US Olympic cyclist suicide story--some interesting observations

[Anonymous]

Many of you have probably heard of the tragic death of Olympian Kelly Catlin. She was headed for gold at Tokyo 2020 and was currently a graduate student at Stanford with a great future ahead of herself.

And then she killed herself.

This article in the NY Times outlined some interesting traits she had (obsessive about winning, perfectionist, very closed emotionally, etc) that might be worth a read for some with hyper-competitive or hyper-focused kids.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/08/sports/kelly-catlin-death.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

[Anonymous]

There's another thread on this. This poor girl, her poor family. I wouldn't have known how to help her either. She seemed like she shut everyone out.

Part of me thinks that this is what happens when we worship success at all costs, as a society.

[Anonymous]

Where's the other thread? I think it sounds like she was beyond simply super type A. She was clearly fighting some demons all along.

[Anonymous]

So sad when someone who looks like they have everything going for them commits suicide.

Alan Krueger passing is the one That puzzles me the most.

No one is immune from mental illness and depression.

[Anonymous]

I read this too, and the line about her extreme fear of social embarrassments stood out. I remember reading about Dylan Klebold in the book his mother, Sue, wrote. He had that same fear. He hid his depression and suicidal impulses very well from his parents. Very different cases, but that line triggered that memory.

I’m curious what the examination of her brain will reveal.

[Anonymous]

The most significant info for me was the concussion- and this is not the first suicide I've heard about after a concussion. Apart from that, I gleaned Aspberger's or spectrum issues from her personality description,which may or may not impacted the suicide- that might have just been her normal. No where in any article was this mentioned, however, but it seemed front and center to me.

#1- Concussion. It is more serious than we think.

[Anonymous]

I suspect she may have had bipolar (manic-the extreme superhuman accomplishments and the rage she describes , depressive: struggles that led to suicide)

[Anonymous]

I am confused. If she attempted suicide that January, why was she back at Stanford? If someone's mental health is that dire, wouldn't you have them move back home for a while and be in intensive treatment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am confused. If she attempted suicide that January, why was she back at Stanford? If someone's mental health is that dire, wouldn't you have them move back home for a while and be in intensive treatment?

Did you read the article? She had intensive treatment. But you can't lock someone in a hospital forever. Depression is a chronic illness and you still have to live your life as you try and treat it (or whatever mental illness she had.)

[Anonymous]

She was going to testify about the sexual abuse in the Olympics and the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She was going to testify about the sexual abuse in the Olympics and the school.

Whaat? Did I miss this? Was that in the article?

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2017/08/11/im-not-right-the-turmoil-and-death-of-a-college-athlete-who-seemed-to-have-it-all/?utm_term=.c11dfd4ff214

And here's another one.

I recently read the book about Maddy Holleran, and for parents it's terribly scary to think this can happen.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the link OP. I started to read it over my lunch break but almost immediately burst into tears. What a terrible awful tragedy. I'll finish the piece when I'm at home and can weep solo.

[Anonymous]

So in third grade, she developed a personal code that she would never love anyone and never develop a personal relationship if there was any chance she could be hurt? I think there are many, many signs things were wrong long before the concussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect she may have had bipolar (manic-the extreme superhuman accomplishments and the rage she describes , depressive: struggles that led to suicide)

The description: her thoughts were “never-ending spinning, spinning, spinning” as if they were “never at rest, never at peace” is exactly how my bipolar sister describes herself during a manic phase.