August 23, 2024 • 13 mins
Welcome to today's podcast, where we tackle a difficult yet crucial topic: the risk of suicide among individuals with PTSD, MS, and TBI. We aim to raise awareness about the symptoms and provide actionable advice for those experiencing these thoughts.
People with PTSD are twice as likely to commit suicide compared to those without it. Veterans and trauma survivors are particularly at risk. It's essential to discuss these issues openly and encourage therapy as a viable option for dealing with them.
Individuals with MS face a suicide risk four times higher than the average person. Despite the debilitating nature of MS, therapy can offer significant help. Older men, especially, should consider therapy despite any reservations.
Those with TBI also face a significantly increased risk of suicide, with a 62% higher likelihood compared to those without TBI. The combination of these conditions can feel overwhelming, but stubbornness and a determination to be a part of life can help combat these feelings.
Suicidal thoughts often stem from feeling trapped in a paradigm—a self-created box of limitations. However, a paradigm shift can change everything. By altering your perspective, you can unlock new possibilities and find new ways to live meaningfully.
Remember, despite the challenges posed by these diseases, you have the power to shift your paradigm and improve your life. Stay positive, seek help, and don't let these conditions define you.
This episode is one of the most important we've done. Take these insights to heart and know that your life can be better. Take care.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello all, welcome to my podcast. Today we're going to look at something that's
really hard to discuss, but we're going to discuss it.
And we're going to try to discuss it in a way that makes you aware of this possibility
and the symptoms and things that you need to be aware of if you're having these issues.
(00:24):
I always get it's so hoarse when I do these things, I'm sorry,
but you need to be aware of this, these problems before they happen and talk to people.
Suicide is a big risk factor for people with PTSD, MS, and TBI.
And if you are experiencing thoughts or, or ideas or depression or that type
(00:51):
of thing, then you need to get a hold of somebody.
Now, with people with PTSD, the fact is that people with PTSD are twice as likely
to commit suicide than people that don't have PTSD.
I know that's for people with PTSD, that's a no-brainer.
(01:12):
But for people without PTSD, people that are living with you,
you need to be aware that folks that suffer from that type of illness,
they are twice as likely to contemplate suicide or to actually go further with that ideology.
So you need to talk to them and be aware that they're suffering from those types of illnesses.
(01:37):
And veterans especially may have those problems.
Studies have been done, and yeah, that's a big issue with people with PTSD.
It's very common that they may have those problems.
Trauma survivors also, that's very, very common that trauma survivors may have those issues.
(02:00):
You've got to discuss things with them. You've got to be open with them and
talk about these problems.
Don't be afraid to discuss it with them. Don't be afraid to ask them to go to
therapy and talk to people.
Help them out. They deal with this stuff, and it comes into their lives.
Very often, they may be thinking about it. It's difficult.
(02:24):
MS people are four times as likely to commit suicide than your average person.
People that suffer with MS.
MS is a slow, horrible, debilitating disease.
You need to talk to them and converse with them and ask them to talk to therapists.
Therapists, believe it or not, I did not want to ever go to therapy.
(02:47):
I don't like talking to people about my issues.
I have those kinds of problems, but therapy helps.
Talking to therapists does help. Some therapies is more invasive than others.
I have to admit it. I'm a 54-year-old man, and I do not like therapy.
But therapy does help to a lot of degrees.
(03:10):
So if you're like me, and you're an older man, and you're like,
I don't want to go to therapy, blah.
But therapy does help. Therapy is a good thing, man. So if you're an older guy,
listen to me, man. Go to therapy.
It's a good thing. So, you know, people with TBI, that's another big thing, man.
(03:30):
People with TBI have a much higher chance of committing suicide.
You got to find the number here, but TBI have a 62% increase of those with TBI
than those without TBI of committing suicide. I mean, these numbers are outrageous, man.
(03:51):
And if you have a combination of these things, like me, I have all three.
I don't even know what that works out to.
So, but there's no way I'm ever going to commit suicide. I'm too stubborn.
