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"Next Freeola Meetup @ Bridgend, Wales (21 Suicides)"

Sorry couldnt resist. =P But seriously, what the hell is going on? Why are 17 people hanging themselves in the same area? And why is the Daily Mail saying it's heavy metal and video games to blame?

Why are the police downplaying the deaths and saying they're unrelated and why are the parents keen to get rid of the media coverage? Are they worried it'll just encourage more kids to commit suicide? That's ridiculous, we all had a tough time growing up but none of us ever contemplated suicide. There's something weird going on in the South of Wales and I'm certain this mornings suicide won't be the last.

17th Suicide discovered this morning

What do the rest of you think?

> pb wrote:
> Even if they saw it as acceptable, most teens wouldn't be so
> thick as to work out that suicide is pretty much a dead end
> street.

> Nin wrote:
> I dont see what you're getting at. I'm fairly sure they know the
> end result and i dont think it's a case of being thick. More
> likely they dont realise that being upset about something
> passes.

Well in one of the recent cases the girl that killed herself did so after hearing that her fifteen year old cousin had tried to hang himself, and after a couple of days his life support was turned off, because he was brain dead (which she didn't know).

This just seems to be the approach lots of people have to life, that the journey isn't important, just the destination. It's almost like they are skipping depression, jumping straight to suicide, and in doing so missing out on any chance of salvation.

As for being upset passing, I don't think it does, as when someone dies you just feel less sad over time but it never really goes. The perception seems to be that once you are tainted, that's it, but many people do find a way to deal with things.

I like your thinking.

Maybe they're all murders made to look like suicides -_-

pb wrote:
> So while peer acceptability may have had some impact, I think
> there has to be a deeper underlying cause behind it. Not
> necessarily a cult or even an internet group (though this is more
> likely) but something.

Maybe Bridgend is just a really depressing place to live?

pb wrote:
> I don't subscribe to the peer idea, you need a far deeper
> underlying cause to commit suicide, it's pretty final unless you
> think something's going to happen to you aferwards (which is
> where most cults manage to convince people).

How about that they're easily upset drama queens who think it's the end of the world when they dont get what they want?
1 tempremental teen + 1 idea that suicide is ok = 1 Dead teen


> Even if they saw it as acceptable, most teens wouldn't be so
> thick as to work out that suicide is pretty much a dead end
> street.

I dont see what you're getting at. I'm fairly sure they know the end result and i dont think it's a case of being thick. More likely they dont realise that being upset about something passes.

> Same with Media influence, it may go a little way towards the
> notion of committing suicide, but common sense would prevail
> unless there was some form of personal outcome from it or things
> were so bad that you thought it might be the only escape.

I dont think common sense has much to do with being a teenager. As i said, at that age every problem feels like the end of the world.

> So while peer acceptability may have had some impact, I think
> there has to be a deeper underlying cause behind it. Not
> necessarily a cult or even an internet group (though this is more
> likely) but something.

I really dont. I think a vulnerable group of people have got it into their head that it's ok to kill yourself and they're having a field day.

I don't subscribe to the peer idea, you need a far deeper underlying cause to commit suicide, it's pretty final unless you think something's going to happen to you aferwards (which is where most cults manage to convince people).

Even if they saw it as acceptable, most teens wouldn't be so thick as to work out that suicide is pretty much a dead end street.

Same with Media influence, it may go a little way towards the notion of committing suicide, but common sense would prevail unless there was some form of personal outcome from it or things were so bad that you thought it might be the only escape.

So while peer acceptability may have had some impact, I think there has to be a deeper underlying cause behind it. Not necessarily a cult or even an internet group (though this is more likely) but something.

could there be a possability that the media has increased the number of suicides with their coverage (and possible portrayal that there was a suicide cult in bridgend) that has encouraged some of the suicides (which then relates to my point of the stand alone complex) or is it that we're seeing the exsistence of a high suicide rate among teenagers in the UK (or at least in wales).


Probably not the top 20 best places to live in britain then.

It's even spawned the inevitable tasteless joke;

"You might think it's cold here, but it's minus 17 in Bridgend."

Haven't heard about the latest blame game, but as it comes from the Daily Mail, I think i'll ignore it. As ever with this sort of unfounded scaremongering.

The reason most people dont kill themselves is because of a collective social conscience. Its not seen as normal and people want to fit in, moreso than you'd expect and thats especially true of teenagers. I dont think there is a cult here. I dont think there's a website. It's kids copying their friends because they suddenly think it's acceptable. I'm genuninely not suprised by this at all. If anything i'm suprised it hasnt happened before.

so this maybe a case of stand alone complex? The first suicide was merely a standard suicide but people believe this was the first of a suicide within a death cult. And all these children, unrelated to each other think that its also a suicide cult and copy cat the event?

Mass hysteria with a motive?

copies with no orginal?

Conspiracy theory?

The belief of a possible online suicide cult forged from the stand alone complex because of digital/paper media news coverage?

Certainly nasty and someone needs to get to the bottom of this.