Fantasia, For Real?

Did you want to die...or just "escape"?

I must ask this question every time I face a person who has overdosed. A major breakdown in coping mechanisms has occurred, allowing that person to cross an important line: that which kept them from intentionally causing themselves harm until now . How I treat it could mean life or death even after the person has made it to the ER and survived.

The blogs and news reports are saying that Fantasia's overdose was not life threatening. One went so far as to say that she's been through worse than this. I see where the blogger was coming from, she's been through and accomplished a many things, but more thought should be given to that statement.

You cannot minimize going into a closet and taking a bottle of aspirin and sleeping pills in any way, ever.

Aspirin and Tylenol overdoses are so common and so dangerous that whenever I call the National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) to report an overdose, the center usually advises that I get blood aspirin and tylenol levels, even if the person took pills that have nothing to do with the two.

Why? Aspirin and sleeping pill overdoses can cause kidney failure, coma, seizures, disturbances in the rhythm of your heartbeat (dysrhythmias, arrhythmias), and drowning in your own fluids as your lungs become overwhelmed by said fluid. Many of these can lead to death. This is what we ER Dr's have to consider, prevent, and treat for a person who overdosed the way Fantasia did. The amount of aspirin and sleeping pills Fantasia took may not have been life threatening, but the behavior certainly was.

Once a person crosses the line that kept him or her from hurting themselves, in seriously considering or attempting suicide, or merely dealing with stress, the risk of it happening again is higher. This is why the mind must be addressed once the body has recovered. One cannot just wake up and go home. The situation that caused the person to do it usually has not changed, and now the person has a lower threshold for doing it again. The reason does not matter. I committed a man old enough to be my father to 3 days in a mental facility because he told his family, the paramedics, and me that he was suicidal. "I only did it to upset my daughters," he said. Too late.

Healthy stress management and coping skills must be taught and reinforced. If you or someone you know ever feels this way, talk to someone, a friend, parents, counselor, pastor, rabbi, anyone you trust. Try to let go of things you cannot control. Attempt to resolve conflicts with the source of it in a calm manner. Remember, nothing is worth inflicting permanent damage upon your own body, or taking a life. The problem is usually temporary. The physical and mental damage you cause yourself may not be.

Be safe, be successful,

RAPP M.D.