I won't do it. It's just not something I'm ever going to do.
I'm going to be a nuisance to the people in my life as long as I can possibly
be. And that's what you've, you know, those things you have to think about is
(04:12):
why would I commit suicide when I could be a problem for everybody around me?
You know, I'm not going to, I'm not going to punch my own ticket when I can
be a jerk to everybody around me for as long as I can possibly be.
You know, punching my own ticket is, is ridiculous.
But there's a lot of people that do it, man, because you get in these depressed
(04:32):
moods. You get to this point where a lot, you're like, my life is absolutely hopeless.
Nothing is ever going to get any better. And you know what? I have to be honest
with you. These diseases don't get better. Nothing ever gets better.
And your life can feel so hopeless.
And especially if you look back on your life and you realize that,
(04:53):
man, geez, my life was just...
Just a can of tuna fish you got left out in the sun, man.
It's just a stinky ball of, but you know, it was your life.
It was what it was. And now you're here and this is where you got to.
So maybe today you can make, make it better, right?
(05:15):
Maybe today you can say, okay, I'm going to make my life a little bit better
today and start trying to make it a little bit bit better every day.
And I know you may be in this place that you're ill and you're sick and you
don't feel very well, but you can make steps to make it just a little bit better every day.
So committing suicide or thinking about suicide, those are really bad places to be.
(05:42):
And every one of these diseases statistically show that we think about suicide
a lot more than other people.
And we deal with that particular problem a lot more than other people.
It doesn't mean we have to go there, right? We can still be around and still
(06:04):
have a decent functional life more than other people, right?
Not more than other people, but like other people.
We just have to find our niche in life, right? So they've taken away what we
were before. And I know that hurts.
I know losing that career you worked for all your life hurts and being stuck at home or being,
(06:30):
shuffled away hurts and you know being forgotten hurts that that stuff hurts
man I mean it really does but you can be better you can be more you can be different
you don't have to be just a lump bump. You can be something else.
And that's the point, right?
(06:50):
That's the point. You can be something different. You just have to find what that different is.
This world is an amazing place, right? It's full of different places and people and things.
And you can be something different if you want.
Just don't let people hold you back. And I guess that's my biggest point is.
(07:13):
Don't let the other people in your life hold you back.
A lot of times when you're contemplating suicide and these things,
you're doing it because you're held in a very tight bottle that you have created,
right? It's called a paradigm.
You're held in your own paradigm, right?
The paradigm of your life. I can't do this because of this, and I can't do this
(07:36):
because of this, and I can't do this because of this.
But that's a paradigm you've created yourself, right?
Once you're stuck in your own paradigm, it is hard to shift that paradigm.
But you can shift your own paradigm. And once you experience a paradigm shift
to something else, amazing things can happen.
(07:56):
Once you have a paradigm shift, the whole world changes. And I can explain this in a very simple way.
Years and years and years ago, watches were made mechanically, right?
They were very expensive. They were mechanical watches. They were made in Switzerland.
One day, a guy from Seiko came with this cheap LCD watch, and he went to Switzerland
(08:17):
and said, hey, look, man, we can make these watches for pennies on the dollar.
And the guys in Switzerland said, oh, no, man, nobody ever picked those up.
Ten years later, the guys in Switzerland who made these mechanical watches were
almost out of business, and everybody else was walking around with these cheap
LCD watches. You know why?
Because nobody needed to spend hundreds of dollars on a watch.
(08:38):
They just wanted to tell time.
So you can shift your paradigm very easily. You just have to find what you want to shift it to.
Shifting your paradigm is easy. Just find what you want to shift it to.
And once you do that, it's not hard.
Don't get stuck in that, I'm stuck in this paradigm and there's no way out because there are ways out.
(09:03):
You can find them. And there are people out there who want to help you.
That's the big thing, right? There are people out there who want to help you shift your paradigm.
Just do it. Don't get stuck in the rut and then end up in this spiral of suicidal
thoughts or depression.
