Columns

Life is temporary. A thousand years from now, excavators might dig up our remains, study them, and possibly put them in a museum. Once we are gone, that might be "it"--and our consciousness is gone. Even if you believe in an afterlife or in reincarnation, there must be a life expectancy for the soul. Souls will not last forever either. Someone who studied ghosts estimated their life expectancy to be about 700 years. 

(Most psychiatrists don’t believe in the existence of ghosts or an afterlife, from what I have seen. Their tendency is to stick to the physical sciences as they currently exist. Anything that can’t be measured with present-day test and/or diagnostic equipment, or that can’t be proven through tangible evidence, they believe, doesn’t exist. I believe the physical sciences are still in their infancy, and in future centuries, people will look on the present day as a time of ignorance.) 

No one can dispute that life is limited. People get so upset at the prospect of death. But it is something we do not control. 

Suicide is a crime. This is so because those left behind must deal with the aftermath and the mess that is left. Not to mention, the unnecessary passing doubtless will cause a lot of pain for family and loved ones. Suicide should not be considered glamorous. People might believe it is within their rights to do away with oneself; it isn't. Even though it is one's own life, nonetheless it is a crime. Additionally, killing oneself creates a bad example for both old and young. 

There may be some exceptions to the above, such as where a person is terminally ill and in a great deal of pain. 

Another consideration: a failed suicide attempt could lead to living as a far more disabled person, mentally and/or physically. Failed suicide attempts may well cause permanent damage, leading to living under even more horrendous conditions than beforehand. 

CNN is capitalizing on the suicide death of Anthony Bourdain, in ads that promote the airing of his final season of "Parts Unknown." I object to this. But my eyes are glued to the show despite this. 

(Bourdain gave us a look at the insides of other countries and other places, and this is something most Americans have lacked. Bourdain's television show is important. It makes the viewer realize that people are human, including when people are not from the U.S. His absence deprives Americans and others of something very valuable.) 

Many people who are caregivers, or who are otherwise involved in mental health, seem to accept it as a given that we have short lifespans and that it is doubtful we will outlive our parents. This should not be accepted. We need more effort to make the lives of mentally ill people better, and longer. We should not dismiss the life of a person with mental illness as necessarily limited. 

There are some mentally ill people who live a normal lifespan; you should not rule that out. For this to happen, we probably need to live under acceptable conditions. This would include a nutritious diet, the absence of substance abuse, not being subjected to homelessness, and numerous other elements of a good living situation. And, let’s not forget, there needs to be sources of gratification in one’s life. A dismal outlook in life due to lack of gratification and/or lack of purpose will shorten one’s lifespan. 

The advantages you have when older could include more life experience, the possibility (but not the certainty) that you are wiser, more knowledge, and, in some cases, reduced expectations from other people. Someone seeking a fistfight on a Saturday night is less likely to go after an old guy. Someone hiring in an unskilled work position might not push you as hard if you do not appear young and able to bust your butt. 

The disadvantages of getting older, for someone with chronic mental illness, are many. The effects of taking psychiatric medications for decades can have crippling effects on the body. In other instances, these meds can be a contributing factor to a shorter lifespan. 

Because of having a psychiatric illness, most mentally ill people live in poverty and may not be able to pay for a nutritious diet. We may not be able to pay for a good dentist, causing most older mentally ill people to lose teeth—some or all. 

We may have medical conditions that have gone untreated; doctors are less proactive about health when dealing with mentally ill people, and most of us are stuck getting medical treatment at county run facilities. Thus, there are numerous reasons, and I haven’t mentioned all of them, that mentally ill people’s bodies will usually start to fall apart in our fifties or sooner. Living to age 50 is not unusual for someone diagnosed with mental illness. 

For aging mentally ill people, there are no guarantees. Some people may try to impress on us that our lives are over, and we have no hope. If we want hope, we need to disbelieve in people’s negativity. If we want hope, we may need to manufacture it. This is done through deciding not to give up.