CRPS/RSD and Suicide
Today, November 8th the CRPS/RSD community will light candles or tie balloons to their homes to memorialize those who have passed this year from CRPS. This pain is not fatal, however people have died from complications brought on by the domino effect CRPS can cause in the nervous system, immune system, internal organs and brain. We also will honor our friends who have died by suicide this year.
Overall deaths from CRPS are a small percentage, but it feels like many when we hear another friend lost about once a week in the cold months. Let’s allow this memorial to bind us closer as a community, to fight harder for one another, to open the doors to communication when all hope seems lost.
Today, let’s unite in remembrance of our friends and pray for peace for their families. I pray next year we won’t even have to do this event. Stay strong this winter, warriors.
**Below is an article about Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/RSD suicide statistics along with a frank interpretation from RSD Advisory blog.
Over the years we have heard that suicides for CRPS/RSD (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) patients is the highest of all suicide rates.
This may not be as necessarily true as it seemed. This also does not entirely mean it’s false.
The following is an excerpt by the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) –
Suicide and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
On June 23, 2012, Jill Harkany-Friedman, PhD, spoke to the RSDSA Board of Directors and invited guests on the topic of CRPS and Suicide Prevention. Dr. Harkany-Friedman is the Senior Director of Research and Prevention for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). RSDSA asked Dr. Harkany-Friedman to speak because of recent suicides in the CRPS community. She assured us that although most individuals have fleeting thoughts of ending one’s life, suicide is relatively rare (12 out of 100,000). Furthermore, 90% of those who die by suicide…
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Posted on November 8, 2014, in Mental Health, RSD/CRPS and tagged awareness, Balloon release, Can crps cause death?, Candle lighting ceremony, Cross Yoler inspires vigil, crps, CRPS suicides, Depression, Is rsd fatal?, Memorial, Nervember, Remembering Linda Hard Dolphin, rsd, RSD Angels, RSD suicides, suicide, Suicide rates in CRPS, To honor those lost. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
aBodyofHope 
as always, very nicely written and informative
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Thank you Julianne.
I spent a very long time looking for an article to do with both CRPS and suicide. None had been written for awareness month yet. I was thrilled to see so many articles when I searched CRPS and RSD, but nothing on suicide this November.
I had to google it to find this older, but excellent article to re-blog.
I’m sure it was just meant to be that I found this perfect one, however the lack of awareness and freedom to write on the subject is exemplified here. It’s alarming when I can only imagine that most people with RSD deal with suicidality at some point in their journeys.
Thank you for reading and tolerating my rant! 😉
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