(09:25):
Because I tell you what, I've been there. And once you're there, despair
it's horrible you've got to stay positive and you've
got to stay focused and you've got to stay working your
way out of that situation and yes these
diseases and injuries will keep you locked in that position and this world will
keep you locked in that position i gotta tell you man every little mistake you
(09:49):
make causes waves and they just keep holding you down but you've got to keep fighting through it.
That's why I really wanted to make this podcast today, because I wanted to explain
to you that your life is not...
Paradigm. It's not a box that keeps you in it.
It is actually this whole wide world, man.
(10:13):
Every day you decide to stay where you are. You make your own choices.
Even though you suffer from these problems, you still make your own choices.
If you're trapped in a wheelchair and you're rolling around the house,
you can get out in your wheelchair and go anywhere you want, right?
That's something you can do. I know I do it.
(10:34):
If you're, I don't know, how can I say this, man?
If you forget things, right, and you have to be careful where you go,
you can keep notes to make sure you're going in the right place.
There are so many things you can do to make sure that you can shift that paradigm.
(10:56):
These diseases are horrible. There's no way around them, man.
Each one of them affects you negatively. And a lot of people don't understand
how badly they can affect you.
And a lot of people don't get what you're dealing with. I do. Okay.
(11:16):
But there's the, but right.
They only affect you as much as you let them affect you. Okay.
Each one of them affects you physically, mentally, emotionally,
they hit you in every way possible.
(11:37):
You have to stand up and say, okay, I'm not going to take this anymore and find
ways to live with the situation.
And if you don't do that, then you're going to get stuck in that spiral.
Don't let that happen. It's like that line out of Beetlejuice.
(12:00):
I've watched The Exorcist 163 times and it keeps getting funnier every time
I watch it. It's like these diseases, right?
You know, no matter what, no matter what, they're horrible.
But if you look at it, it's so horrible.
It keeps getting funnier every time I think about it because nobody else understands
(12:21):
it except people that deal with it.
So you got to laugh at it, man. You just have to laugh at it because there's
nothing else you can do, but just laugh at it.
It's almost hilarious the way that it affects you and the way that people treat
you and the way that it's the way it is, right?
(12:44):
So you have to motivate yourself to deal with it and move forward and move forward every day.
Don't let this stuff keep you down.
Remember that a paradigm shift can change your life.
You live in a paradigm if you
are trapped in that thought process okay
that depression spiral is a box that holds you in and you can change it so i'm
(13:12):
gonna sign off now but i want you to really think about what i'm talking about
because this is probably one of the most important podcasts i've done and i
want you to think about it take it easy.
Hello all, welcome to my podcast. Today we're going to look at something that's
really hard to discuss, but we're going to discuss it.
And we're going to try to discuss it in a way that makes you aware of this possibility
and the symptoms and things that you need to be aware of if you're having these issues.
(00:24):
I always get it's so hoarse when I do these things, I'm sorry,
but you need to be aware of this, these problems before they happen and talk to people.
Suicide is a big risk factor for people with PTSD, MS, and TBI.
And if you are experiencing thoughts or, or ideas or depression or that type
(00:51):
of thing, then you need to get a hold of somebody.
Now, with people with PTSD, the fact is that people with PTSD are twice as likely
to commit suicide than people that don't have PTSD.
I know that's for people with PTSD, that's a no-brainer.
(01:12):
But for people without PTSD, people that are living with you,
you need to be aware that folks that suffer from that type of illness,
they are twice as likely to contemplate suicide or to actually go further with that ideology.
So you need to talk to them and be aware that they're suffering from those types of illnesses.
(01:37):
And veterans especially may have those problems.
Studies have been done, and yeah, that's a big issue with people with PTSD.
It's very common that they may have those problems.
Trauma survivors also, that's very, very common that trauma survivors may have those issues.
(02:00):
You've got to discuss things with them. You've got to be open with them and
talk about these problems.
