I have been following a new cottage area industry dealing with a wrongful suicide death. In particular, California lawyers seem to be at the cutting edge of this type of tort claim. Interestingly enough, football players seem to be at the forefront of these new types of injury claims recently since it was revealed that the NFL had been covering up the real risks of brain injury to the players.
The facts related that the NFL had overstated the value of the protective gear and risks of brain injuries. Even when wearing protection, the player has been suffering TBI, and MTBI for years. A steady stream of indicators has revealed that at least some of the suicides by depressed and neurologically damaged players, is a result of their head injuries.
This brings me to this most recent case in Kansas. The family of deceased Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, Jovan Belcher, believes they may have answers involving the murder of his 22-year-old girlfriend and his subsequent suicide at his football team’s training facility. People Magazine did a great report on this.
The facts relate that a year after the violent incident, the autopsy of the former NFL linebacker, showed signs of degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). And this information comes from a report by the dean of research professor of pathology at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Dr. Piotr Kozlowski, located in New York City (Source).
In the report, Dr. Kozlowski stated he detected neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein. This is linked with CTE. Also, the doctor stated the tangles were distributed throughout the brain of the linebacker’s hippocampus area of the brain, which involves learning, emotions, and memory. Experts studying CTE have found it is a progressive death of brain cells that occurs after blows to the head, resulting in depression, memory loss, and dementia.
Attorneys representing Belcher’s infant daughter Zoey requested the linebacker’s brain be autopsied. Belcher, age 25, who committed suicide in front of the Chief’s team coaches December 1, 2012, at the training facility after killing his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins in their home, while his mother was caring for his 3-month-old daughter in the home.
The results of the autopsy may be used in the ongoing litigation against the Chiefs and the NFL of player brain injuries. CTE was found in the autopsies of both Junior Seau and Dave Duerson since it can only be found post-mortem and has been found in approximately 50 other former NFL players.
Belcher’s attorneys decided to make the findings of the autopsy public Monday due to the number of domestic abuse cases involving NFL players. A lawsuit against the Kansas City Chief’s was filed on behalf of Belcher’s daughter Zoey and his mother, Cheryl Shepard. The suits claim the team failed in properly treating the linebacker for repetitive head trauma and did not provide adequate medical care.
Belcher’s mother and daughter’s lawsuits follow the over 30 other plaintiffs with suits involving the NFL in Federal Court waiting for the approval of a $765 million dollar class action settlement. Five NFL players during the past month have been allegedly involved in domestic violence, according to attorney Dirk Vandever representing head injury lawsuits against the Chiefs. Jonathan Dwyer, Arizona Cardinals running back, has been accused of domestic abuse involving a 27-year-old unidentified victim and deactivated from all team activities. The 25-year-old Dwyer has denied the assault.
There have been incidences on and off the field for NFL players recently, with one of the situations resulting in the indefinite ban of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. Rice was seen in a video that went viral in an Atlantic City Casino elevator of him attacking his wife, Janay. Carolina Panther’s defensive end Greg Hardy has been accused of domestic violence and convicted of assault on a female. I can foresee a situation where the rape victim sues the NFL if it is proven that Hardy had been injured due to concealment and active misrepresentation, and that caused the rape, can’t you?
He has been banned from playing in any more games while the appeal is ruled on by the court. Another incident involved child abuse charges for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson when he was indicted for beating his 4-year-old son with a switch. Peterson was put on the NFL’s exempt commissioner’s list. According to a statement by the NFL, they have been making changes to make it safer for players on the field and providing the best medical care.
Also, they have updated the protocols on a diagnosis of concussions and treatment. And they also changed the rules on players returning to the game after having a concussion. What we are beginning to learn, is that repeated jolts to the brain can cause severe psychological problems.
From my perspective, if Belcher had CTE, this could open up a whole slew of lawsuits against the NFL, by multiple parties, including victims of murder-suicides. As more facts come out about the alleged cover-up by the NFL of the severity and risks of repeated blows to the brain to players, more and more parties of these types of cases may be adding the NFL as a party to their wrongful death lawsuits.
There is no one that suffers more in defense of freedom than our brave active-duty military personnel and veterans. Each one has their story to tell and their burdens to bear. In the long history of American liberty, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have represented every walk of life. Also, they have shown the best of the country.
With the issues related to training, war, and separation of families, it is vital that emotional issues caused by their time in the service get addressed. Moreover, there have been wonderful charities and other organizations formed to help those that have given their country all. Hence, while these efforts are noble and often useful, they need more of a partner.
