Does this look like a guy on the verge of suicide?

Recorded in February, plugging a scheduled performance in April. What happened in March that changed everything?
 

Wow, I just knew he died. I had no idea he killed himself, how sad.
 
RIP Keith.
Lets not have anymore of this. At least none here, ok?
 
 

ericyeoman
Unfortunately in my experience people who have committed suicide always appeared cheerful and up-beat before doing the deed; perhaps they'd made the decision and that gave them a release of some sort.

This ^^^^
 
I've seen it personally a couple of times, very hard to detect that there's a serious issue going on.  
 
Actually, there's a scale of emotions that's divided into positive (ranging from courage to peace) and negative (ranging from apathy to pride).  What really trips up people is when someone goes from being very fearful or depressed down to apathy.  Most people see this as a big improvement when, in actuality, the person has simply given up.  Then they're all surprised when they commit suicide.  Getting them angry is really an improvement that moves them away from apathy.

I used to be pressed, but now I'm just wrinkled.

Not sure about that, but my point is that they can't get angry unless they care about something and that's merely a step in the right direction - certainly not a "cure" in itself.  They need professional help.

I'm using that line too, though not for the same reasons I'm sure!
 
A guy in another forum has the following for his signature which sounds about right:
 
"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable!"

I've been feeling pretty apathetic lately. Should I be concerned?
 
Oh, who cares?

Hi y'all!
 
Q: What's the difference between ignorance and apathy? 
A: I don't know and I don't care!
 
As a chronic-pain sufferer, the more 'dangerous' time for me is when I lost/lose interest in anything, find nothing I have/do merits any value or is even mildly enthusiasm-triggering. My loosening the dependence on prescription painkillers has helped tremendously, despite the pain being what it is at times: life/time sucking and brutal. 
 
Keith E. and so many others dealt with internal (or often, as we age, external) pain that cuts into one's sense of self. "I was this, which was cool, but now I'm that, which is pathetic." That's where depression hits the luminaries - the 'stars' - out there, I think. 
 
We must all be careful to not base our lives on the things that we think matter most (or have allowed ourselves to believe for years). There are so many success stories of people without limbs or who've lost their ability to talk or play an instrument but DO NOT GIVE UP and, in fact, excel despite their apparent restrictions. People who allow themselves to be loved for WHO they are in the here and now and not what they've been known for.  
 
These two guys come to mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGFDWTC8B8g (Jason Becker)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOzsjEmjjHs (Nick Vujicic)
 
Yes, I have felt like I wanted to die when in extreme pain, but then I force my darkened mind to remember that it (pain) comes and goes and I will have another day to get some things done (or not ... maybe just relax and smell the coffee).  HOC ETIAM TRANSIBIT: This too shall pass
 
Any similar stories out there to share? 
Martin D.

eph221
At least we're not the walking dead (yet!)

But are we really living? 

I have depression.  I refuse to suffer from it, though at times it has tested me.  I asked my shrink what I could do differently to "fix" it and he said "nothing".  It's a brain chemical thing and the best I could do was supplement the wayward chemicals.  For the most part it's worked.  But there are times when the clouds roll in, and a poorly timed "perfect storm" could really knock me out.  I have to remind myself that this is just a thing.  They say if you know the name of your demon it loses power over you.  But sometimes that dark side feels really compelling.  It seems that artists of all flavors tend to stare into the void.  I wonder if this is the price we pay for creativity?

It is impossible to fully appreciate how chronic pain changes one's life until you've experienced it first hand.
 
I have. And even though I never considered suicide myself, I understand why someone might. It's frickin' depressing to suffer unrelenting pain and face the possibility that this is now your life, forever. Opiates are a terrible solution, but I gobbled them like M&Ms out of desperation because there was nothing else.
 
I have to imagine that's true for psychological pain, too.

Proof that life isn't fair:  Keith Emerson and Bradley Delp commit suicide, but Justing Beiber and Kanye West are still alive...