co-worker suicide

[ozsecuritychic]

Do I need to say more?http://www.riverinamediagroup.com.au...rticleID=21227

[Rhino23]

This was probally 4 months ago my capt just hired her dad as security officer. Great guy well like funny had first time to talk to him told me about health problems this was on a friday he said "hopefully knock on wood wouldn't happend to him". Next Day I heard my supervisor calling people take over his shift becuase suffer a massive heartattack. And this was first week by himself he was Pronounce dead on seen. That was pretty tragic that happend us as security family where i worked lost of a co-worker and a family member to her.

[officerchick]

Kingsman, I'm a little late in reading about this. My condolences to all involved. I've never known someone who succeeded in ending their life, but I have known someone who made multiple attempts. Depression's not an easy thing to live with, whether you're the person who is depressed or just someone in their life.

Best wishes to you and your team.

[NRM_Oz]

Rotational shift workers have a shorter life-span and reported a higher suicide or alcohol / drug dependence that 9 - 5 workers. I should be rich with the free `old man` services I have delivered for colleagues and few close friends. 1 former colleagues wife rang me in desperation as her husband was hitting the bottle and had been depressed since I resigned from our employer and he was forced to resign over internal politics when he was targetted by management with dirty tricks.

I drove the 2.5 hours to his house and let him have it from our friendship point of view and as an outsider who did not want to read the paper to find his name in the obituraries. He has always been fired up and would often vent on me (better me than a customer or another staff member I always said) but had the utmost respect for me and was very protective of our team - like I was. 2 hours later he was crying his eyes out telling me it was affecting his health. We changed the topic and he told me about meeting his wife and where he was when he found out he was going to be a Dad again.

I think as colleagues we need to keep a watch on the behaviour of our workmates and even then some people bottle it up or just work longer hours to forget their personal issues (done this before) but at the same time there is only so much a person can do.

[JB diligence]

[QUOTE=Mr. Security;43454]Yes and no. QUOTE] I cut out the rest to make it shorter.

So is it better to have a depressed, anxious or god forbid, suicidal pilot, LEO, Security person or whatever on the job and hiding his/her condition and not seeking help? Perhaps agencies with this protocol should seek out if (A) the med's negatively affect the employee, or better yet (B) let a Doctor corporate or otherwise advise weather or not an employee is fit for duty. Do they not have an occupational medicine departments to oversee employee health? Keep in mind things are different up here too, but It works.

Be it a job related injury/illness or non job related. that forces an employee to take time off or have modified work. The employee is still going to require a doctor's permission to go back to work, a simple Yes or No Mr. Smith may fly/continue regular duties or not is sufficient. A doctor is the best person to make these decisions not the company.
In the case of LEO's or any emergency service for that matter how would Post Traumatic Stress affect the employee's future? It's symptoms are very similar and often include many of the symptoms and tragic outcomes as previously written in this thread.

[bpdblue]

Just checking in

Kingsman, I'm just checking in to see how you and your other co-workers are doing.

I hope everything is as well as can be, and that this incident has not caused you or the other guards any loss of pay, or loss of jobs (by the job site switching companies, or being forced to go unarmed.)

Hang in there, time does help to heal all.

[NRM_Oz]

Sorry to hear all about this - as a manager I am pretty much talking with my crew alot and know depression can set in on even the toughest old boys. 1 close associate was going through a trial seperation and I told him - I want to see a family wall in our control room - pics of all your kids (I don't have any so used neices and nephews) and this was to remind us of WHY we keep safe at work. It settled him down and along with many others too. I still carry a pic of my wife in my wallet to remind me of why I need to come home safe every day.

[Mr. Security]

Integrator hit the nail on the head.

People need to end the stigma behind mental illnesses which includes depression and anxiety infact depression is the common cold of mental illness and the depressed/anxiety affected person is not crazy psycho or anything else they have just as legitimate illness as those with heart problems high blood pressure and anything else that if off there meds can very well be fatal.

Theirs nothing wrong with seeking help.

Yes and no. For example: Once a pilot starts taking medication to treat depression, he's done flying for as long as he is taking the meds. It doesn't matter to the FAA whether or not it helps you do your job. Once you take meds, you're marked.

The same can happen in other fields to. Sure, security (not armed) is more liberal in accepting that an employee needs to be medicated in order to function. But not all LE is that way. Oh, and BTW: Once a diagnoses becomes a part of your permanent record, it goes everywhere in this computer age of ours.

[Hank1]

Integrator hit the nail on the head.

People need to end the stigma behind mental illnesses which includes depression and anxiety infact depression is the common cold of mental illness and the depressed/anxiety affected person is not crazy psycho or anything else they have just as legitimate illness as those with heart problems high blood pressure and anything else that if off there meds can very well be fatal.

Theirs nothing wrong with seeking help.

Right on JB! My sister has MS and sometimes, it's tough to deal with ( Depression is high in these cases).

[JB diligence]

Integrator hit the nail on the head.

People need to end the stigma behind mental illnesses which includes depression and anxiety infact depression is the common cold of mental illness and the depressed/anxiety affected person is not crazy psycho or anything else they have just as legitimate illness as those with heart problems high blood pressure and anything else that if off there meds can very well be fatal.

Theirs nothing wrong with seeking help.

[Hank1]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your teammate. My condolences to you all.

Be Safe,

Hank

[integrator97]

Yep, assistance is available.

Also, we are all afraid this could now cost us the contract (two guards in five years using their issued weapon to suicide) or at least have our weapons removed and become unarmed security, with a significant cut in pay.

So now instead of effecting just his family, it might impact 30 other families as well.

Unless a person decides to take their life during an argument at work, the duty weapon will have nothing to do with it. A person intent on ending their life will find a way. It's rarely a situation of opportunity. They've thought this out.

Most people who do this are deeply depressed. They're not nuts, crazy or psycho. They are hurting. Far deeper than most anyone can see. It's usually not short term problems, not a fight with the spouse, or bills piling up.

They hurt alot. They are sad or feel life is hopeless, that their pain won't go away. It might be a crushing loss, of a spouse or child, through death or separation. It might be many things combined. They may seem alright alot of the time. But they may be crying when they are alone. Yes, even the 35 year old 6'2, 220 lb tough guy. They drive home thinking of how empty their life is, or how much they miss someone, and how much it still hurts after 6 months. Their marriage might look fine, they don't fight. But they also have no closeness maybe. And they may not want help. Sometimes they've thought about it over and over, and they're just tying up loose ends, or waiting to see if it will get better. Then one day, they decide it isn't. And they do what they've thought about for so long.

It's painful for all involved, family, friends and co-workers. It's terribly sad, and such a waste that they could't get or didn't want the help they needed. But maybe they are suffering less now than they were with the pain they lived with. Depression is a horrible thing to live with.

[kingsman]

Yep, assistance is available.

Also, we are all afraid this could now cost us the contract (two guards in five years using their issued weapon to suicide) or at least have our weapons removed and become unarmed security, with a significant cut in pay.

So now instead of effecting just his family, it might impact 30 other families as well.

[JB diligence]

Perhaps work is affecting personal life to much, Do you have an Employee Assistance Program? Look into it.

[copelandamuffy]

About a week ago on a Friday morning my Field Suervisior called me at
0600 hours that a Security Guard whom I worked with jumped off an eleven story building in downtown Boston. Divorce and money problems.

He was the type of person who after speaking with him for five minutes you wanted him as your friend.