Sad Aussie50 News

[soldar]

There have been two suicides in the news here recently that have made me think.  One was a teenage boy bullied in school.  The other was a woman who worked in a factory. Five years ago she had recorded a video having sex. Soon after she married and had children. It seems now that video was put in circulation by the man who took it and pretty much everybody in the factory (2500 people) has seen it. People who did not know exactly who she was would walk by her work place to confirm it was her. The pressure got to be more than she could bear and she took her life.

Both cases are cases of people being so sorry after it happens but not caring and even provoking it before it happens. In both cases some people might be strong enough to face the situation but these two people did not have that strength in them.

Then we also have the infamous text girl suicide incident.

Depression probably has two components, one internal and one external. Some people have more proclivity to depression naturally and some cases can be very bad. At the same time some people who have a weaker proclivity may find it worsened by external factors and in these cases a good social network and support are essential.

The modern world is leading individuals to be more isolated and people to not care or interact and this aggravates mental health issues.

In less affluent societies people are forced to depend on those around them and interact but that is going away and mental health issues are getting worse.  A healthy and satisfying social life is essential for mental health.

[ve2mrx]

Depression probably has two components, one internal and one external. Some people have more proclivity to depression naturally and some cases can be very bad. At the same time some people who have a weaker proclivity may find it worsened by external factors and in these cases a good social network and support are essential.

I tend to agree with you. I believe that many times, depression can be a symptom of a deeper, unresolved issue. The person's environment is often one factor in the mix.

Having a good social network can help "spread the load" and avoid the worst, unfortunately not everyone has one. Or want to tell how they feel to that social network.

At least, depression is way better understood now than in the '90s, even if there are still mysteries.

Hopefully one day everyone will be able to address their unresolved mental health issues before they grow too big. I wish the resources where available to absolutely everyone!

Until then, I offer a big hug to everyone suffering in silence.

Martin

[vk3ase]

I am quite devastated, he seemed like a fun guy and so talented and knowledgeable for some one of that age. I did a send up of his channel 5 years ago on my channel and he saw it and liked it. Had no idea of his mental state and am not a Facebook person so only new of him via YouTube. Only 33, half my age, what I would give to be 33 again. Hope his channel stays up for ever in memory to him and the enjoyment and inspiration it gave to millions.

[station240]

It's been a really cold, windy and wet week here in Adelaide, 99% change Melbourne (where Ed is) is the same.
I'm not going out in this weather, I'd expect Ed was doing the same.
Being stuck alone in a house, with noisy weather outside, with only Youtube for company, yeah not a good time.

RIP Edward aka Aussie50 aka Ed Systems.

[EEVblog]

There have been two suicides in the news here recently that have made me think.  One was a teenage boy bullied in school.  The other was a woman who worked in a factory. Five years ago she had recorded a video having sex. Soon after she married and had children. It seems now that video was put in circulation by the man who took it and pretty much everybody in the factory (2500 people) has seen it. People who did not know exactly who she was would walk by her work place to confirm it was her. The pressure got to be more than she could bear and she took her life.

Both cases are cases of people being so sorry after it happens but not caring and even provoking it before it happens. In both cases some people might be strong enough to face the situation but these two people did not have that strength in them.

Then we also have the infamous text girl suicide incident.

Depression probably has two components, one internal and one external. Some people have more proclivity to depression naturally and some cases can be very bad. At the same time some people who have a weaker proclivity may find it worsened by external factors and in these cases a good social network and support are essential.

The modern world is leading individuals to be more isolated and people to not care or interact and this aggravates mental health issues.

In less affluent societies people are forced to depend on those around them and interact but that is going away and mental health issues are getting worse.  A healthy and satisfying social life is essential for mental health.

Unfortunately modern society and the new "victim culture" is not helping here. No one is taught "stick and stones" any more, kids right up into and including university and beyond are literally taught to think of themselves as a victim. That can't help those prone to depression etc.

[windsmurf]

Unfortunately modern society and the new "victim culture" is not helping here. No one is taught "stick and stones" any more, kids right up into and including university and beyond are literally taught to think of themselves as a victim. That can't help those prone to depression etc.

