#sargent saunders

[combat-tv-show]

Saunders getting shot in the leg (1/?) 

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Dozens gathered around a sacred fire in Winnipeg's North End on Tuesday to remember a Métis woman found dead over a decade ago, after a suspect was arrested in connection with her death. Crystal Saunders, 24, was last seen getting into a vehicle at the corner of Sargent Avenue and Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg on April 18, 2007. The next morning, an off-duty police officer found the woman's remains in a ditch near St. Ambroise, a community about 80 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Her killing remained unsolved for years, but 42-year-old Kevin Charles Queau was linked to Saunders's death thanks to advancements in DNA technology, Manitoba RCMP revealed Monday.

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Tagging @politicsofcanada

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

John Singer Sargent - "Smoke of ambergris", 1880 — with Katya Kapralova. :: (history of Art group)

* * * *

“That’s all poetry is, really: something odd, coming out. Normal speech, overflowed. A failed attempt to do justice to the world. The poet proves that language is inadequate by throwing herself at the fence of language and being bound by it. Poetry is the resultant bulging of the fence.” ― George Saunders, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

[cyarsk52-20]

Bewitched' broke ground 55 years ago

To hardcore fans, ABC’s Bewitched had jumped the shark eight years before the Happy Days expression was even coined when in 1969 actor Dick York was swapped out with no explanation for Dick Sargent in the lead role of Darrin Stephens.

So by 1970 fewer eyes than ever were on the long-running show. That is until an experimental Christmas-themed episode took it from the TV listings to the front pages.

"Sisters at Heart," which aired 45 years ago on Christmas Eve, not only found the usually frothy fantasy acknowledging real life with a story about racism, but it also incorporated the issue by having it written by an entire class of inner-city tenth graders.

The idea was hatched when Marcella Saunders, a young English teacher at L.A.’s Thomas Jefferson High School, reached out to several TV shows looking for a way to connect her students to reading and writing through prime time.

Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery and producer William Asher (Montgomery’s then-husband) responded with an invitation for the class to come to the set.

As a thank you, the group collaborated on a storyline for the show about black-and-white friendship that was spun by staffer Barbara Avedon into a 1970 holiday episode.

Set on Christmas Eve, twin stories revolve around 6-year-old Tabitha Stephens’ friendship with a black girlfriend whom she calls her sister, and Tabitha’s ad-exec father Darrin dealing with a bigoted client who comes to mistake the “sister” for Darrin’s actual child and thus the product of a mixed-race marriage. Disapproving, he cuts business ties with Darrin, referring to him as “unstable.” (In true TV fashion, the client comes to recognize and learn from his prejudice.)

Montgomery introduced the episode, telling viewers it evoked “the true spirit of Christmas …conceived in the image of innocence and filled with truth.” And while “Sisters at Heart” serviced the show’s cartoony legacy (novice witch Tabitha conjures up black polka-dots for her skin and white ones for her friend’s, so they’ll look more alike), it also offered up fairly in-your-face storytelling for its time. Literally.

One scene featured the white cast in blackface to underscore Darrin’s client’s racism. The end credits read “Story by 5th Period English – Room 309 Thomas Jefferson High School [Los Angeles, California].” All 26 students were listed.

Praised by critics and educators, the episode was given the Emmy Governor's Award in 1971.

Bewitched, about the oft-protested marriage between a witch and a mortal, was one of many light-hearted other-worldly sitcoms zapped up in the mid-1960s, but it seemed to rest on a basic premise of tolerance for all of its eight seasons.

(The show has been considered a civil-rights allegory.) It skirted reality with topics from trick-or-treating for UNICEF to the paranoia of the 17th-century Salem Witch Trials. Montgomery, who died in 1995, called “Sisters” her favorite of Bewitched’s 254 episodes.

A coda to the show that Christmas Eve features the actress back onscreen with a teachable moment of her own at the dawn of a turbulent decade, wishing viewers “a happy and peaceful new year.”

She seemed to emphasize the word peaceful.

[mrb33]

Now You See us

Women Artists in Britain 1520 - 1920

Tate Britain

A selection of my favourites from the show:

Anne Brigman - Soul of the Blasted Pine 1907

Clementina Hawarden - Clementina Maude 5 Princes Gardens c1861-1862

Laura Knight - At the Edge of the Cliff c1917

Henrietta Rae - A Baccante 1885 (left)

Anna Lea Merritt - Love Locked out 1890 (right)

Minnie Jane Hardman - Study of the Wrestlers c1883

Gwen John - Self-Portrait 1902

Nina Hammett - Still Life with a Blue Jug 1917

Vanessa Bell - Still Life on Corner of a Mantlepiece 1914

Ethel Walker - Decoration: The Exursion of Nausicaa 1920 & detail

Ethel Wright - The Music Room. Portrait of Una Dugdale c1912

Una Dugdale Duval - Love and Honour but NOT Obey 1912

Helen Saunders - Portrait of a Woman 1914

Helen Saunders - Study for Vorticist Composition in Black and White c1915

and in the Duveen gallery:

Grace

Alvaro Barrington

also currently showing is

Sargent and Fashion

Nonchaloir (Repose) 1911

Rose-Marie Ormond reclines, perhaps asleep, on a sofa in an elegant, unidentified interior. On loan for this exhibition from the National Gallery of Art, Washington

[aioleis]

Utopias/Dystopias

Probably the purest form of fictional world is the utopia (and its opposite, the dystopia).

The term was first used by Thomas More in 1516 as the title of his book Utopia.

Lyman Tower Sargent suggests utopia has three faces: the literary utopia, utopian practice (such as intentional communities), and utopian social theory.

For us, the best are a combination of all three and blur boundaries among art, practice, and social theory.

In Envisioning Real Utopias Erik Olin Wright defines utopias as “fantasies, morally inspired designs for a humane world of peace and harmony unconstrained by realistic considerations of human psychology and social feasibility.”

There is a view that utopia is a dangerous concept that we should not even entertain because Nazism, Fascism, and Stalinism are the fruits of utopian thinking. But these are examples of trying to make utopias real, trying to realize them, top down.

The idea of utopia is far more interesting when used as a stimulus to keep idealism alive, not as something to try to make real but as a reminder of the possibility of alternatives, as somewhere to aim for rather than build.

For us, Zygmunt Bauman captures the value of utopian thinking perfectly:

“To measure the life ‘as it is’ by a life as it should be (that is, a life imagined to be different from the life known, and particularly a life that is better and would be preferable to the life known) is a defining, constitutive feature of humanity.”

And then there are dystopias, cautionary tales warning us of what might lay ahead if we are not careful.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) are two of the twentieth century’s most powerful examples.

Much has been written about utopias and dystopias in science fiction but there is a particularly interesting strand of sci-fi critique termed critical science fiction in which dystopias are understood in relation to critical theory and the philosophy of science.

In this reading of science fiction, political and social possibilities are emphasized above all else, a role explored in depth by sci-fi theorist Darko Suvin who uses the term cognitive estrangement, a development of Bertolt Brecht’s A-effect, to describe how alternate realities can aid critique of our own world through contrast.

Extrapolation: Neoliberal Speculative Fiction

Many utopian and dystopian books borrow political systems such as feudalism, aristocracy, totalitarianism, or collectivism from history, but we find the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories extrapolate today’s free market capitalist system to an extreme, weaving the narrative around hypercommodified human relations, interactions, dreams, and aspirations.