DOD To Work Harder at Mental Health Promotion
The Department of Defense announced that it would be working harder to promote mental health among active duty military and vets. However, their suicide prevention initiative highlights many of the struggles that our brave men and women in uniform have to face every day. Hence, there was an emphasis that September is Suicide Prevention Month. The Veterans Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255.
Ways You Can Help Suicidal Vets
There are many avenues to supporting our vets, and Ehline Law Firm PC, supports them. Headed by a physically challenged former Marine, we know the ideals of life in the military and the concept of service above self. Our lead attorney, Michael Ehline, used the discipline and skills taught in the Marine Corps to create another life as a lawyer. This determination has given him the drive to help others, especially other veterans.
So he hopes that this worthwhile endeavor of the Department of Defense will contribute to remind everyone of the real 1%. That is, the 1% that put their lives on the line every day to make sure that we are free. Most of all, please consider volunteering with veterans groups. But offering any help that you can, even a keen ear helps.
In August of last year, nearly every news outlet had an article or slideshow speculating on the cause of beloved comedian Robin Williams’ suicide. Many of these pieces were based on sheer speculation and hearsay rather than medical evidence and testimony from those around him. With a little more than a year since the event, a more clear-eyed view is taking shape regarding his death.
Williams’ widow, Susan Williams, has began to open up about the event. She stated to Good Morning America that she does not believe that the death was caused by depression, or even due to his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Instead Mrs. Williams places much of the blame behind Lewy Body Dementia, which has been called the most common disease that readers do not know by name.
Salon compiled information about Susan Williams’ interviews and her assertions. She witnessed Robin devolve into a nervous, worried wreck as the family tried to determine what was wrong. She now believes that he would have had less than three years to live if he had not killed himself.
Williams’ widow does not discount that the disease made him depressed, but stated that it was one of many factors that led to his decision. She believed that part of the reason that he went through with it was the idea of reasserting control in a very difficult situation. Lewy Body Dementia is estimated to affect nearly one half of one percent of the American population.
The disease causes body tremors, rigid muscles, and severe hallucinations. The exact cause of the disease is still unknown but it appears that it could be related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases– the latter of which Williams had been diagnosed with.
It is unclear what Susan Williams can do to help reduce the strain of her husband’s death. However, it appears that she has become an advocate for recognition of the disease that killed her husband, making sure that families that are going through the same struggle know that they are not alone. This is also an opportunity for prospective sufferers to visit their doctors to get the most accurate diagnosis possible and a chance for medical science to focus on this horrible affliction.
We pay great attention to the homicide cases that take place every year and lament the happenings while hoping for humans to regain their humanity. However, we continue to forget about suicide cases in all this, especially when it comes to all those returning war vets who are to proud, or too scared to seek counseling for fear their Second Amendment rights will be forsaken by an executive branch that placed them on the DHS Terrorist Watch list.
Suicide cases, and not just those involving vets, have been on the rise in past several years and currently there are 3 times more people dying with suicides in America than are dying from homicide. Even breast cancer deaths are nothing compared to the number of people taking away their lives with their own hands. This is a point to ponder and some people are determined to break the trend.
The Propaganda and the Real Issues
Progressive liberals are famous for using suicide statistics in their “gun violence” propaganda to boost their arguments in favor of banning and curtailing firearms acquisition for law abiding citizens. Yet at the same time, the left has led the fight for making assisted suicide legal. But what about preventing suicide and getting this outside of the propaganda? You can OD on pills easier than trying to buy a gun anyways right?
Recently, NPR did a great report on a worthy goal of eliminating all suicides, and mentioned the comments of the head of the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Thomas Insel. He got ready to retire from his job while stating the increasing number of suicides as his greatest regrets. It is quite shocking for him and for every American that suicide rates have been rising in the region while homicide rates are declining for more than 2 decades now.
Insel could not take this, according to the story, and he decided to step down from his job. Even more disappointing is the fact that these death by your own hand rates have increased despite great efforts within the country such as awareness programs, midnight walks, dedicated hotlines etc., and even the very efforts of our team here at SOS. Looking at the statistics we find out that in 2013 there were 12.6 people committing suicide out of 100,000 whereas the figure was at 10.8 in 2003. Children are not immune from these figures either.
Direct Correlation Between Treating Depression and Reducing Death at Own Hands?
Henry Ford Health System, started 2001, is the only system that has gained some success in reducing the number of suicides by offering hope and focusing on the treatment of depression. They have designed a very specific, strict and defined system to prevent people from committing suicide and hope, confidence and persistence are the key ingredients in the success of their program. Their efforts have given a new life to a female named Lynn.
