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Therapist, author of a book on happiness for gay men over 40, commits suicide

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Chip, Jan 19, 2012.

  1. Chip

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    This is a really sad story.

    According to the story, this person, who was involved in the early days of the AIDS crisis and wrote a book that was to be published in February, killed himself within the past two weeks.

    The book, "The Right Side of Forty: The Complete Guide to Happiness for Gay Men at Midlife and Beyond", sounds like a really good book... but now the publisher is delaying it and trying to figure out how they're going to market it.

    I hope that his legacy does get published and helps a lot of other people, even if he was ultimately unable to find help himself.
     
  2. sanguine

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    wow, a really sad story indeed

    maybe this was a self forfilling prophecy, and probably a lesson to be learnt through out the LGBT community also
     
  3. beagle99

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    Perhaps it is better if this book was never published. If you read the entire New York Times article reporting his death, reportedly on his unpublished manuscript the author taped essentially a partially sucidie note saying, "All lies...based on bad information."
     
  4. Chip

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    Well... I did read that part. And of course, no one will ever know. But people who are depressed enough to kill themselves get a very distorted view of the world. I doubt that in a rational state of mind, he would honestly believe that the book he'd spent a year and a half writing was composed of lies, or was bad information. It sounds more like a period of despondency. Let's not forget that suicide rates are highest during the holidays and this happened right around that time I believe.
     
  5. Mad Man L

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    That article gives some very interesting food for thought. That maybe for current older gay men that there are very few gay people still around to socialise with, and that many gays do end up finding themselves in a state of mental and emotional disrepair.