Many of these stories originate in the 1950s. It’s as though, already in the postwar years, writers were reflecting on where the promises of consumerism and capitalism were taking us; yes, they would create more wealth and a higher standard of living for a larger number of people than ever before but what will the impact be on our social relations, morality, and ethics?

Philip K. Dick is the master of this. In his novels, everything is marketized and monetized. They are set in twisted utopias where all are free to live as they please but they are trapped within the options available through the market. Or The Space Merchants (1952) by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, which is set in a society where the highest form of existence is to be an advertising man and crimes against consumption are possible.

This view of capitalism is not limited to 1950s and 1960s sci-fi, though, and can be found in contemporary writing.

George Saunders’s Pastoralia (2000) is set in a fictional prehistoric theme park where workers are obliged to act like cave people during working hours and try to negotiate a friendship around the rules, contractual obligations, and expectations of visitors. It is sad and funny but recognizable.

Other writers who embrace this exaggerated version of capitalism include Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, 1991), most of Douglas Coupland’s writings, Gary Shteyngart (Super Sad True Love Story, 2010), Julian Barnes (England England, 1998), and Will Ferguson (Happiness, 2003).

They expose at a human scale the limitations and failures of a free-market capitalist utopia, how, even if we achieve it, it is humanely reduced. Although not a strong novel by any means, Ben Elton’s Blind Faith (2007) picks up current trends for dumbing culture down, extrapolating into a near future when inclusiveness, political correctness, public shaming, vulgarity, and conformism are the norm, a world where tabloid values and commercial TV formats shape everyday behavior and interactions.

It can be found in film, too: Idiocracy (2006) and WALL-E (2008) are both set in worlds suffering from social decay and cultural dumbing down. The most recent example is Black Mirror (2012), a satirical miniseries for Channel Four television in the United Kingdom. It fast-forwards technologies being developed today by technology companies to the point at which the dreams behind each technology turn into nightmares with extremely unpleasant human consequences.

But what does this mean for design? On a visual level, in cinema, a style has developed that is riddled with visual clichés—ubiquitous adverts, corporate logos on every surface, floating interfaces, dense information displays, brands, microfinancial transactions, and so on.

Corporate parody and pastiche have become the norm, and although Black Mirror has moved well beyond this, it is the exception. Maybe this is one of the limitations of cinema; it can deliver a very powerful story and immersive experience but requires a degree of passivity in the viewer reinforced by easily recognized and understood visual cues, something we will return to in chapter 6. Literature makes us work so much harder because readers need to construct everything about the fictional world in their imagination.

As designers, maybe we are somewhere in between; we provide some visual clues but the viewer still has to imagine the world the designs belong to and its politics, social relations, and ideology.

Ideas as Stories

In these examples, it is the backdrop that interests us, not the narrative; the values of the society the story takes place in rather than the plot and characters.

For us, ideas are everything but can ideas ever be the story?

In the introduction to Red Plenty (2010) Francis Spufford writes, “This is not a novel. It has too much to explain, to be one of those. But it is not a history either, for it does its explaining in the form of a story; only the story is the story of an idea, first of all, and only afterwards, glimpsed through the chinks of the idea’s fate, the story of the people involved.

The idea is the hero. It is the idea that sets forth, into a world of hazards and illusions, monsters and transformations, helped by some of those it meets along the way and hindered by others.” Red Plenty explores what would have happened if Soviet communism had succeeded and how a planned economy might have worked.

It is a piece of speculative economics exploring an alternative economic model to our own, a planned economy where everything is centrally controlled, and it unapologetically focuses on ideas.

This approach is similar to design writing experiments such as The World, Who Wants it? by architect Ben Nicholson and The Post-spectacular Economy by design critic Justin McGuirk. Both are stories of ideas exploring the consequences for design of major global, political, and economic changes—Nicholson’s in a dramatic and satirical way and McGuirk through a more measured approach beginning with real events that morph before our eyes into a not so far-fetched near future. But these are still literary and although both contain many imaginative proposals on a systemic level, they do not explore how these shifts would manifest themselves in the detail of everyday life. We are interested in working the other way around—starting with designs that the viewer can use to imagine the kind of society that would have produced them, its values, beliefs, and ideologies.

In After Man—A Zoology of the Future (1981) Dougal Dixon explores a world without people focusing exclusively on biology, meteorology, and environmental sciences. It is an excellent if slightly didactic example of a speculative world based on fact and well-understood evolutionary mechanisms and processes expressed through concrete designs, in this case, animals.

Fifty-million years into the future, the world is divided into six regions: tundra and the polar, coniferous forests, temperate woodlands and grasslands, tropical forests, tropical grasslands, and deserts. Dixon goes into impressive detail about the climate, distribution, and extent of different vegetation and fauna as he sketches out a posthuman landscape on which new kinds of speculative life forms evolve. Each aspect of the new animal kingdom is traced back to specific characteristics that encourage and support the development of new animal types in a human-free world. Each animal relates to ones we are familiar with, but because of an absence of humans, evolve in slightly different ways. A flightless bat whose wings have evolved into legs still uses echolocation to find its prey but now, because of an increase in size and power, it stuns its victims. The book is a wonderful example of imaginative speculation grounded in systemic thinking using little more than pen-and-ink illustrations. It could so easily have been a facile fantasy thrilling us with the weirdness of each individual creature, but by tempering his speculations, Dixon guides us toward the system itself and the interconnectedness of climate, plant, and animal.

As well as highly regarded works of literature, Margaret Atwood’s novels are stories of ideas. Oryx and Crake sets out a postapocalyptic world populated by transgenic animals and beings developed by and for a society comfortable with the commercial exploitation of life: pigoons bred to grow spare human organs, for instance. Oryx and Crake is very close to how a speculative design project might be constructed. All her inventions are based on actual research that she then extrapolates into imaginary but not too far-fetched commercial products. The world she creates serves as a cautionary tale based on the fusion of biotechnology and a free-market system driven by human desire and novelty, where only human needs count. Unlike many sci-fi writers, Atwood is far more interested in the social, cultural, and ethical implications of science and technology than the technology itself. She resists the label of sci-fi preferring to describe her work as speculative literature. For us, she is the gold standard for speculative work—based on real science; focused on social, cultural, ethical, and political implications; interested in using stories to aid reflection; yet without sacrificing the quality of storytelling or literary aspects of her work. Similar to Dixon’s After Man, the book is full of imaginative and strange designs but based on biotechnology. Each design highlights issues as well as entertaining and moving the story along.

Whereas Oryx and Crake creates plausibility through an extrapolation of current scientific research, one of our favorite books, Will Self’s The Book of Dave uses a far more idiosyncratic mechanism for establishing a link with today’s world. It is the story of a future society built around a book written hundreds of years earlier by an alcoholic, bigoted, and crazed London taxi driver going through a messy divorce. Buried in his ex-wife’s back garden in Hampstead, he hopes his estranged son will discover the book one day. He doesn’t, and it is dug up hundreds of years later after a great flood has wiped out civilization as we know it. Basing the logic underlying a future community’s social relations on a dysfunctional taxi driver’s prejudices shows how random our customs can be and how brutality and social injustice can be shaped by strange, fictional narratives. That these lead to so much sadness and misery is tragic, and this book captures the ridiculousness of political and religious dogma. Besides the motos, a kind of genetically modified animal that seems to be a cross between a cow and a pig that speaks in a disturbing childlike manner, most of the inventions are customs, protocols, and even language. Children spend part of each week living with each parent on opposite sides of the street, young women are called au pairs, days are divided into tariffs, souls are fares, priests are drivers, and so on. The Book of Dave is a dense, inventive, highly original, complex, and layered portrayal of a fictional world. But is it possible to apply this to design? We think it is. Unlike Oryx and Crake, it is not Self’s inventions that inspire but his method and how rich and thought-provoking fictional worlds can be developed from idiosyncratic starting points.

