自杀给朋友和家人留下持久的影响

AS IT IS 2016-09-25 Suicides Leave Lasting¹ Effects on Friends, Family 自杀给朋友和家人留下持久的影响

September is suicide prevention month in the United States.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers suicide a worldwide problem.

WHO reports that 800,000 people take their own lives each year. On average, a person commits suicide every 40 seconds, it said.

WHO officials say suicides have long-lasting effects on the family members and friends left behind.

People not only feel very sad about the death, but feel guilt² for not taking action they think might have prevented the suicide.

A Woman Who Lost Her Father and Son to Suicide

Dorothy Paugh was nine years old when her father shot himself to death.

“I count that day as the last day of my childhood,” Paugh said. “Because from that moment on, I had no sense of security. I had no sense that the world was a safe place.”

She made her comments as she stood near her father’s burial place at Arlington National Cemetery³, just outside of Washington D.C. It is where American war veterans are buried. Her father served in the U.S. military during World War II.

Dorothy Paugh’s life was shaken again -- 50 years after her dad’s suicide. Her son Peter bought a gun for protection. Peter would go on to take his life at the age of 25.

Paugh looks at a photograph of her son. “This is my favorite picture of Peter because he has a hint of a smile,” she said.

Paugh said it is important that people not see those who take their own lives as cowards. “Because my father was brave,” she said. “He fought in World War II….I think he just got overwhelmed.”

Veterans Trying to Stop Suicides

Seven hundred fifty U.S. military veterans rode bicycles 110 miles from Arlington, Virginia to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They wanted to bring attention to the continuing problem of suicides.

One of the riders was retired⁴ Army Sergeant⁵ Norberto Roman of Puerto Rico. “Our mission is to stop the suicides,” he said.

Suicide is a very personal to Roman.

“I tried to commit suicide myself in Iraq and I went through eight years of hell, through PTSD treatment and I’m blessed to be here today,” he said.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder⁶ is known by the letters PTSD. The National Institute of Mental Health describes it as a condition suffered by individuals who experienced a shocking, frightening or dangerous event.

More Action is Needed

The World Health Organization said in its recent report that more action can be taken to reduce suicides.

Many people who commit suicide do so by swallowing poison, using a gun or taking an overdose of drugs, WHO officials said. They added that people should try harder to keep those things away from individuals who might use them to hurt themselves or others.

It would also be helpful to reduce the stigma⁷ of suicide, WHO said. A stigma is when people have a poor or bad opinion about something, often for no good reason. The stigma makes people afraid to ask for help when they are thinking of taking their own lives, the WHO report said.

Paugh, who lost her father and son to suicide, now works to inform people about the problem. She urges them to take action if they have reason to think a friend or relative is considering suicide.

“If we think someone may be troubled, ask them outright⁸ if they are having thoughts of suicide,” Paugh said. It is not an easy discussion, but it is much better “than a funeral,” she added.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged⁹ 15-29 years old, according to the World Health Organization.

Words in this Story

commit -- v. to say you will do something

moment -- n. a particular time

hint -- n. a very small amount of something

coward -- n. someone who is too afraid to do what is right or expected

overwhelmed -- v. to affect someone very strongly

bicycle -- n. a 2-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing on foot pedals

mission -- n. a task or job that someone is given to do

1 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

2 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

3 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

6 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

7 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

8 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

9 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。