In your opinion, at what point should "victims" be entitled to feel victimized?  Should work-place harrassment (or school bullying/harrassment) victims be ingnored?  They just failed to "suck it up?" 

[Ampera]

Unfortunately modern society and the new "victim culture" is not helping here. No one is taught "stick and stones" any more, kids right up into and including university and beyond are literally taught to think of themselves as a victim. That can't help those prone to depression etc.

In your opinion, at what point should "victims" be entitled to feel victimized?  Should work-place harrassment (or school bullying/harrassment) victims be ingnored?  They just failed to "suck it up?"

It's not about normalizing or approving harassment, it's about making it harder for it to work and affect people.

The concept of an asshole isn't going away. It's been a constant since before the concept of a human existed on this earth. What Dave is talking about is how instead of teaching children to handle criticism and harassment on their feet,
they're being taught to act helpless and have some form of authority step in and fight their battles for them.

When you isolate and trap people with their problems, and teach them that there is no way out but to cry and burn, that's when people end up not being able to take their own life into their own hands, and end up suffering with problems they don't think they are able to fix.

We don't know what was going on in Ed's mind, and it's sometimes the most stable, and outwardly calm people who have the biggest and most horrific problems that they can only internalize. I can see where this discussion might go,
and all I wish to ask is instead of turning this into another SJW modern politics shitfest, which is perfectly acceptable in almost every thread but this one, keep this to talking and debating about how people with issues can help deal with them.

This is the first I've heard of Aussie50, but it doesn't matter, any loss, especially when it's within a close community, is tragic, and an opportunity to learn and prevent it from happening to someone else.

[GlennSprigg]

Mental health is a worthy expenditure, but the sad fact is you can't just get in there and repair a broken mind the way you can fix a piece of equipment or patch up an injury to other parts of the body. Some people are just wired wrong, sometimes medication can push things back into balance, sometimes counseling can help a person learn to deal with their demons but in many cases there's no true fix, it's just a matter of helping people find ways to cope. Having never dealt with that sort of issue myself I don't think I'll ever fully understand what it feels like but I've known enough other people struggling with mental health issues to be pretty confident that the problems never fully go away.

Same here, I have no real ability to understand.
For sure I've had reason to be depressed in my life for various things but can't say I've ever felt that way in the slightest. Let alone something even remotely close to make me contemplate taking my own life.
Same with other things like headaches and migranes, never had one in my entire life and find it impossible to relate to the countless people that do.

Unfortunately, I DO have the ability to understand...      So I at least have the ability to grasp it.
Firstly, 'Men' in general, seem to bottle things up so not to look 'weak', and try to go it alone!....
After massive spinal injuries years ago, years of surgery, loss of career, loss of 'manhood' including
no  longer feeling like a 'real' Father, Provider, Husband, Home-Builder, & final loss of marriage........
it had crossed my mind......  but I found strength (?) somewhere/somehow to not take that leap. 
My Doctor once asked me if I have really considered it. My answer after at least 1/2 minute, was....
"Not really TRIED, but I've been to a place and time in my head, where I can now TRULY see why
people that do it... do it!" 

That was quite a long time ago now, and although I still suffer badly, I have a totally different life
now... (though now with all past 'worldly' possessions gone), with a lovely Lady who loves me,
(and visa-versa!), and are at peace now, with the gardens we build, and the music we love so much.
WE need a 'real' friend at times like that, even if it is just an EAR !   

[soldar]

In your opinion, at what point should "victims" be entitled to feel victimized?  Should work-place harrassment (or school bullying/harrassment) victims be ingnored?  They just failed to "suck it up?" 

I can see the point that there are politics which play with making people feels victims and what is called "politics of grievances" and I am totally opposed to those BUT those are group issues. 

Individuals in civilized society should know that society does not accept or condone abuse and will prevent it and punish it and will protect individuals from abuse.  That is the whole basis of living in a civilized society.