Lynn suffers from bipolar disorder that is also referred to as manic depressive illness. Just a little over 50 years of age, Lynn has lived with this disorder for 3 decades. A little more than 10 years ago she kept on feeling like taking her life. It all occurred to her in deep phases of depression that suddenly engulfed her mental abilities. She describes her feelings as going into a black hole and attempting to grab a hold of something to stay out of this hole.
When there was nothing for her to get support from, she felt like committing suicide and that sensation crossed her mind almost every month. When Lynn was given help the Henry Ford program was not the best at the time. It was going on with the same conventional approach of helping patients when they walked into the premises of institutions and informed about their conditions.
The Treatment Improvement and the Results
Some experts in the organization felt the need of coming up with a better program and in an effort to make this program a reality they tried to help 200,000 patients through an application for a grant to support the program. This program was dubbed “perfect depression care”. The grant was not given.
The health system put faith in the program and gave it a go. With this green signal a program was started that was one of the most thorough and intensive program. Patients are asked two questions in the beginning about the number of down moments in past two weeks and happy moments during that time. Depending on the answers given by the patient the doctors proceed to further questions regarding sleep disturbances and other related matters.
After proper diagnosis the patient is sent for the right therapy and methods that can be applied on him/her. Therapists would get in touch with the families and ask them to get rid of any items that can be used as weapons to kill or make them impossible to reach for the patient Doctors would always book patients for next appointments before they leave the premises of the clinic.
Lynn was provided care through notes that were present by her nightstand and kitchen. The notes contained instructions on how she could tackle her depression when she was having the feeling of going into a black hole again. She is also reminded of the fact that just like many times before her condition will become normal again.
Doree Ann Espiritu, serving Henry Ford as the head of Zero Suicide program, said that the previous practice included doctors reaching a mutual contract with patients where patients could not commit suicide i.e. break the contract. (Check out the “Toolkit” here.) According to her this method was not very successful. The therapists at Henry Ford have been given more flexibility on the type of questions they can ask.
Previously, the therapists could not discuss suicidal thoughts of the patients with them or ask them about any materials that could be used for killing. It was thought that such questions could give patients hints of committing suicide. Henry Ford therapists are free to ask such questions from their patients now. Lynn said that the only reason she was able to fight with her fears and depression was due to the persistence that her therapists showed towards her.
She also gave credit to herself because she thinks she was quite persistent too. Lynn recalls and admires one particular therapist who did not stop telling her that there was hope and that she could be helped when she was completely thinking of the negative thoughts.
The approach taken by Henry Ford is finally getting some recognition. Many visitors from different parts of the US and Europe have come to the site to observe the program and how it works. Group Health Cooperative and The Suicide Prevention Resource Center have adopted the program from Henry Ford and have implemented in their clinics. Centerstone is another behavioral health provider organization that has put trust in the program and methods of Henry Ford.
Espiritu entered Henry Ford at quite a twist. She became part of it when the new strategies and program were being implemented or were in the phase of being discussed before implementation.
She talks about the time when the initial meetings were held and most of the people were still wondering how this could be done.
Getting Suicide to Zero?
Everyone was thinking about the possibility of bringing down the suicide rate to zero according to the NPR story. Most of the people in the anti suicide meetings thought it was impossible to bring the number down to zero but there were some who were ready to try. After doing all the discussions during meetings and mostly getting pessimistic response from the people that were going to be involved in the program, the system was given a start and results could be seen abruptly.
Brian Ahmedani, who is an epidemiologist at Henry Ford tells that the statewide figures are showing an increase in the number of suicides per year whereas the Henry Ford health system has been keeping that number low and steady. It is also being brought under consideration that health costs could be brought down a great deal by focusing on treating depression in people.
It must not be forgotten here that when depression is not treated it gives us the gifts of hypertension, diabetes and other chronic conditions. Henry Ford has done a great job by keeping its number of employees always up to the requirement despite the training costs.
Henry Ford has been busying too much in helping people stay away from suicide despite their mental conditions. It did not find the time to calculate the costs of the treatment for patients as well as the organization itself. Centerstone is the organization that invested time in calculating the costs of the program. Centerstone did this by calculating the costs of the program on 200 patients. The costs were calculated for a year and it was found out that avoiding emergency admissions and long term hospitalizations saved a huge sum of $400,000.
Espiritu has talked about the spirit of zero suicide program and clarified the philosophy behind it. She said that people could argue that reducing suicide should have been enough and that we should not focus putting the suicide number down to zero. She said that the program wants zero suicide because this is something we would always want for ourselves and our families. If we let just 1 person commit suicide, this person could turn out to be our son, daughter or parent.
She said that it is nearly impossible to bring this number down to zero but her health system will continue to follow it as a goal.
