The Silent War - Part I

There was another obituary for a young person in the paper a few days ago. I am not a morbid person, but in this field, one tends to scan the obits to see if a patient has died, especially in a town as small as this. It happens more than one would think, especially since we are the only hospital and mental health center in the county. We know everyone who has been in treatment for anything more severe than mild depression or anxiety. I digress. These obituaries stand out from the others. Brief, listing no details about the person except to say where the person died, no reason given as to why, no listing of surviving family members, funeral information, nothing. Just a note that this person died. Usually they are in their late teens or early 20's. No emotion is conveyed, no sense of loss, no sad story. Many of them are well known to the mental health system.



There are always obituaries for young people that do give details, long stories about the tragic loss and the mourning family members, where to send donations, etc. These are different. The families are involved for one, and have nothing to hide. They are proud of their lost loved one and want the world to know about what a wonderful person the world has lost. The reasons are always sad: leukemia, auto accidents, military casualties. All with stories that have a great deal of emotion and angst that make one feel like they know the family, if they do not already.



The reason for these brief obituaries are many, but the primary one being that those involved do not want it to be known how the person died. The family may in fact be in a great deal of pain but too ashamed to admit the details of their loved ones demise. Sometimes the person has burned all his/her bridges with their family and friends and no one is there to care. Sometimes the cause of death is never made public, but all too often the people who work in the mental health system find out. Sometimes before receiving official word, we know already. It has overtaken this city in an epidemic the likes I have never seen before. It is the unfortunately all too silent killer...

Heroin.