It makes no sense to say to someone who is feeling so bad that they would kill themselves "just toughen up, get a thicker skin". That's what they were told, nobody helped them, and that's why they ended their lives. You tell a teenager who is being abused in school to toughen up and you get a suicide or the kid goes and shoots up the school. And then we all say it was wrong and it was bad.

People, and especially young people, need social acceptance, they need to feel needed and loved and protected.

If someone is causing me pain and those in authority tell me to toughen up I'd say, OK, I have toughened up and now here I come as a psycho with an AK47.

Depression can be a spiral that gets worse because people do not want to spend time with those who are not in a gay mood. Those with depression tend to isolate themselves and others will avoid them which just leads to an ever worsening spiral.  Human social contact is essential for mental well-being.

Another recent incident in Spain: A kid was being bullied by his peers. He complained to his family and teachers and not much was done, if anything. The bullies got worse and worse and one day after school they beat him up so badly he lost an eye and was left half dead. Is that soon enough to consider yourself a victim? Or should he wait a bit more?

[CJay]

Can we not derail this thread with discussion of 'victim culture etc please?

It takes away from the event which the thread was started for and feeds into the 'man up, get over it' culture which makes it harder for people with MH problems to seek help.

[frozenfrogz]

As someone who has suffered from several severe depressive episodes I would like to answer some questions.

There is a difference between someone being a bit off / in a bad mood for a day or two and a clinical depression. The latter brings with it some crazy consequences. A depression emanates itself by changed chemistry in the brain. This can be induced by various things like constant stress (not only emotional stress but also from heavy workload, physical exhaustion etc.). Once the brain is off balance, everything goes downhill.

Running into a depression is usually something that takes some time and precursors. However, if there is no one that can see the warning signs, this can go one for a long time until the depression gets so severe, that the depressive person only feels suffering and the only "solution" that person can see is to end the suffering once and for all. One of the side effects is, that you try to act normal and downplay what is actually going on inside of you. It is pretty easy to act normal - actually much easier than telling someone how you actually feel. You might want to call it sociopathic behaviour. Once the depression is in charge of you, you need a lot of will power to be able to fight back (see the problem?).

As a depressive person the first step is to get to a point where you see for yourself, that something is not right and that you need to do something about it. Since psychological illnesses are somewhat frowned upon by society, this is quite a task.

If you are lucky enough to get through it, work hard and get to know your body, what signs there are to take note of, what things to change in your life to deal with certain situations that would usually throw you off again, that does not mean you are healed. It is a bit like alcoholism, because the changed chemistry in your brain leaves behind a lot of casualties. As with every severe illness there are ups and downs along the way, but afterwards things are not the same.

In my case, I always had a very good memory and could focus on complex things without problems. After having dealt with a heavy depression (10 years ago), I changed a lot of things in my life but occasionally come to a point where I need to be careful to not fall into a deep hole again. The good thing is, that I learned how to deal with that for the most part. However, my memory is pretty bad now and it uses up a lot of energy for me to focus on certain things. Especially in an environment with a lot of people, I often can not follow a conversation. That has never been an issue before, but illustrates that a depressive episode takes its toll on the brain.

Please feel free to ask me anything regarding how I felt or what it was like.

To conclude: The main problem of a depression is, that the change of state of a person can be very gradually and no one surrounding that person will notice (unless someone in the close surrounding has already dealt with a depression).

Kind regards
Frederik

[soldar]

Running into a depression is usually something that takes some time and precursors. However, if there is no one that can see the warning signs, this can go one for a long time until the depression gets so severe, that the depressive person only feels suffering and the only "solution" that person can see is to end the suffering once and for all. One of the side effects is, that you try to act normal and downplay what is actually going on inside of you. It is pretty easy to act normal - actually much easier than telling someone how you actually feel. You might want to call it sociopathic behaviour. Once the depression is in charge of you, you need a lot of will power to be able to fight back (see the problem?).

It is like circling inside a big funnel. At first it feels almost flat and you could easily pull out. It's not too bad but you are slowly moving in. Over time you are getting closer and closer but it takes much more effort to move out.  Apparently small things can easily knock you up or down. A better job, finding love in a relationship, etc. can push you up the slope and have an effect disproportionate to their strict importance. Similarly, something not so important at first sight can have devastating consequences and send you straight down into the hole.

