The audience had no idea that this suicide was real and continued to applaud, thinking this was a piece of performance art.
As soon as they saw Walker fall to the ground in a pile of his own blood, the audience realized that the stabbing was not fake. They began to scream running to help him, but the wounds were too severe, causing him to die seconds afterward.
The bizarre suicide left the town of Bend in Oregon wondering why he would publicly kill himself.
According to one of Walkers friends, he was planning to kill himself in public for some time, but no one really knows why he would do such a thing or for what reason.
A friend of Walker said:
“It was almost like he wanted to prove a point, like there’s no point in being scared of death because it’s going to happen to us anyway.”
photo: dailymail.co.uk
Teenage suicide in the United States remains comparatively high in the 15 to 24 age group with 4,599 suicides in this age range, making it the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24. Male adolescents commit suicide at a rate five times greater than that of female adolescents, although suicide attempts by females are three times as frequent as those by males. Most everyone at some time in his or her life will experience periods of anxiety, sadness, and despair. These are normal reactions to the pain of loss, rejection, or disappointment. Those with serious mental illnesses, however, often experience much more extreme reactions, reactions that can leave them mired in hopelessness. And when all hope is lost, some feel that suicide is the only solution.
It isn’t.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, scientific evidence has shown that almost all people who take their own lives have a diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder, and the majority have more than one disorder. In other words, the feelings that often lead to suicide are highly treatable. That’s why it is imperative that we better understand the symptoms of the disorders and the behaviors that often accompany thoughts of suicide. With more knowledge, we can often prevent the devastation of losing a loved one. There are many behavioral indicators that can help parents or friends recognize the threat of suicide in a loved one.
http://www.medicinenet.com/suicide/article.htm
Dore E. Frances, Ph.D.
Horizon Family Solutions
Bend, Oregon