My heart goes out to her family. I know of people who have had that disorder and followed-through with what she did.

It is not a simple problem. I have been taking my meds for many years. Most of the time they work; every once in a while things don't gel properly. I don't know if I have the courage to follow through as she did. Thinking about it is one thing, but following through is something entirely different.

We lost our beautiful daughter a little over 4 years ago. She was 45 years old & decided death was better then life.

We knew that she was now in a better place & she had finally won over the demons that she fought with for years.

It is very hard on the loved ones to accept someone taking their own life but for someone living with any kind of mental illness some times it is the only way out.

We miss you more & more each day, but Liz we also know you are at peace at last.

A family friend of ours of similar age, also a person who suffered from mental health problems that couldn't be consistently managed/treated, committed suicide this past week. The lives that such afflicted people lead and the deaths they often suffer at their own hand can be truly tragic.

I had very mixed feelings when reading the linked obit and think my impression of it may be something different from alisande's. To avoid starting a firestorm over such a sad matter I'll leave it at that.

A message that people should be aware of. Mental illnesses are scary things for most of us, and not easily maintained medically or cured. Our society is only beginning to be aware of the challenges for those who are mentally challenged. It is a sad thing that people must suffer until we find ways to help them.

Alisande, I agree with you that this obituary has a very helpful message. My dear SIL had health problems and also battled depression. When she was younger, she had anorexia. She took her life in 2010. They put her on life support long enough for her daughter to come down from NYC, but then they let her go. She had become very reclusive; now I wish I had tried harder to get her out for lunch, etc. Mental illness is hard and truly needs so much more research for more effective treatments.

"An obituary with a valuable message."
Absolutely.

That is a beautiful obituary that wonderfully describes a daughter, sister and Aunt, who was so much more than the medical disorder that she lived and died with, unfortunately. It so eloquently reminds us that those suffering with mental illness (like any other affliction) simply want to be known, loved and someday remembered for all aspects of their personality and character, rather than merely be summed up as the illness itself.

As newer studies of the brain bring more knowledge, hopefully treatment for this disorder, along with other branches of mental illness will become even more fine tuned. My family has multiple members who suffer with depression, anxiety, O.C.D. or Bi-Polar disorder, some of whom have more than one. Thankfully they are, so far, functioning well enough to have successful relationships and careers, but still struggle with some degree of symptoms, despite treatment.

Today the stigma of mental illness (at least in North America) is much diminished from 20 years ago, so that a majority probably do seek treatment. But it's more difficult for those of us not struggling with mental illness, to understand how hard our advice to 'just hang in there' is, while never experiencing what they deal with, day to day. Hopefully medical advances will come swiftly, so the suffering (and especially the loss of lives due to this suffering) will become less and less.

So sad. She sounded like a lovely young woman. I just found out another young man (a friend of my friend's son) also recently took his own life. A handsome, smart, well-loved young man. He was in school to become a physician assistant after receiving his bachelor's degree. He also suffered from BPD.

Very brave too. So many times you see an obituary of a young person and wonder what happened. Not that it is any of our business, but still.

Why not give a meaningful voice to a common health issue? The more people understand, the better.

That is a beautiful obit. I hope the family can stay positive and strong. It's not easy.

My sister Lori, was one of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet. She had bi-polar disorder. She committed suicide in 2000.

I also lost a daughter to bipolar disorder. Not from suicide, but from a combination of her meds for the disorder, plus her pain medication for her Rheumatoid Arthritis. That pain medication was banned in the USA soon after my sweet daughters death. She suffered greatly for 20 years due to both illnesses. I don't know which cause of the loss of someone you dearly loved would be harder to get through. I do know that my first reaction when finding her unresponsive was the feeling of relief for her. Her suffering was over. She could go on to the great rewards she deserved.

Yes, mental illness needs to be labeled correctly. We need to strive for a better understanding of mental illness and how to help those afflicted.