China Miéville’s The City and the City is based on poetic and contemporary ideas about artificial borders. Two cities, Beszel and Ul Qoma coexist in one geographical zone, in one city. A crime is committed that links the two cities so the protagonist, inspector Tyador Borlú, must work across borders to solve it, something that’s usually avoided at all costs because citizens of each city no longer see or acknowledge each other even while using the same streets and sometimes the same buildings

To see the other city or one of its inhabitants is a “breach,” the most serious of all crimes imaginable. It is a wonderful setting that makes not only for a fascinating detective story but also prompts all sorts of ideas about nationality, statehood, identity, and ideological conditioning to surface in the reader’s imagination. As Geoff Manaugh points out in an interview with the author, it is essentially poli-sci fiction. Everything in this book is familiar; it is the reconceptualization of a simple and familiar technical idea, the border, that makes it relevant to design, again, more for its method than its content.

As literary fictional worlds are built from words there are some rather special possibilities that can be explored by pushing language’s relationship to logic to the limit, a bit like the literary equivalent of an Escher drawing. A recent example of this is How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010) by Charles Yu. Here, fictional worlds provide opportunities to play with the very idea of fiction itself. Yu’s world is a fusion of game design, digital media, VFX, and augmented reality. Set in Minor Universe 31, a vast story-space on the outskirts of fiction, the protagonist Yu is a time travel technician living in TM-31, his time machine. His job is to rescue and prevent people from falling victim to various time travel paradoxes. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe feels like conceptual science fiction: the story unfolds through constant interactions, collisions, and fusions among real reality, imagined reality, simulated reality, remembered reality, and fictional reality.

Can design embrace this level of invention or are we limited to more concrete ways of making fictional worlds? One strength for design is that its medium exists in the here and now. The materiality of design proposals, if expressed through physical props, brings the story closer to our own world away from the worlds of fictional characters. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe makes us wonder about speculative design’s complex relationship to reality and the need to celebrate and enjoy its unreality.

Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming By Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, 2013 —>

[skyguywrites]

QUICKFIRE BIOS ;

CHARACTERS –  

AMIRA ; 

age: 29 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: london, england 

ship: killian ford 

best friend(s): killian ford 

siblings: deen (younger brother, deceased) 

family: n/a 

roommate: killian ford 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: scar on abdomen, scar on ribcage 

drink: no – recovering alcoholic 

smoke: yes – cigarettes only, recovering drug addict 

pets: wraith (cat) 

ANNABELLE ;  

age: 26 

sexuality: queer 

from: new york, usa 

ship: elias hewitt 

best friend(s): jax otto, dante lee 

siblings: n/a 

family: michael baxter (father) 

roommate: lives with her parents 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes – new to drinking, bit of a lightweight 

smoke: no – tried weed once and thought dante had a tail 

pets: love (husky puppy, soon) 

BILLY ; 

age: 35 

sexuality: pansexual 

from: michigan, usa 

ship: simon hudson 

best friend(s): simon hudson 

siblings: sophie mchale (older sister) 

family: persephone blake (cousin) 

roommate: lives alone 

exes: julian webster (fiancé, deceased) 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no – ex smoker 

pets: scoob (golden retriever)  

DIEGO ;  

age: 29 

sexuality: queer 

from: nashville, tennessee, usa 

ship: henry bly 

best friend(s): poppy martin, marley bostwick 

siblings: isabella, camila, malena, maría (older sisters), natalia, alejandra, paloma (younger sisters) 

family: n/a 

roommate: poppy martin 

exes: poppy martin 

injuries/scars: scar on his lower lip 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes – weed only 

pets: no 

IVY ;  

age: 31 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: unconfirmed 

ship: max hayashi 

best friend(s): wardo martinelli 

siblings: holly sargent (long lost sister) 

family: wardo martinelli, bryce byers 

roommate: sam howlett

exes: dierks foland 

injuries/scars: scar on tummy, scar on tummy/abdomen, scar below her left ear, scar along her inner right thigh 

drink: yes – occasionally, only started drinking after she turned 30 

smoke: no 

pets: helen & wardo (cats) 

JESSICA ;  

age: 26 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: seattle 

ship: marley bostwick 

best friend(s): doesn’t have one(?) 

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: jared hilton 

exes: clara taylor (situationship/hookup), jared hilton (soon) 

injuries/scars: strained hamstring 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: no 

MATTY ;  

age: 30 

sexuality: pansexual 

from: london, england 

ship: chess howard 

best friend(s): elias hewitt, maggie chance 

siblings: adriana (older sister), balthazar, octavius (older brothers), hero (younger sister), prospero (younger brother), cressida, ophelia (younger sisters) 

family: hazel june howard (future step daughter) 

roommate: lives alone 

exes: nate atkins 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: dodger, radcliffe, sponge (corgis) 

MAVERICK ;  

age: 43 

sexuality: homosexual 

from: texas, usa 

ship: harlow charlton & rafferty reyes 

best friend(s): doesn’t have one(?) 

siblings: donald (older brother), abigail (older sister, deceased), beatrice (younger sister) 

family: wardo martinelli 

roommate: n/a - needs roommate(s) 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: scar on his right bicep, broken nose 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes – only when drunk/stressed 

pets: n/a 

PERSEPHONE ;  

age: 27 

sexuality: heterosexual (debatable) 

from: los angeles, usa 

ship: bradley prestwick 

best friend(s): maggie chance, charlie clarke, ripley mendoza 

siblings: n/a 

family: billy mchale (cousin) 

roommate: ariadne halliday (never met) & blair mcrory (never met), and 1 other (also never met) 

exes: ronnie gibbs (noncon/abuser), rob saunders (ex dealer) 

injuries/scars: track marks on arms/tummy 

drink: no – recovering alcoholic 

smoke: no – recovering drug addict 

pets: grantaire (cat) 

POPPY ;  

age: 27 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: nashville, tennessee, usa 

ship: noah calloway 

best friend(s): diego rodriguez, henry bly, chess howard, joey claremont 

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: diego rodriguez 

exes: diego rodriguez 

injuries/scars: scar on her left knee, future broken arm (in game) 

drink: yes  

smoke: no – tried weed once, bad times 

pets: n/a 

SCOTTY ;  

age: 32 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: colorado, usa 

ship: sam howlett 

best friend(s): louis denver, cassie croft (npc), joey claremont, max hayashi 

siblings: lucy (younger sister), michael (younger brother) 

family: n/a 

roommate: amelia barton, cassie croft (npc), louis denver

exes: indra dragomir (ex fiancée) 

injuries/scars: forehead scar, jawline scar, ribcage scar 

drink: yes  

smoke: no 

pets: blair & serena (dogs, breed tbd) 