People sometimes have trouble understanding why something apparently of little importance can be devastating to someone who is at a weak moment in their life.

Some years ago I heard about a young Australian woman who had traveled to America and was detained, mistreated, abused, and sent back to Australia and she was absolutely traumatized by the event.

A friend of mine commented that he didn't see what was the big deal. Thousands of Mexicans go through that experience without major trauma and will try again.

Well, yes, many are not traumatized but some will be. And if you are a young woman who has led a relatively sheltered and protected life it can be traumatizing to be mistreated by the authorities who are supposed to protect you.

We are all different and things affect us differently.

[willhoskings]

I am going to miss him sad to see him go rip Ed you will be missed

[EEVblog]

keep this to talking and debating about how people with issues can help deal with them.
This is the first I've heard of Aussie50, but it doesn't matter, any loss, especially when it's within a close community, is tragic, and an opportunity to learn and prevent it from happening to someone else.

I'm sure many people are / have been concerned over Photonic Induction (Andy), who has talked about suicide in a video, even having written a note and pre-recorded a video IIRC. Many people were greatly concerned when he disappeared. I reached out to him and thankfully his family problems seem resolved and he seems overly happy with life now 
I'm not sure what else people (i.e. us, the viewers) could have done in that situation? He always had plenty of positive comments from fans.

[Deodand2014]

From BigCliveLive

[bloguetronica]

It is sad new indeed. Sad are also some of the comments, but I read them as a by-product of out dehumanized society. There are no people that are wired wrong, as well as there is no health system to make it right, even with compulsory anti-depression diagnostics and medication (that would be Orwellian).

Unfortunately, nobody mentioned what causes the depression, and ultimately, suicide. I'll give you a hint: external factors (the way our society is wired wrongly and in a twisted way is the elephant in the room). And these pernicious factors are getting more prevalent by the day in this insane world. I'm talking by experience, by the way.

Lets name those factors:
- Deranged societal movements that cause unjust pressure;
- Incompetent managers that think stress is a good thing;
- The self-serving attitude of many people;
- And the list goes on...

Kind regards, Samuel Lourenço

[soldar]

Another sad bullying suicide case that made headlines :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Amanda_Todd

I think many people are just not aware of the emotional damage they can do while many other people are plain psychopaths that care nothing about others.

On a lighter note, I have a friend and we often tease each other mutually about our mental instabilities and depression tendencies and we do the Bob Newhart routine:

https://youtu.be/4BjKS1-vjPs?t=1

[soldar]

When I feel low or lonely there is a poem in Spanish which always chokes me up.  It is a poem written by José Agustín Goytisolo and titled "Palabras para Julia", "Words for Julia" and dedicated to his child daughter at the time.  Here is my translation into English:

Words for Julia

José Agustín Goytisolo

You cannot turn back
because life already pushes you
like a never-ending howl.

My daughter 'tis better to live
with the happiness of mankind
than to cry before the blind wall.

You will feel cornered,
you will feel lost or lonely,
maybe you'll wish you hadn't been born.

I know very well they will tell you
that there is no object to life,
that it is an unfortunate affair.

Then always remember
what I wrote one day
thinking of you as I am now thinking.

A man alone, a woman,
Taken like that, one by one,
are like dust, are nothing.

But when I talk to you
when I write these words for you
I also think of other people.

Your destiny is in others,
your future is your own life,
your dignity that of everybody.

Others expect you to hang on,
the help of your happiness,
your song among their songs.

Then always remember
what I wrote one day
thinking of you as I am now thinking.

Never give up or halt
by the road, never say
I can't take it and here I'll remain.

Life is beautiful you will see
how, in spite of everything,
you'll have love, you'll have friends.

For the rest there is no choice
and this world as it is
will be all you have.

Forgive me, I do not know
what else to say but understand
I am still on my way.

And always, always, remember
what I wrote one day
thinking of you, like I am now thinking.