When it comes to Lynn, in her words she has not been cured. The program she went through at Henry Ford was more like enlightenment for her.
She believes that this program taught her some lessons about her life rather than curing her. She says that she has accepted bipolar condition as part of her life but taken it as a challenge. She thinks that the program has taught her how to live. She also considers her case a story that could be mentioned under the success stories of the Henry Ford program.
But many veterans and their families have noticed that seeking treatment for brain injuries and depression lead to questionnaires about guns in the home, and quite frankly see this as a direct attack on their firearms rights. Unless and until the government stops using things like this as a pretextual tool to disarm law abiding citizens, attorney and former U.S. Marine, Michael Ehline says:
we will probably continue to see a rise in military deaths by suicide. Vets just don’t trust a government that is now flooding the country with the very same people they were fighting overseas, and would rather deal with depression than be disarmed. That is just a cold, hard fact.
Ehline says that the government should focus on school voucher programs to allow parents to send their kids to the school of their choice, and re institute the Civilian Marksmanship Program in those schools, as a method of breaking up the anti self defense, unionized power-structure in the public education system, thereby increasing the chances of vets and others seeking help for things like depression.
The bottom line is that vets who swore an oath to defend the Constitution can clearly see that the rights they swore to defend are being taken from them, and they feel like they are under attack by public school teachers, VA doctors and the news media. If they had some security in knowing they were not being consistently targeted by bureaucrats and “journalists,” they would probably seek treatment.
Correlation does not mean causation. Taking away a vet’s gun will not prevent him or her from killing himself, and will “probably increase the chances of that happening” said Ehline. It’s time to stop playing silly games and start helping vets deal with depression. It is not a crime to be depressed and certainly does more harm than good to allow Uncle Same to come between patients and doctors.
Doctors:
should have the same duties of confidentiality as a priest to a parishioner says Ehline.
What do you think? Do you think more vets would seek depression care if they did not have to fear being disarmed by the VA or an Obamacare edict?
Officials have arrested two girls in connection with a 12 year olds suicide after extensive bullying. According to Poke County Florida Sheriff Grady Judd, the two girls ages 12 and 14 were arrested after they bullied 12 year old Rebecca Sedwick to a point where she took her own life and continued the bullying after her death.
Rebecca Sedwick a resident of Lakeland, Florida jumped to her death from a cement factory tower on September 9th, after being tormented by as many as 15 girls who harassed her in text messages and online social media message boards, authorities said.
One of the messages that were released by the Polk County sheriff said, “drink bleach and die.”
One her tormenters, age 14 posted a message after Sedwick’s death that resulted in her arrest in connection with the suicide. The post that has Sheriff Judd calling her cold and emotionless was after the suicide she posted “ Yes ik I bullied REBECCA nd she killed her self but IDGAF.” According to Judd the two girls arrested were the main culprits, but the investigation is ongoing and there could be more arrests.
The two girls were charged with aggravated stalking, which is a third degree felony in Florida, since bulling is not a crime, but Judd said that it does predicate acts for stalking or aggravated stalking. The sheriff said that since the girls do not have a criminal history, he is not sure if they would spend any time in juvenile detention or how much time they might get, if they were sentenced to detention.
In an effort to stop the bullying, Rebecca changed schools, where it continued to follow her and then home schooled, before her suicide. Rebecca’s mother Tricia Norman said that the constant bullying is what pushed her daughter to kill herself and the school district did not do enough. Her mother said that At one point the school separated the girls, because of fighting. She said in November Rebecca ran away and then was hospitalized in December, three days after cutting herself. Then Rebecca changed schools, but this did not stop the bullying on the internet at Instagram, Voxer, Ask.fm and Kick, authorities said.
According to the mother, the messages would tell her she was ugly, stupid, no one liked her and to go kill herself.
The Polk County sheriff said that on Rebecca’s computer there were searches found including, what is overweight for a 13 year old girl, how many over the counter drugs do you take to die, how to get razor blades out of a razor, and a screen saver of Rebecca with her head resting on a railroad track. Judd said that the 12 year old was at one time Sedwick’s best friend and that a boy Sedwick dated later dated the 14 year old that was arrested. The parents of the 14 year old immediately said that she would not have harassed and bullied anyone and they were 100 percent certain of that.
Florida does have a bullying law, which was amended July 1 to cover cyber bullying, which was named after 15 year old Jeffery Johnson, a teen computer geek who was bullied for two years prior to hanging himself in his closet. The amendment to the law leaves punishment up to the school in bullying cases and cyberbullying, but it also states that law enforcement can seek more traditional charges.
The Polk County sheriff said that on Rebecca’s computer there were searches found including,