Email: joshua.bote@sfgate.com and Signal: 707-742-3756, Six months after student's disappearance in San Francisco, family continues search, Horoscope for Saturday, 3/04/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, West I-80 closed near Tahoe due to snow and 'multiple spinouts', Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, Even Salesforces tower HQ isnt safe from office cuts, Inside Harry and Meghans favorite In-N-Out, Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Massive Lake Tahoe waterfront compound slashes price by $20M, This beloved East Bay hybrid cafe and bike shop is closing, Ja Morant says he'll get help after video shows apparent gun. Another possibility is that the instinct to live kicks in once someone comes close to dying. A jump off the Golden Gate Bridge takes around four seconds, during which a person will reach a speed of 80 mphbefore smashing into the water's surface like concrete. If all else fails do something drastic. Where Are They Now?: The Fate of Suicide Attempt Survivors She was at Crissy Field, near the bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge crosses the Golden Gate Strait and connects the City of San Francisco and the County of Marin to the north. Copyright 2013 Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, All Rights Reserved. Good luck to you, Joan. The chances of surviving are less than 1.5%, and almost zero if the feet don't hit first. What do you tell the ones who still perceive they have no one how do I get through to him? West was in the Bay Area to take summer classes at UC Berkeley; she was supposed to enter school in the fall, but due to a concussion she sustained and classes being held remotely, she opted to defer for another year but stayed in California with family friends. 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. The attempt was no cry for help. Dealing with the guilt is the hardest thing I have ever dealt with. Its a really simple concept. The man who tried to find fame by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge Peace be with you Steven. More women attempt suicide but more men complete it because men use more lethal methods. Her family launched a website,findsydneywest.com, that they hope will remind the community Sydney is still missing. Ken Baldwin. It was apparently very foggy that morning. A jump off the Golden Gate Bridge takes around four seconds, during which a person will reach a speed of 80 mph before smashing into the water's surface like concrete. Life.church has some really good online sermons I highly suggest that. Even for people who passionately wish and perhaps even need (for health reasons) to lose weight, they do not always prevail. A narcissistic parent doesnt cause suicide, either lifes problems do or mental illness does. 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. Many self harm injuries, stitches. When I woke up a day later, my depression had greatly improved. For more information, click here. How one teen's suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge became a cause for his 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. Her father grew worried when she didnt call the next day the day she was last spotted in San Francisco. I love to see that in the Comments section; I find it beautiful when people can connect in this way and, even more, when someone can tell another person what they havent believed for themselves. He says he fully expected to speak with her the next day and became very worried when she didnt return multiple calls from him. My passion for helping suicidal people stems from my own lived experience with suicidality and suicide loss. If I make it, Ill have publicity and be on my way, Rhodes told a friend who later testified at the coroners inquest. Syd, Ive always loved you from the bottom of my heart, since the minute I saw your eyes open. The family of a Sydney West, a 19-year-old Pleasanton native and former Foothill High School student, is again asking the public for any information about their daughters whereabouts leading up to her disappearance last month in San Francisco. Sydney West is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but also grew up in the Pleasanton area. I understand completely. Yes I know this fear of failure as well. We cannot overlook that 10% of people who survive a suicide attempt do go on to die by suicide. . Or, at least, balanced! Some die instantly from internal injuries, while others . You also can find other places to get help by phone, email, chat, or text at http://www.SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources/#immediatehelp. 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. Suicides Mounting, Golden Gate Looks to Add a Safety Net Horrified spectators screamed and mothers covered their childrens eyes as Chief Sundowns lifeless body bobbed under the bridge and out to sea. The persons reasons for dying may begin to fade. San Francisco police and the Orange County Sheriffs Office in North Carolina did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE. They lied about every imaginable factor of surviving in life. Anyone interested in following the investigation may do so on Facebook or Instagram, and tag posts with #FindSydneyWest. Dr. Freedenthal also is an associate professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, and a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice. 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. It is important to note that there has been no activity on her phone, bank accounts, or social media accounts since Sept. 30. I also knew that there was no hope whatsoever for what was wrong with me. They are doing a med wash and released me with no meds, and actually said if I come back, I will be admitted long term. He struck the water with his face. 