The possibility of a suicide of a loved one is something we'd like to ignore or forget. Some of us deny it. Others can't say the word. It's frightening to contemplate. We think it can't happen to us.

The following "warning signs" can help clarify what thoughts and emotions are influencing your thinking or feeling. These "warnings" can lead to dangerous problems if not dealt with, appropriately.

Recording your trauma enables you to step back from your pain so you can be more objective. It can be like an out-of-body experience that makes it possible for you to view the situation more objectively.

Professional listening, feedback, guidance, and, at times, medications can provide added help and hope. Some folks hesitate to contact a mental health professional such as a therapist.

How I ache for you, dear friend. Very sorry it’s been such an awful time. Of course, in our worst moments, we (me and thee and tons of others) revert to past horrific scenes.

It happened over 120 years ago. On September 7, 1892, James J. Corbett won the first heavyweight championship prize-fight in which the contestants used boxing gloves rather than their bare fists.

How unfair, how cruel . . . of God to take me through this long, drawn-out ordeal. It’s been a tormenting endurance for months, years. I feel trapped in a lose-lose deal.