This is full of stuff from Collabor88, including the sign from floorplan. and the dress from League.

There is a saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, when it comes to suicide, many times prevention is everything because there is no cure after death. Today is Suicide Prevention Day around the world and I wanted to take a moment to highlight a group in Second Life® that is doing their best to support people who are contemplating or have attempted suicide by connecting them to real world therapy and resources as well as providing information and support in-world. The Survivors of Suicide is a group of about 400 people who maintain an information center and informal drop-in center with group support meetings on Sundays and Mondays.

As you can see there is a lot of information. I dropped in to look around and there’s a room for folks to hang out, a game room and even a little shop to raise money to support the group’s land fees, etc. There were about a half dozen folks hanging out, all very friendly and welcoming even though I was just stopping by for a peek for the blog. I suppose we all know someone who has committed suicide. It has happened in my family. One brother-in-law shot himself when he became so sick with cancer, emphysema and cirrhosis that he could not live with it any more. Another brother-in-law drowned himself when the umpteenth different drug trial failed to treat his depression and his insurance company informed him that he has reached his lifetime maximum benefit and he would no longer be covered by insurance for anything. That is a cruelty of the health care system that will be eliminated by Obamacare on January 1st. The aftermath of suicide is a horrible trauma for families, one that is not really eased that much by understanding the motives and decisions. So this group is doing important work. You should check them out and be aware of what to look for and how to help family and friends who are in despair.

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