Suicide Myth and Collective Effervescence

The Cementerio de la Recoleta (Recoleta Cemetery) is beyond beautiful.

I love to delve and deep-dive into the way we associate myth and suicide with each other. I believe that by digging into the taboo and otherworldly elements we associate with suicidality we can learn a lot about the nuance and overall affect we have toward the act.

Indeed, this is why the first thing I did in the Netherlands was unpack Vincent Van Gogh’s life and suicide.

Suicide myths can be found everywhere, take for example the suicide story of David Alleno:

“According to the Argentine folk legend, gravedigger David Alleno worked for thirty years in Recoleta Cemetery, saving his wages throughout his life for his very own plot in the elaborate and beautiful burial ground. After commissioning an Italian architect to sculpt a statue of him, he put the finishing touches on the precious spot then went home and killed himself.

Rumors that he haunts the cemetery at night still persist. As the legend goes, one can still hear the noise of his keys as he walks the narrow streets before dawn.”

But, going to the Recoleta Cemetary was not the first thing I did upon my arrival in Argentina.

No, the first thing I did was go to a soccer game.

I want you all to understand, that I understand, that with the underlying philosophical theme of my Watson, (“why we kill ourselves,” and the inverse, “why we stay alive.”) it would be quite easy for me to make literally anything have something to do with life or death. (Indeed, I think everything is.)

But, I am not exaggerating when I tell you that this Boca Juniors game was one of the most compelling examples of Durkheim’s “collective effervescence” I will ever experience. Having dedicated the vast majority of my life to this beautiful game, I was reminded of my passion for the sport and was given insight into how cultural phenomena like the love for a team can bleed into the daily lives of fans and foster a love for life and a desire to stay alive day-in-and-day-out.

A few weeks after the Boca Juniors game I found myself surrounded by a different manifestation of “collective effervescence.” The Argentine general election took place on October 27th and it ousted their current president, Mauricio Macri, and elected Alberto Fernandez. The entire office I have found myself in, gathered, played traditional Argentine music, and gave a toast to their country’s newfound leadership. It’s safe to say everyone I have met is overjoyed with the results of the election.

Despite this change in government, I have been given the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in Argentina’s government. Specifically in their Ministerio de Salud de la Nacion with their office known as the Dirección Nacional de Salud Mental y Adicciones.

Inside the office I have the incredible privilege of sitting in on meetings with their Equipos de Abordaje Psico-Social (EAPS). I am also learning about their approaches to folx with addictions and their interdisciplinary networks. I am also asking a lot of questions about how a young and developing democracy can utilize epidemiological data to better enforce the National Mental Health Care Law that brought me here in the first place, Ley Nacional de Salud Mental Nº 26.657.

And, as time inevitably moves forward I have been invited to tour general hospitals all around the country. Indeed, most of the Ley Nacional de Salud Mental Nº 26.657 is designed to create a comprehensive and ethical abordaje de la salud mental en hospitales generales.  

I have only visited one hospital thus far, Hospital Álvarez.

Each mental health care practitioner I met there lamented the beauty that is Hospital Álvarez for folx with mental illness. The psychiatric wing of the hospital has twenty-some beds for men and about six or seven for women. But, the thing about it, is that those with mental illness are fully immersed into the rest of the hospital and the doors are left open. One of the men with an unknown diagnosis was standing outside, on the hospital stairs, smoking a cigarette when I arrived.

Alejandro, my contact and close friend, is the psychiatrist in charge of the wing. And, he gushes with pride whenever he talks about “his hospital.” Indeed, the hospital follows the mental health law to a T and each patient there has over twelve people on a team advocating on behalf of their wellbeing and rights.

Alejandro says they “fight” every day to make sure that the patient gets the best care possible.

I spent a good amount of time at Hospital Álverez and got to participate in some music therapy and was invited back to play soccer with some of the patients there this coming Friday at 7:00pm.

I also got to sit down with Dr. Alberto Trimboli, the President of the World Federation of Mental Health, and discussed alternatives to the current approaches of mental health care and suicidality across cultures. It is Dr. Trimboli who will give the “Welcome” speech at the World Mental Health Congress in a few days.

I am excited and overwhelmed to attend this global gathering focused on everything I care about:

For those of you who were worried, I did get an Argentine baptism the first day I was here.

I have been practicing cooking and have made some incredible friendships with the baristas in a few of the cafés here.

I still have SO MUCH more exploring to do and so much more to learn.

I feel like I hardly know Buenos Aires at all, but, I am so grateful for everything I’ve already had the opportunity to do.

No progress on ‘Infinite Jest’ because I’m a giant sack of shit. :-)

The holidays are hard away from home.

Buenos Aires Pride is today. It may or may not suck as badly as Amsterdam’s Pride did. Time will tell.

Cheers y’all.