Don't be afraid to discuss it with them. Don't be afraid to ask them to go to
therapy and talk to people.
Help them out. They deal with this stuff, and it comes into their lives.
Very often, they may be thinking about it. It's difficult.
(02:24):
MS people are four times as likely to commit suicide than your average person.
People that suffer with MS.
MS is a slow, horrible, debilitating disease.
You need to talk to them and converse with them and ask them to talk to therapists.
Therapists, believe it or not, I did not want to ever go to therapy.
(02:47):
I don't like talking to people about my issues.
I have those kinds of problems, but therapy helps.
Talking to therapists does help. Some therapies is more invasive than others.
I have to admit it. I'm a 54-year-old man, and I do not like therapy.
But therapy does help to a lot of degrees.
(03:10):
So if you're like me, and you're an older man, and you're like,
I don't want to go to therapy, blah.
But therapy does help. Therapy is a good thing, man. So if you're an older guy,
listen to me, man. Go to therapy.
It's a good thing. So, you know, people with TBI, that's another big thing, man.
(03:30):
People with TBI have a much higher chance of committing suicide.
You got to find the number here, but TBI have a 62% increase of those with TBI
than those without TBI of committing suicide. I mean, these numbers are outrageous, man.
(03:51):
And if you have a combination of these things, like me, I have all three.
I don't even know what that works out to.
So, but there's no way I'm ever going to commit suicide. I'm too stubborn.
I won't do it. It's just not something I'm ever going to do.
I'm going to be a nuisance to the people in my life as long as I can possibly
be. And that's what you've, you know, those things you have to think about is
(04:12):
why would I commit suicide when I could be a problem for everybody around me?
You know, I'm not going to, I'm not going to punch my own ticket when I can
be a jerk to everybody around me for as long as I can possibly be.
You know, punching my own ticket is, is ridiculous.
But there's a lot of people that do it, man, because you get in these depressed
(04:32):
moods. You get to this point where a lot, you're like, my life is absolutely hopeless.
Nothing is ever going to get any better. And you know what? I have to be honest
with you. These diseases don't get better. Nothing ever gets better.
And your life can feel so hopeless.
And especially if you look back on your life and you realize that,
(04:53):
man, geez, my life was just...
Just a can of tuna fish you got left out in the sun, man.
It's just a stinky ball of, but you know, it was your life.
It was what it was. And now you're here and this is where you got to.
So maybe today you can make, make it better, right?
(05:15):
Maybe today you can say, okay, I'm going to make my life a little bit better
today and start trying to make it a little bit bit better every day.
And I know you may be in this place that you're ill and you're sick and you
don't feel very well, but you can make steps to make it just a little bit better every day.
So committing suicide or thinking about suicide, those are really bad places to be.
(05:42):
And every one of these diseases statistically show that we think about suicide
a lot more than other people.
And we deal with that particular problem a lot more than other people.
It doesn't mean we have to go there, right? We can still be around and still
(06:04):
have a decent functional life more than other people, right?
Not more than other people, but like other people.
We just have to find our niche in life, right? So they've taken away what we
were before. And I know that hurts.
I know losing that career you worked for all your life hurts and being stuck at home or being,
(06:30):
shuffled away hurts and you know being forgotten hurts that that stuff hurts
man I mean it really does but you can be better you can be more you can be different
you don't have to be just a lump bump. You can be something else.
And that's the point, right?
(06:50):
That's the point. You can be something different. You just have to find what that different is.
This world is an amazing place, right? It's full of different places and people and things.
And you can be something different if you want.
Just don't let people hold you back. And I guess that's my biggest point is.
(07:13):
Don't let the other people in your life hold you back.
A lot of times when you're contemplating suicide and these things,
you're doing it because you're held in a very tight bottle that you have created,
right? It's called a paradigm.
You're held in your own paradigm, right?
The paradigm of your life. I can't do this because of this, and I can't do this
(07:36):
because of this, and I can't do this because of this.
But that's a paradigm you've created yourself, right?
