"Cause of death?"

 

"Undetermined."

"It appears that this person just gave up on life. His body shows signs of accelerated degeneration starting with his internal organs. All systems seem to have been affected. It seems like he was just shutting down little by little. Then, one day--dead."

"Why would that happen? I mean, he was 53 years old, had a decent diet, got at least some physical activity each day, wasn't broke or homeless...what gives?"

"I don't know the exact mechanism, other than possibly his own isolation cascaded into a deep depression that actually affected his entire body."

"Interesting theory. So you're saying that if a person has a few bad days they can just keel over?"

"Not exactly. It's a process. It takes years in some cases. Other times it can develop quite quickly, such as after the death of a spouse. It all depends on the individual and their mindset."

"Well, this guy fits the bill. His wife died. He spent years as a begrudging caregiver. Never developed close ties with family or friends. Textbook case of all kinds of psychopathy from clinical depression to narcissistic personality disorder. One fucked up individual. Maybe he's better off now."

"No telling what was going through his head. Pity he didn't try to get help."

"Maybe he did. Or maybe he just thought no one cared. Did anyone try to reach out to him?"

"It's possible, but in these cases most attempts are ineffectual if not done in an concerted, strategic manner."

"You mean like an intervention?"

"Precisely. Unfortunately, some interventions backfire. The individual may feel ambushed or like his rights are being violated."

"How would his rights be violated by an intervention?"

"Well, in certain severe cases of clinical depression, sometimes hospitalization is the only option. This raises some legal issues as to level of competency and intent to self-harm. You can't lock someone up for being a self-loathing jerk. He would have to exhibit evidence of being unable to perform rudimentary self-care or show an active intent to harm himself or others."

"This guy seems to have flown below the radar on all counts. Too bad he let things get that bad without letting anyone know."

"Oh, I think that someone always knows. This guy had family. Had a Facebook account with a number of friends with whom he apparently interacted occasionally. He even had a blog with one or two regular readers."

"I tried to read the blog. Pretty bleak stuff. Surprised he had any readers."

"Not really, you'd be amazed at what people find entertainment in these days."

"I suppose. What's for lunch?"