INSPOS – 

AMELIA ;  

age: 29 

sexuality: homosexual 

from: los angeles, usa 

ship: maggie chance 

best friend(s): sam howlett

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: cassie croft (npc), louis denver, scotty carter

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: torn rotator cuff/weakness 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: flounder (guppy fish) 

ARCHIE ;  

age: 35 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: harlem, new york, usa 

ship: marianne patch 

best friend(s): doesn’t have one(?) 

siblings: n/a 

family: caleb burke (son, deceased) 

roommate: lives alone 

exes: catherine barnes (ex wife) 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes 

pets: n/a 

BONNIE ;  

age: 27 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: boston, massachusetts, usa 

ship: rory o’sullivan 

best friend(s): mary-kate detamble, rory o’sullivan 

siblings: john (younger brother), ariana (younger sister) 

family: n/a 

roommate: maggie chance 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: arthritis in her hands 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes – weed, and cigarettes when drunk 

pets: n/a 

DAVEY ;  

age: 27 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: london, england 

ship: cora bailey 

best friend: doesn’t have one 

siblings: kian mcgrath (older brother), luca mcgrath (younger brother) 

family: luke wren (cousin), andrew mcgrath (father) 

roommate: luca mcgrath 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: no 

DYLAN ;  

age: 28 

sexuality: queer 

from: killarney, kerry, ireland 

ship: kennedy chappel 

best friend: cody mcqueen 

siblings: lorcan, eoin, finley (older brothers), nora (older sister) 

family: n/a 

roommate: kennedy chappel 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: various burn scars, scar on his left ankle 

drink: yes – beats himself up over it when he’s feeling insecure about his body 

smoke: yes – only when stressed/anxious 

pets: keane (border collie) 

ELODIE ;  

age: 24 

sexuality: queer 

from: vancouver, canada & marseille, france 

ship: heath hudson 

best friend: théo moreau, charlie clarke

siblings: théo (twin brother) 

family: cassie & david croft (cousins) 

roommate: lives with her parents 

exes: heath hudson  

injuries/scars: scar beneath her jawline (left side), scar at the base of her skull, scar on her right hip 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes 

pets: n/a 

FLYNN ;  

age: 29 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: new york, usa 

ship: rae sunne 

best friend: wardo martinelli, noah calloway 

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: needs roommate(s) 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: scar on left hip 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes 

pets: n/a 

GABRIEL ;  

age: 31 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: minnesota, usa 

ship: blair mcrory 

best friend: doesn’t have one 

siblings: n/a 

family: aj brooks (cousin) 

roommate: lives alone 

exes: emily brooks née dean 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: cleo (service dog for anxiety, labrador) 

JASPER ;  

age: 33 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: manchester, england 

ship: ariadne halliday 

best friend: benjamin kent 

siblings: n/a 

family: helena woolf (mother) 

roommate: needs rommate(s) 

exes: rebecca connell 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes 

pets: n/a 

KIAN ; 

age: 37 

sexuality: homosexual 

from: dublin, ireland 

ship: ezra walker 

best friend: rory o’sullivan, rafferty reyes 

siblings: davey mcgrath, luca mcgrath (younger brothers) 

family: maureen walsh (mother, deceased), andrew mcgrath 

roommate: needs rommate(s) 

exes: lorcan buckley 

injuries/scars: dodgy knee/semi-permanent limp, chronic shoulder pain 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes 

pets: n/a 

KIM ; 

age: 27 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: arkansas, usa

ship: luke wren 

best friend: ezra walker 

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: lives alone 

exes: damon jackson (ex fiancé) 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no  

pets: n/a – hates animals 

LUCA ; 

age: 25 

sexuality: queer 

from: london, england 

ship: taylor hathaway 

best friend: cora bailey 

siblings: kian mcgrath, davey mcgrath (older brothers) 

family: luke wren (cousin) 

roommate: davey mcgrath 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: n/a 

MARCUS ; 

age: 32 

sexuality: queer/unlabelled 

from: london, england 

ship: n/a 

best friend: doesn’t have one 

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: n/a 

exes: alice wilson 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: yes 

pets: n/a 

MICAH ; 

age: 29 

sexuality: heterosexual 

from: new york, usa 

ship: joey claremont 

best friend: joey claremont, bradley prestwick 

siblings: mary, grace (older sisters), claudia (younger sister) 

roommate: needs roommate(s)? 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes  

smoke: no 

pets: n/a 

OLLY ; 

age: 32 

sexuality: homosexual 

from: san francisco, californianebraska 

ship: jude patch 

best friend: marianne patch 

siblings: ezra walker (olderb brother) 

roommate: lives alone 

family: n/a 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: scar on left ankle, scar on tummy/waist 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: ringo (dog), bono (cat), jagger (bunny) 

OPHELIA ; 

age: 27 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: born in new york, moved to australia aged 17 (travels a lot) 

ship: glenn riggins 

best friend: kennedy chappel, lando knight 

siblings: n/a 

family: na 

roommate: needs roommate(s) 

exes: luke wren 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes – not often since her accident 

smoke: no – has always wanted to try weed but is too chicken 

pets: n/a 

PARIS ; 

age: 29 

sexuality: tbd 

from: new york, usa 

ship: n/a 

best friend: doesn’t have one 

siblings: chelsea (younger sister)  

roommate: george york (deadbeat ass husband) 

exes: george york (soon to be sex husband) 

injuries/scars: scar on lower stomach, scar below her right eye 

drink: no 

smoke: no 

pets: no 

ROSE ; 

age: 34 

sexuality: bisexual 

from: cornwall, england 

ship: aj brooks 

best friend: aj brooks (past tense), doesn’t have one 

siblings: n/a 

family: n/a 

roommate: two nameless npcs 

exes: carlos sainz, apparently, aj brooks 

injuries/scars: n/a 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: connell (cat) 

THÉO ; 

age: 24 

sexuality: homosexual 

from: vancouver, canada & marseille, france 

ship: n/a 

best friend: doesn’t have one/elodie moreau 

siblings: elodie (twin sister) 

family: david & cassie croft (cousins) 

roommate: lives with parents 

exes: n/a 

injuries/scars: scar above right elbow, scar on left palm 

drink: yes 

smoke: no 

pets: n/a 

[shout-about-it]

Hello! You obvs don’t have to answer but I’m curious as to writers/artists you like? Any recs? Love love your writing.

Hello! Thank you so much, and double thanks for this question —book recs are my love language. (I'm interpreting this as traditionally published authors but if you meant fanfic authors, oops, let me know.)

Favorite authors:

Lauren Groff (especially Fates and Furies) writes beautiful, lovely stories that are so rooted in place and character, and the prose is just so clean and gorgeous.

Joshua Ferris (especially Then We Came To The End) writes terrifically sad books that are also, somehow, SO funny.

Jennifer Egan (especially A Visit from the Goon Squad) for New York stories.

Katherine Arden for satisfying fantasy based in Russian folklore.

Some favorite books, not really in order:

My Education by Susan Choi: I've read and reread this, I love the main character and it's just such a sexy book. She falls in love with her professor, but I'll leave the rest for you to discover.

Exciting Times, by Naoise Dolan: Sally Rooney-esque — if you liked Conversations with Friends, you'll like this.

Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid: One of my few magical realism re-reads. Gorgeous, gorgeous. Fell in love with both main characters.

Department of Speculation, by Jenny Offill: God, sad. About marriage, and love, and bitterness. Set in Brooklyn. CW for bedbugs.

Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (and ALL of his short stories)

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A love story, partly set in Nigeria, but also about what it means to be Black in America and Black in England, and about immigration and home-coming.

Animal, by Lisa Toddeo: Really raw and painful story about power and abuse, wonderfully written, occasionally funny.

Poetry: Seamus Heaney, Anne Carson, Ocean Vuong, Danez Smith, Ben Lerner (sorry! sorry!)

My taste in art is too basic to be worth hearing about. I'm a slut for a good Singer Sargent, I'm sniffy about contemporary art, and I love black and white photography. Barf

[pwlanier]

Interior of the Manchester Royal Exchange

Frederick Sargent (1837–1899) and H. L. Saunders (d.1899)

Manchester Art Gallery

[combat-tv-show]

For @theragamuffininitiative Season:1 Episode:24 "No Hallelujah's For Glory"

[jondalars]

movies, tv shows, and books of 2018

((as before,  * is a rewatch/reread; currently watching; can’t get through))

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Hanna (2011)

20th Century Women (2016)

Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver

The Disaster Artist (2017)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway *

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

The Big Sick (2017)

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi *

The End of the F***ing World (s1)

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

13 Going on 30 (2004) **

I, Tonya (2017)

Room (2015) *

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi *

Must Love Dogs (2005) *

The Shape of Water (2017)

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi *

Black Mirror (s4, s3, s2, s1)

The White Album by Joan Didion

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) *

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Kedi (2016)

Training Day (2001)

Notes from Underground & The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

The Good Place (s2, s3)

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

My So-Called Life (s1*)

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

When We First Met (2018)

The Preppie Connection (2015)

Blackfish (2013)

The Reivers by William Faulkner

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) *

The Truman Show (1998)

Good Time (2017)

Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017)

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

The Babysitter (2017)

When Harry Met Sally (1989) *

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Cool Runnings (1993) *

Game of Thrones (s1*)

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

World War Z by Max Brooks *

The Stranger by Albert Camus *

Undercover Boss (s1, s2)

The Princess Bride (1987) *

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke *

Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke

Shaun of the Dead (2004) *

Black Panther (2018)

Coco (2017)

The Florida Project (2017)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) *

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson *

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) *

Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson *

7 Days in Hell (2015) *

Adventureland (2009)

Adore (2013)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Looper (2012)

Seven Seconds (s1)

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel *

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) *

I Am Legend (2007) *

Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides trans. Anne Carson

A Series of Unfortunate Events (s2)

The Kingdom of Ordinary Time by Marie Howe

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Decreation by Anne Carson

Troy: Fall of a City (s1)

The Stranger Manual by Catie Rosemurgy

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel *

The Hours (2002)

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

The 100 (s5)

The Handmaid’s Tale (s2)

The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel *

The Beauty of the Husband by Anne Carson **

The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon

Real World by Natsuo Kirino 

John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (2018)

Oh Hello on Broadway (2017) *

The New Clean by Jon Sands

What the Living Do by Marie Howe

Glass, Irony & God by Anne Carson & *

White Flock by Anna Akhmatova trans. Andrey Kneller

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey *

An Oresteia: Agamemnon by Aiskhylos; Elektra by Sophokles; Orestes by Euripides trans. Anne Carson

Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist (s1)

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

The Dead Eat Everything by Michael Mlekoday

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

13 Reasons Why (s2)

You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn

War and the Iliad by Simone Weil and Rachel Bespaloff

Battle Royale (2000) *

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult *

Annihilation (2018)

Love, Simon (2018)

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Molly’s Game (2017)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (s4)

Arrested Development (s4:FC)

Naked by David Sedaris

Miracle (2004)

Set It Up (2018) & *

The Staircase (s1)

Killing Eve (s1)

Queer Eye (s1, s2)

The Tale (2018)

Letterkenny (s1, s2, s3, s4)

Thoroughbreds (2018)

The Death of Stalin (2018)

The Princess Diaries (2001) *

A Cinderella Story (2004) *

The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

Sharknado (2013)

The Covenant (2006) *

A Quiet Place (2018)

Leon: The Professional (1994)

Orbiter 9 (2017)

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

America’s Sweethearts (2001) *

Short Talks by Anne Carson

Sense and Sensibility (1995) *

Sharp Objects (s1)

Timeless (s2)

Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)

The Waves by Virginia Woolf

The Secret History by Donna Tartt *

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Anne with an E (s2)

The Bonesetter’s Daugher by Amy Tan

Lady Bird (2017) *

Superstar (1999)

Selected Poems by Anna Akhmatova trans. D.M. Thomas

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

A Christmas Story (1983)

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Casablanca (1942)

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

The Sound of Music (1965)

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Citizen Kane (1941)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Half-light: Collected Poems 1965-2016 by Frank Bidart

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The Remains of the Day (1993)

The Libertines Bound Together by Anthony Thornton/Roger Sargent

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Calypso by David Sedaris

The End of the Tour (2015)

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

Tenth of December by George Saunders

The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro

The Raven King by Nora Sakavic

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) & *

Insecure (s1, s2, s3)

Threepenny Memoir: The Lives of a Libertine by Carl Barât

The Magicians (s1, s2, s3)

The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The House of Names by Colm Toibin

Atlanta (s1, s2)

Hereditary (2018)

South and West: From a Notebook by Joan Didion

Ocean’s Eight (2018)

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

The Great British Baking Show (s5, s6)

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Game Night (2018)

American Animals (2018)

Two Weeks Notice (2002) *

The Spectacular Now (2013)

Maurice (1987)

Ordeal by Innocence (s1)

American Vandal (s2)

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

Maniac (s1)

Circe by Madeline Miller

Table 19 (2017)

All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Man Up (2015)

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Eighth Grade (2018)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (s1, s2)

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Bojack Horseman (s5)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen *

Persuasion by Jane Austen *

Veep (s1, s2, s3)

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges

The Haunting of Hill House (s1)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges

Copycat (1995) *

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Dare Me by Megan Abbott *

Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion *

North & South (s1) *

Cam (2018)

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Venom (2018)

Sorry to Bother You (2018)

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Dumplin’ (2018)

Bird Box (2018)

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

The White Queen (s1*)

Pastoralia by George Saunders

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday

The Man in the High Castle (s1)

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt *

[bluewatsons]

Lauren B. Fisher et al., From the Outside Looking In: Sense of Belonging, Depression, and Suicide Risk, 78 Psychiatry 29 (2015)

Abstract

Objective: Sense of belonging has demonstrated significant relationships with depression and suicidal thoughts, highlighting its potential utility in refining assessment of suicide risk.

Method: Structured clinical interviews and self-report measures were used to assess depression, suicidal behaviors, hopelessness, life stress, social support, and sense of belonging in a sample of 116 depressed psychiatric patients.

Results: Lower sense of belonging was significantly associated with greater severity of depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and history of prior suicide attempt(s). However, sense of belonging did not predict suicidal ideation and history of prior suicide attempt(s) beyond the association between suicidal behaviors and established risk factors. Sense of belonging displayed a significant relationship with depression and hopelessness and is likely to play a critical role in both the development of and recovery from depression.

