Today I had my fourth conversation in the last two weeks with friends who have in no uncertain terms wanted to commit suicide. These are not attention getting threats. They see no way out of this economic disaster. They are at a stage of their life, late 40’s through late 60’s, in which rebuilding seems exhausting, insufferable and for some impossible. In addition, my voice mail is full of requests for psychotherapy from people suffering from depression, suicidal ideation and the emotional problems stemming from the economy.

My heart breaks as I sit to write this piece. I just hung-up the phone from another friend who has lost everything and has not yet told his spouse. This is not the first person who I have spoken to who has not told their spouse. Several of my client’s have not told their spouse’s that they have no income coming in and/or their savings is gone and there are no prospects for the future. Why not tell their spouse for several reasons: fear of being left, knowing their spouse was with them and put in the sweat equity to build their assets, not wanting to hear “what have you done”, “how can this be”, “what will we leave the children”, and “I told you so”.

Some own their own businesses and other’s have climbed the corporate ladder. What it took to get where they were was difficult enough the first time. For some they have been down this road multiple times, as a result of economic shifts, mistakes that were made the first time and then they have rebuilt at least one more time. Now they are facing their own mortality and the thought in their mind is that they are not young anymore and they only know the one business where they have spent most of their life.

What career would they start over in? Corporate America is filled with age discrimination and the jobs that pay the income that they and their families have become accustomed to are few and far between. Those who have not lost their homes are trying to sell them but there are no buyers. Their friends who still have money and their careers intact don’t want to lend them money for fear of not getting it back and not knowing what the future will bring for them.

How could they start a new business? With what money and what customers can they start over? Industries as the real-estate, car industry, mortgage business, insurance, stock-market, retail are all down. Even the luxury market once thought to be impervious to downtrends is down.

Yesterday I received a call from a friend who is starving himself to death. He is suffering from malnutrition. He is emaciated, he has no money coming in, and he has lost his home and has been forced into moved in with his sister, who has no room for him and has a house full of kids. He owns a glass tinting business, but tinting your house or car windows is a luxury and the business is almost gone. Prior to the economy falling he was in the middle of a divorce. He was already going through substantial changes in his life, and now the hard economic times have pushed him to the edge of a self-inflicted death.

Another friend in the luxury car business tells me he has a plan to either abandon his life here, in other words, completely disappearing without telling a soul where he is going or killing himself, for which he has a plan. Even in the midst of his feelings of hopelessness he will wait until June, when his daughter graduates high school, to complete his plan. That will be of little solace to his daughter if he carries out his plan.

One of my dearest friends with whom I spoke to today told me “It’s all over, all of it”, “I want to kill myself every day, and I don’t think I’ll make to the New Year”. The resignation and sadness in his voice moved me to tears, because I know this man and I know he believes that his fate is sealed and that there is no way out.

Is anyone listening to the cries from the people of America? We are just now calling this a “Recession”. Our politicians and corporate America, especially Wall Street, should be ashamed of themselves. During this whole election process not once have I heard anyone talking about the emotional suffering of our people, or the rebuilding of the mental health system to care for our own people during this time of crisis. Give money to the car industry, bail out Wall Street, but no funds for mental health to save our own people. Our priorities have become totally perverted when the president of one of the big three auto companies says he is fine with his $20,000,000 + salary. How do our leaders look themselves in the mirror every day?

The words of Howard Beale in the 1975 movie ‘Networking’ very true today.

“I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it:

It’s not enough to vote for “Change” you are only as good as the action you take, don’t rest simply on Obama he’s only one man, unite.

Make it an “Excuse Free Life” and always remember, “It’s not the size of the problem but the size of the feeling.”