While spending the night with my family at Carousel Center, a mall complex in Syracuse, the night took a tragic turn. In the atrium of the mall a 21 year old man jumped from the 6th floor balcony in attempted suicide. Unresponsive at the scene, he was taken to a local hospital and was later pronounced dead.
There are several sad things that concern this story. The first is simple. There were plenty of places where this man could have gotten help. There are people that give their entire lives to help those with illnesses like he had. The fact that help would have resulted in totally different choices and one less death to depression and suicide is an absolute tragedy.
Another horrible thing that involves this story is how little people actually know about his illness – Depression. When the story hit a local website, there were people commenting and calling this man selfish. This man was not selfish – not at all. Only ignorance can lead to this kind of comment. The fact is, depression corrupts the way a person thinks. This man did not have the ability to make the right decision. He was not in the state of mind to know the difference from right to wrong. Chances are he did not realize the world around him – the fact that there were shoppers and children all around him. He simply did not have the ability to think for others or even for himself and for all we know, he might have decided then and there that he wanted to end his life. This man was not selfish. He was under the control of Depression.
The absolute worst things about this story are the choices those surrounding him made. If you were to fall or jump from a 6th floor balcony while surrounded by hundreds of people, would you want people taking pictures of you? Would you want your face and battered body posted all over the internet? If not, then why would you do the same to someone else? Those that did so had about the same amount of judgement as the man himself. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they do things like this.
To conclude this post, my heart goes out to the family and friends of Michael. Depression is a terrible illness. I can say this from personal experience. I have seen what it can do to a person and what it can do to their loved ones. The unfortunate set of circumstances is that, in this case, help was not being received. I hope that this event will, in its tragedy, be an eye opener for those who have little knowledge about depression.
This was a beautiful work. I’m sure Michael’s family would appreciate it if they saw it. Thank you for helping to educate the world on depression.
Thank you for your sensitive and compassionate definitions of this tragedy. Also, depression is as you stated, unchartered agony.
I do agree that people shouldn’t have been taking pictures, or even calling him selfish. But I am going to say this, if he wanted to kill himself, he should’ve at least had the decency to do it in private. I mean there were children there, and hundredss of people that will be scarred for life
I so agree about people taking pictures… I live about 2 hours away. I have some friends that live in the area up there, and some of there friends where there at the time, and yes they took pictures… this total made me sick! I could not believe people could be so heartless to do that to someone. But then again, he must have wanted everyone to know and see cause he did it there…. Its sad that people do not reach out for help or try to get help before ending there lives. I’ve had a few friends that have done this and really tears there family n friends apart!
This story broke my heart. Thank you for posting this.
I can’t believe that people took pictures! I’m still fuming from that part.
My heart goes out to his family and friends.
where do i find them pics at.. not to sound sick or nothing.. but i wanna see… he wanted everyone to see right?
sumdumguy….
i was sent the picture on my cell phone, in a text.
had i known what i was opening i would have erased it immediately.
i will be forever haunted by the image of him lying ina pool of blood.
I understand how one can be curious.
but I am telling you from experience, it will never leave your mind,
The taking of pictures is disturbing. I was also sent a picture of Michael in a text and I went to bed crying and my mom had to take my mind off of it since I have been depressed in the past and this made me become very disturbed about how people could be so disrespectful. My brother was in Michael’s homeroom for four years which also made me feel a little funny about his death… I understand the curiosity once people realize that pictures of Michael exsist but they should never have been taken in the first place. For the past couple days the image hasn’t left me mind. But with all do respect, Michael should have maybe done this in private where children won’t be scarred, but I also understand he was not in a mental state to think straight. God bless.
Yes it is sad that he did take his life and that his family will miss him, but calling him selfish can be reasonable. If we had such a mental disability that he could not realize that 1) killing him self in public knowing full well he was in an area he was not meant to be in, and 2) risking the mental stability and lives of innocent people that came across that, then I believe that he should have been kept home where he would receive help. I do believe that he was depressed, and that does hurt. But what type of depression makes it ok to sympathize with him cause he decided to jump in public risking lives of others.
I wouldn’t say selish is the correct term for him. I don’t believe it was some form of cry out for the attention he needed and did not get. Depression hits everyone around you, as now the people that had to witness the act can see. But, I don’t believe that he had no idea where he was, he willing went into a place your not suppose to go knowing he could jump and end his life. I was at the mall when it happened and I almost went down to help him, as for being a nurse and an EMT but the Paramedics came before I could get to him. The way they did CPR suggest he was in FULL cardiac arrest, everyone gets transported to a hospital for legal reasons only a Dr. can pronounce you dead. For the pictures, it’s weird, but at the same time it was one of those OMG i can not believe that just happened thing, and to be honest what do you expect when you do something like that in public. Not saying in private would be better, the best would be if the young man got the medical attention he needed.
You’re an idiot. It’s amazing how little you know about depression as well as how little you know about Mike and yet you make the presumption that you are an expert on the two. I doubt whether or not you were there or if you are just using the story to prove your little smart point on depression. for your FYI Mike sought help repeatedly. Also, you are not his doctor/psyciatrist/ an intelligent person, there fore I have no idea how you have come to the conclusion that Mike suffered from the mental illness “depression”. The choice that Mike made was a complicated one and his death is a loss and tragedy. You can help people like Mike by living a good life and sincerely being kind, open, honest, and helpful to other human beings (that’s my own presumptive theory–and I am not sure if it would have helped Mike as I know many loved and cared about him–also he had an addiction problem in which you being a complete idiot I’m sure that you think this is because he suffered from depression…. you idiot) , Although I do love people like to throw all the weight onto “professional Help”. When suffering from mental illness or instability “Professional Help” isn’t much more helpful than a Placeobo. Look it up, I’m sure it can be almost proven. While I am presuming that Professional help, while well intented and most definitelty necessary, is actually not much help at all, that presumption is not nearly as detrimental as the one that you are trying to make which states that people with depression can be “saved” if they would just seek out professional help…you idiot.
Sincerely
Rachel
To Rachel: I never once stated I knew a single thing about Michael, nor have I taken, in any way or form, the title of ‘expert’ on depression. As for that, I did not write any portion of this blog post to prove a point. The sole purpose of this post was to tell of the tragedy and my personal life experience with the disease. In fact, much of what I write in this blog is based on personal experience.
To reinforce my statements, I never claimed Michael failed to request or receive help (nor could I prove whether or not he did) – I said that he merely did not get the help he needed. And, for all I know, this could have been a setback in whatever it is he was suffering from, as I have seen many times as my brother continues to experience highs and lows with depression.
Finally, in no way have you been entitled with the right or reason to call me an idiot (that is, unless you can prove that, as you define me, I don’t function beyond the age of a four year old). It is rude and unacceptable. It is a mystery to me why, if you found something wrong with this post, you did not simply and politely make that clear. It would have been, “sincerely kind, open, honest, and helpful to other human beings” and I would have gladly addressed the issue. As for your ‘theory’ of professional help not being beneficial in any way, I am utterly confused as to what saved my brother’s life.
You’re Right, and I am Sorry…Really. I had actually just read about his death in the paper that morning, and I am not a good friend of his, but we talked often enough, and he shared some of his feelings with me, as I did with him. I also know that he sought help repeatedly and I know where he sought that help. I felt helpless because I didn’t know about it right away, and I had no one to talk to who also knew him. In my intrest to know more I was looking on the internet and saw your site, I didn’t even read the entire page until later that day. I am sorry, I was angry.
He wasn’t selfish, the guy had an addiction that he couldn’t shake off.