Conclusions: Sense of belonging is directly related to depression and hopelessness, while indirectly related to suicidal ideation. Low sense of belonging provides an important target for assessment and intervention in the treatment of depression. Cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal interventions may help improve an individual’s sense of belonging and decrease symptoms of depression and hopelessness.

In 2011 suicide was ranked the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Hoyert & Xu, 2012). It is estimated that 1.9% to 8.7% of U.S. adults attempt suicide at some point in their lives, 3.9% formulate a suicide plan, and 5.6% to 14.3% experience thoughts about suicide (Nock et al., 2008). Among veterans, suicidal behavior is an even bigger problem. Male veterans in the general population are twice as likely to die by suicide as male nonveterans (Kaplan, Huguet, McFarland, & Newsom, 2007) and treatment-seeking, Veterans Affairs (VA) service connected patients demonstrate suicide rates that are seven or eight times the suicide rate in the general population (Zivin et al., 2007). Individuals diagnosed with affective disorders are at significantly higher risk for suicidal behavior in both the general population (Möller, 2003) and among veterans (Ilgen et al., 2010); however, identification of risk factors for completed suicide among depressed individuals is surprisingly scarce (Hawton, Casañas i Comabella, Haw, & Saunders, 2013). Further, known risk factors for suicidal ideation and attempts largely rely on demographic and clinical characteristics (Nock et al., 2008), which help identify at-risk groups but do not have adequate sensitivity or provide opportunity for targeted intervention. Comprehensive suicide assessments are needed, and further attention toward modifiable risk factors is warranted.

For many years, social and interpersonal factors were not systematically examined by suicide researchers, despite the fact that a sense of belonging has long been recognized as a basic human need (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Durkheim (1897/1963) first asserted that suicide is best explained by a failure of social integration, and a decrease in suicide rates has been observed in times of acute national crisis (Joiner, Hollar, & Van Orden, 2006) and during major sporting events that facilitate a sense of “pulling together” (Encrenaz et al., 2012). Joiner (2005) proposed the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide, which postulates that a thwarted sense of belonging, along with perceived burdensomeness and acquired capability for suicide, is necessary to cultivate a desire and potential for suicide. Recent testing of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide has demonstrated that a thwarted sense of belonging is related to higher levels of suicidal ideation in college students (Van Orden, Witte, Gordon, Bender, & Joiner, 2008), drug users (You, Van Orden, & Conner, 2011), and adolescents (Timmons, Selby, Lewinsohn, & Joiner, 2012). Further, a thwarted sense of belonging is related to past suicide attempts in methadone patients (Conner, Britton, Sworts, & Joiner, 2007). Recent research in veterans has begun to highlight the importance of social and interpersonal suicide risk factors and has demonstrated that strong social connectedness is associated with reduced risk of suicidal ideation (Fanning & Pietrzak, 2013). Ongoing research on Joiner’s theory is currently being conducted in active military populations; however, thwarted belonging has not been examined among treatment-seeking, chronically depressed veterans.

Additional researchers have aimed to study sense of belonging; however, research has largely been limited by poor methodology and lack of conceptual clarity (Hatcher & Stubbersfield, 2013). Many researchers claim to measure sense of belonging but instead utilize an objective measure, such as the size of an individual’s social network (Fanning & Pietrzak, 2013) or perceived social support. Some researchers have argued that belonging is a dimension of social support and have used the concepts interchangeably (Fiala, Bjork, & Gorsuch, 2002). However, many individuals report the presence of supportive others but struggle to feel that they fit in their social networks. Other researchers have assessed belonging using a single item (Steger & Kashdan, 2009) or a subscale of a larger scale designed to measure more than one construct (Van Orden, Cukrowicz, Witte, & Joiner, 2012).

In contrast to previous efforts at measuring the construct of belonging, the Sense of Belonging Instrument–Psychological Experience (SOBI-P) is theory driven and was developed to measure belonging as the individual’s perceived experience of feeling valued, needed, and accepted by people in his or her social environment (Hagerty & Patusky, 1995). A healthy sense of belonging is thought to result in psychological, social, spiritual, or physical involvement; ascription of meaningfulness to that involvement; and establishment of a basic foundation for emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses (Hagerty, Lynch-Sauer, Patusky, Bouwsema, & Collier, 1992). Research with this measure has demonstrated that individuals with a lower sense of belonging display greater depressive symptoms (Sargent, Williams, Hagerty, Lynch-Sauer, & Hoyle, 2002) and are more likely to report current or past suicidal thoughts or attempts than individuals with greater sense of belonging (Bailey & McLaren, 2005; Hagerty, Williams, Coyne, & Early, 1996). Further, sense of belonging appears to be more strongly and directly related to depression than measures of perceived social support and loneliness (Hagerty & Williams, 1999). In depressed individuals, sense of belonging and perceived social support may mediate the relationship between stress and depression (Choenarom, Williams, & Hagerty, 2005). Despite a number of significant findings that highlight the potential importance of this construct and the utility of the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the majority of research on the relationship between belonging and suicidal behavior has been conducted using community and U.S. college student samples (Hatcher & Stubbersfield, 2013).

The current study examined sense of belonging in depressed veterans within psychiatric outpatient and partial hospitalization program settings. Specifically, it was hypothesized that lower sense of belonging would be correlated with greater depression, suicidal ideation, and history of prior suicide attempt(s). Further, it was hypothesized that sense of belonging would be inversely related to current suicidal ideation and history of prior suicide attempts, even when controlling for depression and other known risk factors for suicide.

Method

Participants

Participants included 116 adult psychiatric outpatients. Individuals were recruited from a psychiatric partial hospitalization program (PHP) and outpatient mental health clinic at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center. To be included in the study, all participants met diagnostic criteria for a major depressive disorder or another psychiatric disorder in which depression commonly exists (e.g., dysthymic disorder, adjustment disorder with depressed mood) according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID; First, Spitzer, Gibbon, & Williams, 1995). Individuals were excluded from the study if they met any of the following criteria: (1) non–English speaking, (2) age less than 18 years or greater than 69 years, or (3) current diagnosis of bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia, mental retardation, or an organic brain syndrome.

A total of 127 individuals provided informed consent. Eight subjects were not included in the analyses based on diagnostic criteria, one participant was excluded due to age, and two participants were not included because they did not complete the study visit. A final sample of 116 participants with informed consent and complete study visits were included in the data analyses. Participants ranged in age from 24 to 69 years old (mean ±SD = 53.60 ±9.02). The majority of participants were African American (59.5%) male (93.1%) veterans. Most participants were unmarried (78.4%) and not currently employed (81.9%). Almost one-half (46.6%) of participants reported living alone, and more than one-third of participants (35.1%) reported that their physical health was in the moderately poor to poor range.