Once you're stuck in your own paradigm, it is hard to shift that paradigm.
But you can shift your own paradigm. And once you experience a paradigm shift
to something else, amazing things can happen.
(07:56):
Once you have a paradigm shift, the whole world changes. And I can explain this in a very simple way.
Years and years and years ago, watches were made mechanically, right?
They were very expensive. They were mechanical watches. They were made in Switzerland.
One day, a guy from Seiko came with this cheap LCD watch, and he went to Switzerland
(08:17):
and said, hey, look, man, we can make these watches for pennies on the dollar.
And the guys in Switzerland said, oh, no, man, nobody ever picked those up.
Ten years later, the guys in Switzerland who made these mechanical watches were
almost out of business, and everybody else was walking around with these cheap
LCD watches. You know why?
Because nobody needed to spend hundreds of dollars on a watch.
(08:38):
They just wanted to tell time.
So you can shift your paradigm very easily. You just have to find what you want to shift it to.
Shifting your paradigm is easy. Just find what you want to shift it to.
And once you do that, it's not hard.
Don't get stuck in that, I'm stuck in this paradigm and there's no way out because there are ways out.
(09:03):
You can find them. And there are people out there who want to help you.
That's the big thing, right? There are people out there who want to help you shift your paradigm.
Just do it. Don't get stuck in the rut and then end up in this spiral of suicidal
thoughts or depression.
(09:25):
Because I tell you what, I've been there. And once you're there, despair
it's horrible you've got to stay positive and you've
got to stay focused and you've got to stay working your
way out of that situation and yes these
diseases and injuries will keep you locked in that position and this world will
keep you locked in that position i gotta tell you man every little mistake you
(09:49):
make causes waves and they just keep holding you down but you've got to keep fighting through it.
That's why I really wanted to make this podcast today, because I wanted to explain
to you that your life is not...
Paradigm. It's not a box that keeps you in it.
It is actually this whole wide world, man.
(10:13):
Every day you decide to stay where you are. You make your own choices.
Even though you suffer from these problems, you still make your own choices.
If you're trapped in a wheelchair and you're rolling around the house,
you can get out in your wheelchair and go anywhere you want, right?
That's something you can do. I know I do it.
(10:34):
If you're, I don't know, how can I say this, man?
If you forget things, right, and you have to be careful where you go,
you can keep notes to make sure you're going in the right place.
There are so many things you can do to make sure that you can shift that paradigm.
(10:56):
These diseases are horrible. There's no way around them, man.
Each one of them affects you negatively. And a lot of people don't understand
how badly they can affect you.
And a lot of people don't get what you're dealing with. I do. Okay.
(11:16):
But there's the, but right.
They only affect you as much as you let them affect you. Okay.
Each one of them affects you physically, mentally, emotionally,
they hit you in every way possible.
(11:37):
You have to stand up and say, okay, I'm not going to take this anymore and find
ways to live with the situation.
And if you don't do that, then you're going to get stuck in that spiral.
Don't let that happen. It's like that line out of Beetlejuice.
(12:00):
I've watched The Exorcist 163 times and it keeps getting funnier every time
I watch it. It's like these diseases, right?
You know, no matter what, no matter what, they're horrible.
But if you look at it, it's so horrible.
It keeps getting funnier every time I think about it because nobody else understands
(12:21):
it except people that deal with it.
So you got to laugh at it, man. You just have to laugh at it because there's
nothing else you can do, but just laugh at it.
It's almost hilarious the way that it affects you and the way that people treat
you and the way that it's the way it is, right?
(12:44):
So you have to motivate yourself to deal with it and move forward and move forward every day.
Don't let this stuff keep you down.
Remember that a paradigm shift can change your life.
You live in a paradigm if you
are trapped in that thought process okay
that depression spiral is a box that holds you in and you can change it so i'm
(13:12):
gonna sign off now but i want you to really think about what i'm talking about
because this is probably one of the most important podcasts i've done and i
want you to think about it take it easy.
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