Could we have stopped Freddy E from committing suicide?

I am shocked.

A few days ago 22year old Youtube comedien and rapper known as Freddy E committed suicide. What made this suicide so bizarre, is that he posted his last thoughts on Twitter moments before he pulled the trigger. Freddy E. was best known for his Internet program Jerk TV, which usually featured humorous yet profane segments. On the flip side, they often came with a moral or some type of cautionary message.

Chilling posts from rapper Freddy E moments before he took his life

Social media has been a means to build brands, to educate, to market products, to entertain, to network..the list is endless. It is also used as a medium in which people may cry out for help. How many times have you read Facebook posts of friends talking about their despair or heartbreak. This is often criticized as over-personalizing social media but isn't it natural to use the means by which we communicate every day to express one's emotion?

As a medical professional, I urge you all to look out for suicidal tendencies in your friends online and act immediately if you suspect something off. Do not just tweet back or put a question mark on the post. Pick up a telephone and try and talk to the person. Let them know they are loved. Call for help. Find out the suicide hotline for your country. It could save a life.

Depression and suicide are topics I have blogged about. Looking out for the signs of a suicidal person and averting depression. Click here and here to revisit those posts.

Comments

What's your 'Real Age'?

RealAge, Inc. is an American media corporation that provides health information to consumers. The company’s stated mission is to encourage consumers to maximize their health and wellness by making their "RealAge" younger. It was founded by media medic, Michael Roizen , currently the chief wellness officer at The Cleveland Clinic . log on to realage.com So basically its a website which asks you a bunch of questions then it tells you what age you really are. It will ask you things like from 'how much do you drink' to 'how many orgasms do you have a week' and so on. It is a long quiz. Apparently since it started in 1999, 27 million people have taken the test. Guess everyone wants to live life to the youngest! So of course I took the test..and I am not revealing my real age. I was appalled to say the least! And now they are sending me all sorts of suggestions about how I can 'regain my youth' e.g: Burn More Fat with These

Is Everyday One Word or Two? English Test Woes

IELTS (pronounced alternatively by people as EYE-Elts and EYE-Lets) is the standardized international English test from the UK and Australia, equivalent to Toefl for the US. I had to do it for a myriad of reasons but mainly to prove to the aforesaid 'Commonwealthers' that I can indeed communicate in English. Disgruntled but excited I booked my test for this past Saturday and pictured myself getting 98% because ‘I even have a blog-o!’ How good must my English be? Woke up at the crack of dawn! I had received warnings of non-refundable expulsion for late-comers so my senses were acutely aware of my alarm clock. Thinking I was too early, I arrived to find a horde (word I used in my speaking test) of anxious-looking people already waiting outside the British Council building. I immediately befriended the most cheerful face sitting at the end of the line who was to become my friend for the whole day. Payal had carried 5 pens, 5 pencils, several rubbers and a sparkling sharpener

Saving Mandy

When you have influence, it is your duty to stand up for others and help others up too We had so much in common. We were both born and grew up in the same sleepy hometown of Bulawayo, almost same neighborhood. We attended the same high school, some years apart, but both proud and loud Convent girls. At some point, we must have taken the same Parklands surburb bus from City Hall to home. Our siblings almost same age-groups; our families and friends intertwined all the way back to roots in Dombodema rural home. We both went on to study medicine, she did dentistry, I did MBChB. But eventually we both did a masters in Public Health in the same programme at the University of Zimbabwe. We both got married and set up home in Harare. Bulawayo girls stick together when they arrive in the big bad city. When I had Anashe, she had Siyabonga. We were both pregnant in 2018. Being senior medical professionals we both had access to the “best” medical care. We both had Cesarian Sections and

It's SteeTime!

Search This Blog