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. But things went wrong for Dusty as he climbed the rails to attempt the feat. But overall, the evidence is that prevention is not simply a temporary delay of death. He jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and survived. Now, he's - CNN and the evidence around them is not good. This case has always stuck with me because I am in my 20s and suffer from anxiety and depression. At 10 o'clock in the morning, Ken. 15, 12, by Americaoncoffee. West returned to the Bay Area as a University of California, Berkeley student, where she studied until recently, San Francisco police said when she was first reported missing. Please enter valid email address to continue. Her parents,Jay and Kimberly West,said their daughter liked visiting that bridge and would go to nearby Crissy Field to exercise. We talked a lot about loving each other. Sadly, your post is being used by some commenters to justify the Golden Gate Bridge net boondoggle. Take a trip somewhere I mean what do you have to lose, on your journey to wherever you may see life worth living make yourself do something. She is from Chapel Hill, N.C. A little over four years ago I couldnt see an end to the emotional pain and despair I felt and became obsessed with thoughts of killing myself: another failed marriage, another lost job, another lost home, my girlfriend left me and just as we seemed to be getting back together died of a stroke. I agree with you completely, Anonymous. Upon its completion in 1937, it was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world. He already had refused to get help or to stop drinking. There is not much known about the day Sydney disappeared. Youve been through an enormous amount. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). I did find this website and it has so much information that I needed to read. Lorraine Rhodes was destitute, and asked Show Folks of America to help pay for the funeral, which they did. Have had lots of therapy after that. At least twelve hundred people have been seen jumping or have been found in the water since the bridge opened, in 1937, including Roy Raymond, the founder of Victoria's Secret, in 1993, and. I wanted to distance myself from it as much as I could so that people would leave me alone. I feel if I constantly feel like this over the years why dont I just die now? Part of Audacy. My reason to live is so I dont hurt people who care but what if you have no one who cares there was a time I had no one it was only my stupidity that got the hospital aware of my attempt. It's not hard to kill yourself at the Golden Gate bridge. The tragedy of suicide is indisputable. Now I dont know if I can fight it, but coping with failure and constant depression is impossible. 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. After the war, people were looking for entertainment in 1940's San Francisco, but TVs were not yet common in homes, public hangings were history and the 49ers hadnt joined the NFL yet. 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. America feeds narcissistic women because their joy is in materialistic consumption, the backbone of this country that once believed life had a higher purpose. Have you found commonality in your suicidal patients? 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. Suicide needs to be addressed from many angles, of which means restriction is only one. Now I wonder whether I also pressed reset on my brain. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. A $25,000 reward is being offered for anyone who has information that leads to her return. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. "Syd," as she liked to be called, was initially thought to have last been seen or heard from early the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area. Well living isnt what its cracked up to be. And now Ive been out of rehab for 5 months and its weird because all a sudden everything is going my way now. This is perhaps the best argument for preventing suicide. I saw him hit the water like a bullet, said his wife. After graduating high school in 2019, she decided to take a gap year in Australia. 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. Healthcare sucks, Government sucks, Law Enforcement Sucks, the economy sucks, the housing market, job, market, and prospects suck, no body likes me, including myself, and I really dont like anyone else either. I wonder what psychotherapy he has tried. I address the myth of inevitable suicide in this post. But what if you dont want help? My husband killed himself 6 weeks ago at home to put a closure on our marital problem. A couple hours. In 2013, 118 potential jumpers were talked down from their attempts and did not jump. Good luck to your friend, Julie, and thanks for commenting. :A Follow-up Study of Suicide Attempters fromthe Golden Gate Bridge.. People are stupid. As of 2013, it is estimated that 34 people have survived after jumping. Key to teen's disappearance is on Golden Gate Bridge - Audacy As his wife described, without the weighted boots to keep him upright, Rhodes' body arched forward, eventually meeting the water face-first. Wishing you peace, I am both, not realizing this until reading today My dad ended his life by his own hands , when I was 9. Female Representation In The Tech And Startup World: UC Berkeley, Berkeley Asks Residents To Provide Input On Wildfire Response, American Tulip Day & Free, U-Pick-Tulips 2023: Union Square, San Francisco, Rotary Club's Drive-Thru Crab & Pasta Feed 2023: Orinda. And now I have the means to do it. The chances of surviving. I use to hate her for wanting to leave me, got diagnosed w depression at 15 have done so many therapy sessions. 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. But the other day I told him that and now hes moving in with me again so my life is going good again! Dayna. Sydney West never returned home, and has not been heard from since. The night before she disappeared (Sept. 29) she and her father Jay West had a lengthy phone conversation according to her family. The entire bridge in covered with CCTV cameras monitored 24/7, and footage is retained for 6 months as it is federal land and monitored by Homeland Security. Try convincing someone like me that life is worth it. She is described as a white female, 5'10" and weighing about 130 pounds. Theres another post that might be helpful to you, too: You Cant Do Everything: Limitations in Helping a Suicidal Person. She was last seen in the area around 6:45 a.m. He had lost two fingers in a knife fight on the set of the movie "Scarface." Also, on the Resources page, I list a number of websites and other resources for people who have lost someone to suicide. I hear you. My sons father committed suicide and in the moments he was alive after shooting himself he kept saying sorry I shouldnt have never done this over and over. She had moved in with friends in San Francisco, where she was living when she disappeared. Turns out, it was a recording of Sydney singing. I guess I have started to realize its not my faultits no ones fault when a loved one commits suicide. FAQs - Statistics & Data | Golden Gate Missing person: The San Francisco Police Department is asking the public to report any information regarding 19-year-old Sydney West who was last seen on Sept. 30, 2020, at SF's Crissy Field. Somehow I survived. Kevin Hines Jumped Off the Golden Gate Bridge, and Survived - Psycom There are many people with children whose pain or distorted thinking overrides all else, in spite of their best wishes. 