Remember? Sanders Sternly Told A Troubled Veteran, "You're Not Gonna Kill Yourself"

[corbettkroehler]

Some DUers failed to grasp that, in the moment, Bernie offered tough love to convince the troubled man to persevere a little longer so that Sanders' colleague in the Congress could assist. It all worked perfectly!

I predict that the video below will drive many more veterans to support Bernie 2020 than the large numbers who endorsed him in 2016:

Link to tweet

[JoeOtterbein]

1. K n R ! Thanks for posting! nt

[loyalsister]

2. Sanders should get some training

in how to handle such situations, if he is going to try to step up and try to be helping. Invalidating their feelings is one of the very worst possibilities. Bernie would have been crushed if the man had actually gone through with it, and the man's family might have hated him. It could also actually happen. "Tough love" has no place in legitimate practice of talking with people who are in the midst of a mental health crisis.

[floppyboo]

3. My psychiatrist sister disagrees with you

And as far as the family hating him - hell, they might even sue him. Happens all the time.
An authoritative, clear voice with short term directions is often the most effective way to save a life.

[loyalsister]

4. Yeah

That's as credible as providing amateur marriage counseling in domestic assault situations.

[floppyboo]

5. that's kinda rude

I'm not talking about amateur advice

[MrsCoffee]

6. We were talking about Bernie giving advice. He is definitely an amateur.

[loyalsister]

8. Exactly

Psychiatrists have a different kind of authority to speak from. Bernie is NOT a mental health professional and should speak from a social position that reflects his lack of expertise in the field.

[floppyboo]

9. You don't need to know everything to save a life. I know CPR, but am not a paramedic.

You can also inform yourself, for instance, on signs of a stroke that could save a life.
Interrupting dangerous thought patterns is what friends do to save people from harm.
Sheesh!

[Uncle Joe]

12. +1

[MrsCoffee]

7. +1

[TomCADem]

10. Tough Love or Tough Luck?

I am sure if Trump told a suicidal veteran to suck it up, we would not be praising him for "tough love."

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/born-love/201002/tough-love-or-tough-luck

Tough Love or Tough Luck? Sometimes, when parents practice tough love, the child ends up dead.

One of the main reasons I wanted to write about empathy was my experience of the *lack* of empathy we show towards people with addiction. As a former heroin and cocaine addict, I was horrified by what I learned about treatment before I sought help: the idea was that addiction is cured by "tough love," by breaking people in order to fix them.

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer featured me (briefly!) last night in a segment about tough love. While the academic experts in the piece noted that the research shows that "exactly the opposite" of tough love is what works in treatment, the question of what parents should do is difficult.

Some parents-like those of Laura Franklin who appear on ABC -take a tough approach that helps their child get into treatment. But when George McGovern and Robert "Woody" Johnson and their wives cut all ties with their daughters, the daughters wound up dead.

As I said last night, it may sometimes be necessary for parents to reduce or even cut contact with a child. For example, if other children at home need protection or the addict is stealing or otherwise harming family members. However, as the stories of Casey Johnson and Terry McGovern show, it's a gamble as to whether this will help the addict-or simply speed her self-destruction.

[corbettkroehler]

13. Actually, When I Concur With Trump, I Have No Problem Admitting It

Had Trump spoken to that suicidal veteran the way Sanders did, I would have praised him and I can prove it: Trump was correct to call for an Oreo boycott when the firm outsourced to Mexico. I agreed with Trump then and (on this narrow but important subject) agree with him now. Trump got that one right (for a change).

[corbettkroehler]

11. I Suppose I Shouldn't Be Surprised

This veteran went from contemplating suicide (his own words) to offering Sanders the flight jacket he earned in Navy aviation school (watch the video, people!).

Debate psychobabble if you like but results matter. Without Sanders, this career volunteer in our nation's service might well have offed himself.