Participant diagnoses included major depressive disorder (MDD), recurrent episode (n = 71, 61.2%); MDD, single episode (n = 13, 11.2%); MDD, recurrent, with psychotic features (n = 5, 4.3%); dysthymia (n = 10, 8.6%); adjustment disorder with depressed mood (n = 6, 5.2%); and depressive disorder not otherwise specified (n = 11, 9.5%). The current sample represented a chronically depressed population (mean length of current episode = 8.2 years), with the majority of participants reporting more than one lifetime depressive episode (82.3%) and a significant number of participants reporting more than two lifetime episodes (62.1%). The mean age of onset for the first depressive episode was 27.90 years (SD = 13.81). Almost half of the participants reported both a prior psychiatric hospitalization (44.0%) and a previous suicide attempt (43.1%). Current psychiatric comorbidities were also prevalent, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (23.3%), other anxiety disorders (33.6%), and current substance use disorders (34.5%). The majority (76.7%) of participants reported a history of substance use disorders, and a large number of participants (44.0%) reported a history of significant legal problems.

Measures

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (First et al., 1995) is a semistructured diagnostic interview used to assess for the presence of Axis I major mental disorders as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The SCID is considered the most valid and reliable measure used to assess psychiatric disorders (Lowe et al., 2004).

The Sense of Belonging Instrument–Psychological Experience (SOBI-P; Hagerty & Patusky, 1995) is an 18-item self-report measure designed to assess the extent to which an individual perceives being valued, needed, and accepted by people in his or her social environment. Items are rated using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly agree, 2 = Agree, 3 = Disagree, 4 = Strongly disagree). One item is reverse scored. The total belonging score is a sum of the scores of the individual items and ranges from 18 to 72, with higher scores indicating a greater sense of belonging. High internal consistency has been demonstrated in depressed patients (α = .93; Hagerty & Patusky, 1995). The present study demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .96) and a mean sample score that is consistent with those reported in other depressed samples (i.e., M = 43.5; Hagerty & Patusky, 1995). As a comparison, mean scores on the SOBI-P among nondepressed samples are consistently higher, including 55.5 in college students (Hagerty & Patusky, 1995), 59.3 in retired older adults (Bailey & McLaren, 2005), and 57.5 in working professionals (Cockshaw, Shochet, & Obst, 2013). Eight-week test-retest reliability in college students has been reported (α = .84). The SOBI-P is moderately correlated with a measure of social support (r = .42) and strongly correlated with loneliness (r = −.76), demonstrating discriminant validity in depressed outpatients (Hagerty & Patusky, 1995).

The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996b) is a 21-item self-report scale designed to measure the presence and severity of affective, cognitive, somatic, and motivational symptoms of depression over the past week. Items are scored 0 (Neutral) to 3 (Most severe). High internal consistency has been demonstrated among psychiatric outpatients (Beck, Steer, Ball, & Ranieri, 1996a) and was excellent in the current study (α = .90). Convergent and discriminant validity have been supported in psychiatric samples (Steer, Ball, Ranieri, & Beck, 1997).

The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS; Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974) is a 20-item, true/false, self-report scale designed to measure one’s negative expectations about the future. A score of 10 or more indicates severe levels of hopelessness and increased risk for suicide (Beck, Steer, Kovacs, & Garrison, 1985). Psychometric properties of the BHS in clinical and nonclinical populations have been adequate (Dozois & Covin, 2004). Internal consistency was excellent in the current study (α = .93). The BHS can be used to identify individuals at high risk for suicide (McMillan, Gilbody, Beresford, & Neilly, 2007).

The Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI; Beck & Steer, 1991) is a 21-item self-report measure designed to evaluate the presence and severity of suicidal thoughts. Items are scored 0 to 2, with 2 being most severe. The BSSI has demonstrated strong internal consistency with coefficient alphas greater than .93 among psychiatric outpatients (Beck, Steer, & Ranieri, 1988) and .89 among psychiatric inpatients (Beck et al., 1988). Internal consistency was excellent in the current study (α = .95). Individuals who score 3 or higher are about seven times more likely to die by suicide than those scoring below 3 (Brown, Beck, Steer, & Grisham, 2000).

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) is a 12-item self-report measure of an individual’s degree of perceived social support from family, friends, and significant others. Items are rated using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from Very strongly disagree to Very strongly agree. Good internal consistency has been demonstrated in psychiatric outpatients (Cecil, Stanley, Carrion, & Swann, 1995), and the three-factor structure has consistently been reported (Clara, Cox, Enns, Murray, & Torgrude, 2003). Internal consistency was excellent in the current study (α = .94). Adequate test-retest reliability shows stability over time (Zimet et al., 1988).

The Modified Life Experience Scale (MLES) is a self-report measure of current and lifetime stressors that has been adapted from the Life Experiences Survey (LES; Sarason, Johnson, & Siegel, 1978). The MLES consists of 27 stressful life events, including occupational difficulties, relationship problems, health complications, acts of violence, and loss of loved ones. Items are scored 0 to 3 (0 = Never, 1 = Long ago, 2 = Recently, 3 = Long ago and recently) to indicate the occurrence of each event. The LES is significantly correlated with a number of stress-related measures, demonstrating adequate construct validity (Sarason et al., 1978). The negative events subscale of the original LES is significantly correlated with measures of depression (Chang, 1997). Adaptations of the LES are frequently utilized in research (Bailey, Koepsell, & Belcher, 1984).

Demographic Information

Participants were asked to provide basic demographic information, including age, gender, race (White, African American, other), marital status (married versus not married), and employment status (employed versus not employed). Participants also indicated additional individuals whom resided in their households.

Social Network Questions

Participants were asked to respond to a number of questions designed to assess the presence or absence of close, supportive relationships (i.e., confidants) in their current lives.

Procedures

All study procedures were approved by the institutional review board. Participants were recruited using study flyers and by working with treatment providers. The research team conducted brief phone screenings to determine potential eligibility. Training for SCID interviewers included formal video training, observation of interviews administered by advanced graduate students and/or clinical psychologists, and demonstration of adequate interrater agreement via fidelity ratings (i.e., 100% agreement on primary and secondary Axis I diagnoses). Study visits included completion of informed consent, SCID interview, and a packet of self-report questionnaires. Participants were compensated $10 for their time.

Results

Mental health outpatients (n = 84) and partial hospitalization program (PHP) patients (n = 32) were compared on a number of demographic variables. There were no significant differences between groups on age and marital status. However, there were more females in the PHP sample than in the outpatient sample (χ2 (1) = 6.05, p < .05). The majority of outpatients were African American (69.0%), and the majority of PHP patients were White (59.4%) (χ2 (2) = 11.62, p < .0001). As anticipated, psychiatric outpatients were more likely to be employed than PHP patients (χ2 (1) = 4.39, p < .05). Although PHP patients were more likely to have a history of suicide attempts (χ2 (1) = 4.77, p < .05) and psychiatric inpatient hospitalizations (χ2 (1) = 4.06, p < .05), there were no significant differences between groups in number of reported suicide attempts and number of previous psychiatric hospitalizations. There were no differences between groups on measures of depression, sense of belonging, perceived social support, and life stress. However, PHP patients demonstrated higher levels of hopelessness (t (113) = 2.11, p < .05) and suicidal ideation (t (107) = 2.49, p < .05) than psychiatric outpatients. Although the groups differed on measures of hopelessness and suicidal ideation, this finding was anticipated given the higher level of care provided for PHP patients. Despite some important differences between groups, similar levels of depression, sense of belonging, and life stress warranted combination of samples for statistical analyses.