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. SF]. : The Fate of Suicide Attempt Survivors, A Follow-up Study of Suicide Attempters from. January 25, 2021 / 11:03 AM But what about people like me? My hope for others feeling like that is they tell someone who can help them. When I will be talking to him, also sure helps me to see I am suicide attempt survivor. Log In Sign Up. The Golden Gate Bridge is the number one suicide site in the world. I lost my boyfriend to suicide two years ago and I have not been able to forgive myself. Tears ago, when my children were younger, I actually reached a point where I went beyond imagining the trauma and lifelong suffering, to my children; such was my pain. We are going to keep looking.. Key to my recovery was becoming realistic about my part in creating the calamity called my life, but also needed to recognize others responsibilities as well. Additionally, Hines takes medication and . This is perhaps why only one of Rhodes' three small parachutes opened, doing nothing to slow him down. It happens. Clad in two suits, weighted boots, football padding, another rubber suit and a football helmet that onlookers described as giving him a man-from-Mars look, Rhodes also had three parachutes on his back to ease his fall. We will never recover from it. I still think about suicide, although not as often. West returned to the Bay Area for college at UC Berkeley after her family moved from Pleasanton to North Carolina several years ago. Parents hope key to teen's disappearance is with passerby on Golden Gate Bridge, How one storm system wreaked havoc from coast to coast, Californians await key decisions from reparations task force, Bankman-Fried might use flip phone under stricter bail plan, Woman accused of killing ill husband released from jail, Alaska's arduous Iditarod kicks off with ceremonial start, was initially thought to have last been seen or heard from early the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area. 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. Suicide From the Golden Gate Bridge | American Journal of Psychiatry Im all right, Im prepared for this! Dusty Rhodes yelled as he launched himself from the Golden Gate Bridge. While at Berkeley she joined the rowing team and showed a strong interest in medicine, business, and biological science. Which will turn into the vicious cycle of no job= no money, and no money = no job. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. He has visited mental hospitals several times since his jump. I once attributed that simply to having realized I wanted to live and (narrowly) surving my attempt. And half of people who die by suicide had attempted suicide at least once previously. She was a student at Donlon Elementary and Hart Middle schools and attended Foothill High School for her freshman and sophomore years. 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. Im sorry to hear about all the pain youve been through. Millions of eyes are going to locate her better than 20 sets, Jay West said. Indie Pop Star Michelle Lambert Kicks Off the Bankhead Courtyard Concert Series! "I just want to reach out to all the folks that have been supporting us over the past almost month now, communicate that the support and the love that we get is just absolutely amazing," Wests dad, Jay West, said in the clip. . "Jump." That's the word Kevin Hines heard in his head on September 25, 2000, as he stood on the Golden Gate Bridge. For his big ticket to stardom, Rhodes was inspired by a circus performer named Frank Cushing who was plucked out of the bay the previous year after claiming that he had just leaped from the bridge, though no one was there to see it. Berkeley when she went missing on September 30, 2020. Dialectical behavior therapy? Holidays and milestones come and go while we continue to feelSydney's absence continuously. I am literally living day by day and full of guilt, regret and anger. She was last seen around 6:45 am when she was dropped off by a rideshare driver. Wests parents said they have now hired a private investigator who is working with the San Francisco Police Department and Orange County (North Carolina) Sheriffs Department. San Francisco Police have previously said the teenager "is considered at risk due to depression." Suicide Deterrent Net | Golden Gate At 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2013 Kyle Gamboa stopped his truck in the middle of the highway, stepped out, ran onto the pedestrian walkway and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to his death. In fact, the increase in suicides at other locations in Toronto did not make up for the dramatic decrease in suicides at the viaduct itself. Sydney is considered at risk due to depression, said SFPD Officer Robert Rueca to KRON4. The ongoing survival of people who attempt suicide is not (always) inevitable. I had my suicidal thoughts since I was a child I lost my mum when I was 9 years old she took her own life and even now after my attempt I still dont know how to feel about what happened to her and what I have done to my self but I know I will have to find a way to live with the impact of my attempt and hopefully find a way to some sort of happiness, Please seek help, therapy to work through your trauma, it must be so hard to have lost your mum in this way and your nine year old self could only feel abandoned, not enough to have stopped her. I hope he is seeing a psychiatrist for his medications, not a PCP, because psychiatrists are much more well versed in the benefits, risks, side effects, etc. That is no way to live, but that is the reality. For those who are thinking about suicide, I know what happens after youre gone isnt part of the thought process, but believe me, you might end your pain, but the trajectory of pain caused to others is also insurmountable. It certainly sounds like your friends antidepressants are not working. And there ended Rhodes four-years-in-the-making attempt to wow crowds and find fame by jumping from the bridge into the bay.