SUICIDE - will it ever be tackled to its extreme?

[alexx]

I think its time we saw suicide dealt with to its extreme – depression and a real intense psychological battle for a main cast member that gives up on the will to live.

Seeing a person crack under the pressures of his or her own life that has been a deep issue since childhood, and then the added pressure of being morally ‘perfect’ in Summer Bay, as your expected to be.

For some reason I used to think Ailsa would commit suicide as Judy Nunn’s departure, after more and more hidden and complicated secrets were revealed. I always loved the line as Alf spoke to Shauna about Ailsa saying something like

‘I think I only knew half of what she went through in her life, at least she’s at piece now’.

After all, the suicide rate in Australia is one of the highest in the world – why? – Lets face that and not sweep it under the carpet.

[Drew]

I think people have commited suicide before on H&A. The one i can mainly remember is Sarah.

[alexx]

I was thinking more long, drawn out and in depth - and not a guest cast member.

[MarMar]

I think Sarah was the only one, but she was not a main character, and there was no psychological build-up (except that she was crazy, of course). It's not the same as having a whol storyline evolding around it, developing over time. It should not be a short storyline where the person get depressed but gets help over a week/week and a half. Jesse thought about it, and I would have "prefered" it if he had commited suicide rather than the exit he had, as it would make more of an impact on the community, if written correctly. One can argue that his exit could have been more of a story after he left for jail, but as ever before, the writers forget characters too qucik.

[alexx]

I completely agree – It would have to be a storyline that is subtly built up over years I’m talking, or at least kept a secret to the Bay as depression usually is – but subtle in the way he/she gets offended by what most would consider normal situations to get offended over, but for the person at question it actually makes a bigger impact, maybe even having a personality disorder that no one knows about, not even himself/herself. Someone that takes criticism pretty badly no matter how light hearted it was meant to be, constantly trying to prove themselves or change to be liked. And something stemming from childhood.

In the meantime it would be ideal and obvious he/she would have the usual Summer Bay problems, but the underlying background and character as a whole would revolve around his/her mental and psychological bashing of the self and even social anxieties that only the audience goes through with him/her – but the Bay are oblivious to it - even girlfriends or close mates. It should be very personal to the character.

I think if we heard soon after Jesse’s exit he had been found dead in his cell after hanging himself; it would have made a much bigger and emotional impact.

I liked how Julie Robinson in Neighbours was always so self-conscious and controlling of others and towards the end the actress actually played the character as someone very close to suicide, if the writers wanted to go down that route - but annoyingly they copped out. She was a very individual character

[Robina Fox]

Do you have someone in mind? Dan perhaps? We don't know anything about his childhood, but his problems with Peter probably didn't begin with Amanda, and then there's is the gambling, the death of his best friend in the Bay, the failure of a second marriage, the loss of his unborn child. I could quite easily see him descending into depression.

[Drew]

Dan is to much of a happy chappy. Dan wont commit suicide

[MarMar]

"It's always the happy ones."

On 5 July it was one year since a guy I knew commited suicide. It's never those you think.

[ste]

Dan is to much of a happy chappy. Dan wont commit suicide

Depressed people don't necessarily walk around looking sad you know.

[Traceve]

Dan is to much of a happy chappy. Dan wont commit suicide

Depressed people don't necessarily walk around looking sad you know.

Thats true as I have a friend who has been diagnosided with Depression and she is fine most of the time. People wont want to walk around like that and draw attention to themselves.

Rachel with they way she is going would probably think about it, but, she wont do it.

They should introduce a chacter with depression soon,that would be a good storyline plus it would tell people more about the diease.

But thats only my oppinon