thought of as a quick ending and the thought process, once at the location, won't involve an internal struggle as it's too quick for that to happen. A step or two and it's done - this cannot be said for most of your other examples. Even in the most determined individuals there will likely still be a part of their brain trying to stop them, however diminished that may have become at this stage.

While some may have the misfortune to survive it I suspect the vast majority who really want out at that stage don't. You've also got to consider the state of mind of these individuals. A lot of them will be totally consumed by their feelings so weighing up the options clearly and logically often wont come into it at all. Very heavy fast object v small squishy person = good choice. This might be the limit of the thought process at the point in time. Frankly, some of them will likely not even have the power to get themselves on to public transport or even walk to the location or, as said above, may get there and not be able to do it at all. You can also add in that some may not want to be found by anyone they know - the 'clear up' having to be done by people unknown.
 
Soldato
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Quick, easy access, location.

The best IMO would be nitrogen asphyxiation, but you need the cylinder, full face mask and regulator. Whilst you can get without much issue, it's for more a planned suicide than "spur of the moment".
 

FTM

FTM

Soldato
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its a selfish act by train..or by lorry on a motorway as it has a huge knock on effect on a totally innocent party..it can destroys drivers lives
 
Permabanned
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So grim.

Was discussing this the other day with a friend. Imagine being the poor driver as it happens... Can't imagine what seeing something like that so close up does to a person...
 
Soldato
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I read an article a few years back about people who were killing themselves by jumping infront of trains. Apparently it was very rarely a case of planned suicides, and often just people who had a day that pushed them to their limit and instead of getting on the train they were waiting for they stepped in front it. I don't think its as much of an attention grab as most of would seem to think, just more of a '**** this' moment - which made me a lot more sympathetic towards those that go out this way.
 
Soldato
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its a selfish act by train..or by lorry on a motorway as it has a huge knock on effect on a totally innocent party..it can destroys drivers lives

not just drivers but police etc who have to pickup up the bits etc. if you are hit by a train it can tear you apart just from impact.

Selfishness is quite a stretch for somebody who isn't in a good mental state.
Planned and thought out decision to take ones own life by that means however, I would agree.
 
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Soldato
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I can’t answer your question but here’s an interesting thing.

I used to work in a building that overlooks a train station, one where fast trains often go through at great speed. I was there for fifteen years and I think there were suicides there on average two or three times a year.

Access to the platforms were open, you didn’t have to go through any ticket checks or barriers.

When the station was refurbished and barriers erected, the suicide rate dropped to zero. Literally zero overnight. There were no more cases of people throwing themselves in front of trains.

The conclusion: people weren’t prepared to pay to be able to kill themselves. I don’t know why that would be, you’d think that if someone wanted to top themselves, buying a platform ticket wouldn’t stop them but it did.

It's probably to do with the desire to commit suicide being emotive, but when posed with the predicament of having to go through an extra step, they begin a logical reasoning process; "Am I going to pay to commit suicide?"

I.e. they're suddenly forced to think about what they're doing :)
 
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