[soldar]

Unfortunately, nobody mentioned what causes the depression, and ultimately, suicide. I'll give you a hint: external factors (the way our society is wired wrongly and in a twisted way is the elephant in the room). And these pernicious factors are getting more prevalent by the day in this insane world. I'm talking by experience, by the way.

Depression can be caused entirely by internal causes unrelated to outside causes. Outside factors can make it worse but some people cope well with pressure and are not subject to depression while other people will suffer from depression without apparent cause. And a whole range in between.

Depression also runs in families which shows there is a genetic component to it.
Ernest Hemingway did it
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/why-ernest-hemingway-committed-suicide/

With 7 suicides in her family, Mariel Hemingway declares war on depression
https://www.miamiherald.com/living/health-fitness/article91794397.html

[Ampera]

Do we even know if he had depression? While suicide and depression tend to come together, it's not really a requirement. There's so many other factors and issues that could have been at play here. Just thinking.

[Ampera]

keep this to talking and debating about how people with issues can help deal with them.
This is the first I've heard of Aussie50, but it doesn't matter, any loss, especially when it's within a close community, is tragic, and an opportunity to learn and prevent it from happening to someone else.

I'm sure many people are / have been concerned over Photonic Induction (Andy), who has talked about suicide in a video, even having written a note and pre-recorded a video IIRC. Many people were greatly concerned when he disappeared. I reached out to him and thankfully his family problems seem resolved and he seems overly happy with life now 
I'm not sure what else people (i.e. us, the viewers) could have done in that situation? He always had plenty of positive comments from fans.

Knowing my own mental and life conditions, that's actually glad to hear. I find myself, within an attempt to deal with my problems, surrounding myself with the consequences of their failure (it's my own damned way to do things I guess), and to see success and joy from people I like always helps me out. Good to hear that he's doing better, I think everyone was getting a bit worried there.

[MadTux]

Do we even know if he had depression? While suicide and depression tend to come together, it's not really a requirement. There's so many other factors and issues that could have been at play here. Just thinking.

I was probably thinking about something similar. You can't IMO call it depression if you realize that our current existence is kind of pointless while earth is slowly killed by our CO2 emission.  We have more or less everything, produce insane amounts of stuff, while lots of usable equipment  ends up in junk/scrap yard.

If you have watched Aussie50 scrapyard videos, I think he came to similar conclusions. And I wouldn't call it depression, it's more like the realization of our ultimate fate if we continue this way instead of pursuing some more meaningful goals such as getting rid of fossil fuel dependency. Or putting some permanent settlement on moon/mars. At least more meaningful as our current waste capitalism.

[T3sl4co1l]

For those struggling to comprehend -- this may provide some insight.  It is long-form and philosophical (as the name suggests), and gets dark (warning).  It's also an extremely personal and honest discussion of it:



What's not discussed here, but I think is interesting is, he's been moving towards an acting career.  When you have a condition like this, you are forced to keep going and act it out.  That's both good and bad.  Harnessing it for good, seems like a nice way to cope.

Just remember, you're not alone.  It's hard, and we understand.

Tim

[Amper]

Im not sure if this is the right place or if im overreacting a bit but i couldnt keep it to myself, i hope dave will read this or someone else who has the same power as him.

Most of you guys will know that cody has recently had difficult depressed times as well and from my own experience i can tell what he is going through. Im not sure if cody knows about this situation but maybe it would be a good idea to show it to him so he can see its no valid option. Both guys seem to be very similar mindset and situation wise and it would be horrible to loose another one to the same issue.

[bloguetronica]

Im not sure if this is the right place or if im overreacting a bit but i couldnt keep it to myself, i hope dave will read this or someone else who has the same power as him.

Most of you guys will know that cody has recently had difficult depressed times as well and from my own experience i can tell what he is going through. Im not sure if cody knows about this situation but maybe it would be a good idea to show it to him so he can see its no valid option. Both guys seem to be very similar mindset and situation wise and it would be horrible to loose another one to the same issue.

Cody from Cody's Lab? Crap. Anyway, I'm learning now that YouTube is taking its toll on him. Lets hope for the best.



Kind regards, Samuel Lourenço