Yet another story of neglect due to addiction

Her addiction didn't ruin her life--her grief and depression ruined her life.  The addiction was just a symptom of her depression.

As a society we look for simple answers when we read these tragic stories, but the fact remains, there are many deep-seated and complicated reasons for a person to become dysfunctional and simple answers don't solve complex problems.  Hopefully now that the authorities are alerted, the woman and her children can learn from this experience and grow from it.  Tragically, there will be no silver lining for the dogs, though.

Facebook... 

Sometimes people just use the whatever excuse to drop out.  My parents....Viet Nam.....  My mom/dad whoever died....  If the person is that weak minded/stupid/or just doesn't care, they will and can drop out.  If not they will cope or get help.  Plain and simple.  Agree or not, it doesn't matter.  Been there, done that and am still in the main stream.  Its whatever you want to do or make of any situation.

I can't help but think, from the way you phrased that, that you believe they choose to be weak minded/stupid/or just don't care, and that nature doesn't play a part in there at all.  What if they don't know HOW to get help or cope?  What if they were raised in a culture where asking for help was a sign of weakness, so rather than risk publicly asking for help, they suffer in secret, hurting their dependents with the shades drawn?  What if they don't know whom to ask for help? 

Sometimes, when you're drowning, it's hard to scream for help because you can't get your head out of the water long enough to make any noise...you're salvation depends on someone noticing you...noticing that you're drowning.  In this day and age, with people being transient, and a lot of us living in the digital world, so we never really have a need to leave the house, how often do we really notice the people around us, to know if they need help?

In this very situation, how many people would look at her and say she needs help, and how many would just pass judgment, call her weak, and not see that the video game wasn't the problem, it was a symptom of the problem?

All I can feel is sorrow for all the people whose lives have been disrupted or lost due to their or another's emotional/mental/physical problem.

Unfortunately, addiction is actually the hallmark of an efficient and normal brain's learning system....a positive feedback loop designed to reward learning in the brain which then becomes addicted to additional chemicals because the loop enforces pleasure.

I am no less saddened by the emotional illness issue and the pitifully small progress we've made in helping such individuals.

The fact that they are so disconnected from others is part of this terrible problem, and worsens it. It seems ironic and absurd therefore, that we pursue more and more technological means to 'tie' us together (social networking) while losing the true, real/physical world tribal/familial and community closeness which would prevent problems like this from becoming so severe.

Agreed.

Many people live apart from the rest of their family members and so miss out on an important support network.  Then it's up to their friends, coworkers, pastors, or others to notice.

In today's society it's often said that we don't know our neighbors anymore.  People who could be part of the solution - either we're too busy or they are.  Or we just don't want to get involved.  Used to be, and in some areas it still is, that people would sit out on their porches, walk down the street and would know each other.  Not so much nowadays.  We're all too busy.

Damn that's messed up. The worst part is that yet again, Video Games are going to be blamed and take a hit because this bitch was nuts. I'm sure this will be just another excuse to add to the pile if the day ever comes that laws are made against video games being "too in-depth" and "engrossing".

I also can't stand people who are cruel to animals (not counting food animals). Those poor dogs didn't deserve that....neither did the kids.

While I feel sorry for the womans loss, I hope they throw the book at her. There's No Excuse for that. Not a video game, not her husband dying unexpectedly and tragically, nothing. No Excuse, plain and simple. Call me a heartless bastard but they should take this chicks kids away, make her do some time for the death of those two dogs, and THEN try and get her some help. Of course, while she's doing time for killing those poor dogs they can get her some grief counseling.

I just can't help but be disgusted by this...sorry.