NEWS: Canadian's Death Wishes Only During Business Hours

CULTURE: Canadian's Death Wishes Only During Business Hours

Prince Edward Island, a province of Canada, is changing their 24-hour suicide hotline hours of operation to 9a.m. until 5p.m.



It's an attempt to help out the province's budget instead of helping out people contemplating suicide. Most people typically don't feel their most suicidal during business hours:

The hotline costs about $24,000 a year to run.

They must had had a bad run of potatoes.

Maybe someone suicidal will lock themselves in Anne of Green Gables' house, burn it to the ground and ruin the province's economy.

"This is an automatic message. If you feel depressed and want to end your life, please call again in the morning. Until then, have a nice day."

Oh boy, this proves once again that too many people just don't think right.

What are 24k compared to the lifes that might be saved.

*ahem* Just IMHO, but suicide isn't an issue that instinctively makes me try to think of the funniest thing to say. I really dunno how some of you do it.

Anyways ...

This is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard really. Yet another perfect example of politicians thinking more about money than about the people in their ridings.

It would be interesting to know what kind of money these exact same politicians are making, when their last pay raise was and how much it was for. I wonder if cutting their paycheques would have saved around the same amount as cutting the hours down.

This is kinda backwards thinking to me. They will lose more money by doing this, as there won't be the resources there to help stop someone from doing the unthinkable. Thus a ripple effect will happen if a person does commit suicide.

Their immediate family will be very grief striken and those that work will misswork for a few days at least. Close friends and extended family will also be distraught and possibly miss a day or more of work.

Add in the costs of therapy for the people affected by the resulting emptiness of losing that person from their lives, as well as the cost towards police and EMS crews that attend to the victim when the body is found ...

Way to go P.E.I. Way to care.

I must be misinterpreting this...haven't slept in aehile, so forgive me if this is wrong.

The article says people get worried most around 3-4am when they wake up.

the article says the hotline will now only be available from 9am-5pm.

Uuuuuh....why not during the time they reported that most people get worried/have suicidal thoughts?

Take a nice nap.

The person quoted was prolly just speaking out her ass. Err ... sorry - using her own opinion.

I'm sure there is no actual study that shows people have more suicidal thoughts at 3-4 am.

As a member of the Church of Euthanasia, I fully support this move.

As a member of the new group called "SAUTH" (Slapping Asshats Upside The Head), I fully support THIS move:

*Slaps the noobie square in the soft spot*


[Edited on May 27, 2005 by abadinfluence]

[Edited on May 27, 2005 by abadinfluence]

I'd have thought that there would be a lot of research about the time of day that people have suicidal thoughts, if only to help plan staffing at A&E or psychiatric hospitals.

I've spoken to a psychiatric nurse who said that talking to people in the early hours of the morning (between 2 and 6) about "life stuff" is a bad idea because thoughts are often negative and it's hard to get things into perspective. Having said that; I'm guessing people are more motivated and thus more likely to attempt (and be sucessful at) suicide in the daytime. I might Google for more information.

Meh ... I once heard a story on CBS news about a murder in Delaware.

The reporter actually said, "Delaware is a small State close to Baltimore."

You know ... forget actually naming another state or anything. It's near Baltimore.

"911...can you hold...?"

if living on that teeny, deserted little island hasn't already sucked the will to live from them, they can probably hold on until 9 am.

If they can survive Anne of Green Gables, they should be able to survive anything.

I didn't even know that great province had a phone until this disaster masterpiece.

This decision is the absolute last bureaucratic staple punched through the groin of my delicate sensibilities.

In other news, PEI is now serious business.

Did you even look into the Church's belief's? Our planet is dying. We just want to save it. Calling me an asshat for worrying about extreme population growth is a great response.

For so. many. reasons.

This coming from a province that has an 8-mile long bridge to get to it. That's more jumping space per capita than your average province.

I retain the urge to call you an asshat and smuck you in the soft spot.