THE ULTIMATE CIVIL RIGHT?

One of the big news stories of the week was that disgraced, flamboyant, millionaire stockbroker Rene Rivkin had committed suicide. Ironically, I heard of his death while celebrating a trivial part of indulgent life at the Logies at Crown Casino.

I was harsh in my comments on radio about him next day. He was a clever reader of the stock market but he was a crook. His Rivkin Report advised subscribers to buy certain shares in stocks that he was quietly selling at the same time. Shares bought would disguise his exit and keep the price up. His cigars and gold worry beads didn’t save him despite the mansions and the millions and the helicopter on his boat and his coterie of bronzed young men around him.

As I have said many times: all history owes the dead is the truth. And, as I have also said: suicide is the ultimate civil right. Rivkin just couldn’t take the fall from luxury as many others have. Including me.

But then I received an e-mail from a radio listener which, I admit, does give you pause for thought. Especially about people who have experienced the “black dog” of depression. And it said in part:

“We all know the house is no longer crowded since Paul Hester gave in to the depressive disorder that destroyed his life and used a walk to the purge his life of the demons he believed were causing him to bring pain to those he cared for. He was expected to be such a clever and outstanding man, nobody would have believed our Paul would have been pursued by the black dog to such a point he felt his life lacked any meaning. We did find out, but it was too late. Touch ironic that the black dog won and he hung himself with a dog lead. Seems he had no where to turn.

Then we have young Mark Bailey who after making a foolish decision to drink and drive left himself with few options when confronted by a police office who had caught him in the act of driving having had one too many to drink.

As it was in breach of his parole conditions this indiscretion would put Mark back behind bars, a place he swore that he would never again go, fearing the rape and cruelty he may have been subjected too in a prior period of incarceration. Sadly his lack of options, the lack of support and the lack of understanding left him seeing the officer who pulled him over as the devil incarnate. He feared returning to the gates of hell were grown men get raped and drugs pushed. The officer’s gun became the easy way out. He took the gun, lay down the man who had sadly in this one tragic moment became an icon for the very system he held responsible for destroying his life. After pleading for the forgiveness of the officer and being told he had a wife and children, Mark Bailey felt he had no options and tragically took the life of the officer. Shortly later he called his mother and asked her to pray for him. Pray for the family of the police officer he had shot. He said how sorry he was but now he had to shot himself, he had to die to stop the pain, goodbye mum, I love you! He shot himself in the head by the side of a lonely road this tragic victim. Seems he had no where to turn.

And now we have Rene Rivkin. It seems the fog clouded all judgment and no matter how much money he had, no matter how much people hung off his every word, it seems Rene decided that a life without liberty, a life where all you worked for has been taken in penance for what was effectively a misdemeanor is no life at all. Is it materialistic? I am sure many argue that but the reality is, it is pride. It is how that man looks at you in the street. “

I read that and news reports about Rivkin with comments from his lawyer that his suicide was inevitable because of his depression and bipolar disorder.

Exposing my ignorance, even intolerance, I did not even really know what “bipolar disorder” meant – even though it has been used increasingly as an excuse (or explanation) for violence against self or others in recent years.

Some research turned up that people with bipolar disorder used to be called manic depressives until that term became politically incorrect.

I am no expert on depression. As I said on radio recently I had a friend who seemed so jovial on the outside but suffered depression. And I was of that ignorant, optimistic brigade, who just said: Get over it. Get a life.

That prompted another letter from a listener on the issue of depression and suicide. It said:

“I'm writing in an effort to change your view on suicide being the ultimate civil right action. I've heard you say this several times. The penny should have dropped with you. Derryn, for it to be true, the person would need to first be proven to be of sound mind, just like you need to be when you make a will, when a person is deemed sound, then people can make their own decisions.

You have declared how you had been through tough times, lost this, lost that, and bounced back. The one thing you did not lose was your mind or your ability to control your actions through your thoughts.

The problem is people don't believe in the ability of the mind to become ill, and is written off as a state of mind within the person. Please don't fall for this trap Derryn It doesn't make sense. Have your view, but qualify it. As long as it's proven the person is of sound mind, and chooses suicide, then it's O.K.”

And another comment on the issue:

“I have had my experience with a child of mine and suicide. Fortunately, I took the view it was a mental "illness", and treatment, medication, and counselling were the solution, and our family took on the illness as "our" illness that we would all beat, and did.”

Coincidentally last week there was a forum in Melbourne on mental health issues affecting young people. Speakers included former Premier Jeff Kennett from beyondblue, youth worker and former footie star Jim Stynes and Dr. Feelgood (Sally Cockburn).

Some of the questions they posed: What is depression? What is schizophrenia? Does drugs/alcohol lead to depression or schizophrenia? Am I at risk? How can I identify what’s happening to my friends?

The only encouraging thing out of all of this is that we are talking about it. For example… I never believed I would be writing about it.

May 8, 2005

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2005