Young Writers Society

Hi.

Minorly alarming title, I know. But! I need some quick help, knowledge, research. Why - in crime shows, in books, wherever - when a person slits their wrists, do they always do it in a tub of warm water? Pros suggests that perhaps it helps the blood flow better... o.O

I know, I know... don't look at me like that. I suppose it has no real application in my writing (no, folks, Shan doesn't get tired of living and/or getting the snot beaten out of him by Strazhas) but there is a mention of suicide at one point and I was wondering if anyone who has an affinity for researching strange, morbid, trivial things might be able to tell me.

(Snoink, I'm looking at you. )

I'm way out of my generally-distant-beat-a-character-up-from-a-distance element here. And I repeat: NO, NO ONE IN THE CHAIR KILLS HIM/HERSELF. THE ACT IS MERELY ALLUDED TO AND WHILE IT'S NOT VITAL IN ANY SENSE THAT I KNOW WHAT WARM WATER DOES FOR YOU, I GENERALLY WANT TO KNOW IF THE WATER BIT IS MERELY THEATRICS ADDED IN BY AUTHORS/DIRECTORS ETC...

O how morbid. Maybe... maybe my mind is haywire for today.

Hm. I think the hot tub thing is like it's been done for so long everyone does it. Heck, Sylvia tried it in The Bell Jar (I forget what her characters name was...) But its certainly not the only way.

I'll go do some morbid research for you and bring back some links, If I can. But, what kind of links are you looking for? Ways to or...why? what kind of things? That would help.

Lol, thanks.

Not ways to, that really has no bearing, just generally why the tub of water seems to go with the slit wrists, like the noose goes with the chair etc.

Oy, we are getting morbid in here, huh?

Thanks Claudette! I would go on a cyberspacial hunt for the info myself, but Mom reads my history and could you imagine me trying to explain that to her? "Yeah, Mom, I'm researching slitting my wrists..."

lol, well I'll go look for reasons but... IMO I think most of that stuff is that its been done before, it worked, and it got into the news and others go 'oh that works' so they copy. It's almost like Copy cat crimes (You know what those are, yeah?) So I think its more...tradition than actual rationality. I mean, come on, they are killing themselves, wheres the rationality in that? Why be rational with the how? But either way, I shall go look!

(You could always delete your history....Tools->Internet options somewhere in there..)

It's easier for your loved ones to clean up.

In countries where firearms are readily available, many suicides involve the use of firearms. In fact, just over 55% of suicides committed in the United States in 2001 were by firearm[4]. Asphyxiation methods (including hanging) and toxification (poisoning and overdose) are fairly prevalent as well. Each comprised about 20% of suicides in the US during the same time period. Other methods of suicide include blunt force trauma (jumping from a building/bridge or stepping in front of a train for example), exsanguination or bloodletting (slitting one's wrist or throat), self-immolation, electrocution, car collision and intentional starvation.

That was found here

There is also this Suicide Methods (I'm not sure how good the info is, I only skimmed it.)

Teen Suicide

History of suicide

And for the mass killings...Cult Suicide

Note: All these articles ARE from Wikipedia, which though is fun and occasionally reliable not all the info can be trusted, it isn't all verified...

Hope all that morbidity helped It was easy to find, maybe I'll look for more.

Edit: I also found this one: More suicide Methods XD it has a lot of the same of the above, but some not listed and might have more info. I'll leave you with these for now, this should be a good portion to work with!

yeah im sure its because its easier to clean up. I mean, you dont want to cause a fuss now do you?

Exactly. Most people absolutely intent upon killing themselves will do it 'cleanly', so as not to be a bother to others.

Women are more likely to be clean, and more likely to be caught. (ie drug OD)

Men are more impulsive, and more likely to be messy and actually go throuh it. (ie Jumping)

Sureal: Not a good time.

I don't know... one of my friends committed suicide and I don't know how or why but.... this thing about the warm water and the blood.

It does help the blood flow faster, not trying to sound digusting, but it's like... when a guy has an erection. If he was freezing ... Nah, I won't get into that but... heh...

I'm not sure whether or not women or men choose to die cleaner than other... all I know is that it's not cool when they kill themselves.

Warm water? Well, if your body is hot, your blood rises closer to the skin in an effort to release the extra heat.

Hence, if you cut yourself, you'd bleed easier (I assume).

Liz: Not a good time for what? Unless you thought I was making a joke (which I wasn't - I was being serious).

Sorry to hear about your friend .

Oy Liz, that's terrible! -_-

Thanks all, for the input (and for the links, Claudette) and now if you like, we can cease this depressingly morbid line of conversation. ^_~

[/end depressing suicide thread]

This is so funny (in a coincedinkal non literal kind of way!), because today my friend tolk my other friend to go cut his wrists (in a jokeful kind of way, yes wierd I know) and he replied with "well why don't I just put them in warm water after I do?", he said it would make the blood flow easier. So I suppose that is why.

I know that my one of my characters attempts suicide in a bathtub because she wants it to be easier to clean up. She doesn't have warm water on though....

Watch The Godfather. I think Frank explains it.

I'm going with the thought that it makes the blood flow easier. This is a more scientific look on it, and I'm not sure of my answers since I'm not listening much in my Bio class...

Theory #1: Platelets are what causes your blood vessels to patch up, right? So, if blood-letting is done in water, then the platelets won't be able to form a "patch" for the slit since water keeps them flowing around and around the tub and carrying them away. If that happens, the pressure from your heart will keep on pumping the blood out of your body and there will be nothing to stop that from happening since the "doorway" is open and the "door" keeps on breaking apart.

Theory #2: Ever heard of cohesion? It's the ability of molecules to attract each other. Blood is largely composed of plasma and the plasma is largely composed of water. If bloodletting was done in a tub of water, then the cohesion between the water in the tub and the water in your blood along with the pressure in the blood produced by the heart will be enough to keep your blood flowing.

Theory #2 is unstable since I just made an "intelligent guess" (wink wink), and theory #1 may be just plain impossible. I don't know. These are my opinions.