Descriptive statistics and intercorrelations among measures are presented in Table 1. There was no indication of multicollinearity among the measures. In addition, age, gender, and race were not correlated with suicidal ideation, depression, or hopelessness, and thus they were not included as covariates in regression analyses. Also, the number of individuals living in the home and number of children reported by participants was not associated with level of suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, or sense of belonging. There were no differences between Black (n = 69; M = 43.58, SD = 13.19) and White (n = 44; M = 42.41, SD = 12.23) participants on sense of belonging (t (111) = .47, n.s.). Individuals who were married demonstrated lower levels of suicidal ideation (M = 2.52, SD = 3.59) than individuals who were not married (M = 7.11, SD = 8.99); t (106) = 3.73, p < .001). Individuals who were married were also less likely to report a prior suicide attempt (20.8%) than individuals who were not married (48.4%; χ2 (1) = 5.88, p < .05).

Table 1. Pearson Correlations Among Measures of Mood, Sense of Belonging, and Social Support

Sense of Belonging and Suicidality

A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the strength of the relationship between sense of belonging and current suicidal ideation (BSSI) while controlling for possible covariates (see Table 2). Current suicidal ideation, measured by BSSI scores, was used as the dependent variable. After controlling for covariates, the SOBI-P was entered at step five and did not make a significant contribution to the model. In the final step of the model (R2 = .52, F (6, 101) = 17.77, p < .001), levels of life stress (β = .19, p < .05), depression (β = .29, p < .01), and hopelessness (β = .37, p < .01) remained strongly related to current suicidal ideation.

Table 2. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Predicting Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation Score in Depressed Patients (N =109)

The relationship between sense of belonging and prior suicide attempts was also explored. First, an independent-samples t test demonstrated that individuals who indicated at least one prior suicide attempt had significantly lower levels of belonging (M = 39.29, SD = 10.72) than individuals who reported no previous suicide attempts (M = 45.92, SD = 13.32; t (114) = 2.88, p = .005). Next, a hierarchical logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the strength of the relationship between sense of belonging and history of suicide attempt(s) while controlling for possible covariates (see Table 3). Individuals were divided into two groups: those who reported a history of at least one suicide attempt and those who reported no prior suicide attempts. Report of the presence or absence of past suicide attempts was used as the dependent variable. After controlling for covariates, the SOBI-P was entered at step five and did not make a significant contribution to the model.

Table 3. Hierarchical Logistic Regression Analysis Predicting History of Suicide Attempts in Depressed Patients (N = 113)

Post Hoc Analyses

To examine relationships among the SOBI-P and other measures of mood, several post hoc analyses were conducted. First, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the strength of the relationship between sense of belonging and depression severity. After controlling for degree of life stress and perceived social support, sense of belonging accounted for an additional 14.4% of the variance in depression (ΔR2 = .14, F change (1, 111) = 29.70, p < .001). A second hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the strength of the relationship between sense of belonging and degree of hopelessness. After controlling for degree of life stress, perceived social support, and depression severity, sense of belonging accounted for an additional 8.8% of the variance in hopelessness (ΔR2 = 0.09, F change (1, 109) = 22.68, p < .001).

A path analysis was conducted using Amos 20.0 to further explore the relationships among variables directly and indirectly associated with suicide risk as measured by current suicidal ideation. The model in Figure 1 provided a good fit to the data, χ2 (3, N = 116) = 0.73, p = .87, χ2/df = 0.24, normed fit index (NFI) = .997, comparative fit index (CFI) = 1.000, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .000, PCLOSE = .907. The overall amount of explained variance was calculated by squaring and summing the squared multiple correlations reported for each of the dependent variables: BDI (.445), BHS (.606), and BSSI (.458); thus, 77.5% of the variance was explained for the model. The presence or absence of confidant(s) reported by an individual was significantly associated with sense of belonging (β = .25, p < .01) and depression (β = −.18, p < .05). Sense of belonging significantly predicted level of depression (β = −.58, p < .001) and degree of hopelessness (β = −.42, p < .001). As expected, depression was significantly related to hopelessness (β = .41, p < .001). In addition, both depression (β = .40, p < .001) and hopelessness (β = .33, p < .001) were significantly associated with current level of suicidal ideation.

Figure 1. Predictors of Current Suicidal Ideation. Note. χ2 (3, N = 116) = 0.73, p = .87, χ2/df = 0.24, NFI = .997, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = .000, PCLOSE = .907; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .00.

Discussion

The present study examined perceived sense of belonging among 116 depressed psychiatric outpatients. Patients reported moderate levels of depression, high severity of hopelessness, high rates of comorbidity, and long-standing histories of chronic depression. Almost half (n = 50) of the patients reported a prior suicide attempt. Consistent with previous findings (Bailey & McLaren, 2005; Sargent et al., 2002; Van Orden et al., 2008), deficits in perceived sense of belonging were significantly related to greater severity of depression, hopelessness, current suicidal thoughts, and prior suicide attempts. Mean score on the SOBI-P in the present chronically depressed sample demonstrated a significantly lower score on the measure of belonging than has been evidenced in nondepressed samples, highlighting the potential importance of this construct in depression. A significant positive correlation between the SOBI-P and perceived social support provides evidence for the validity of sense of belonging as a related but unique construct.

Contrary to the present hypothesis, sense of belonging did not demonstrate a significant relationship with suicidal behaviors after controlling for a number of known risk factors. Although various researchers have examined the correlation between sense of belonging and suicidal thoughts (Bailey & McLaren, 2005; Hagerty et al., 1996; Sargent et al., 2002), few have utilized more sophisticated analyses that account for covariates. Present findings are generally consistent with previous research that demonstrates a simple relationship between sense of belonging and suicidal behaviors, which disappears when controlling for confounding factors (Bryan, Morrow, Anestis, & Joiner, 2010; Joiner et al., 2009; Van Orden et al., 2008).

Although sense of belonging did not account for our understanding of suicidality above and beyond known demographic and cognitive risk factors, it was significantly associated with both depression and hopelessness, even after controlling for life stress and perceived social support. Further, results from the path analysis demonstrated that sense of belonging is directly related to depression and hopelessness while indirectly related to suicidal ideation. Research has shown that sense of belonging is strongly related to depression (Hagerty & Williams, 1999) and is predictive of depression severity (Choenarom et al., 2005). Further, there is some evidence to support current findings about the relationship between sense of belonging and hopelessness (Rankin, Saunders, & Williams, 2000; Van Orden et al., 2010). It seems possible that lacking a sense of belonging over time could influence one’s overarching belief system about the future and lead to a sense of hopelessness. Further, although causality was not examined in the present study, it seems possible that an individual’s perceived lack of belonging can exacerbate a depressive episode and/or degree of hopeless thoughts, which often develop prior to the onset of suicidal ideation.

The present findings should be considered in light of potential limitations. The research relied primarily on retrospective self-report assessments. However, use of semistructured interviews and clinician-administered suicide assessments can significantly improve accurate classification of individuals at risk for suicide (Bongiovi-Garcia et al., 2009). Further, the cross-sectional methodology used in this study was not predictive in nature. Participants displayed high comorbidity with substance use disorders and were often poor historians of their mental health history. Exposure to combat was not systematically measured. Participants consisted predominantly of male veterans, most of whom were Black and unmarried, and thus generalizability is severely limited. This may be an important limitation to examine given that women typically report significant differences from men in the size of social networks and their emotional involvement in those networks (McLaughlin, Vagenas, Pachana, Begum, & Dobson, 2010). However, recent findings demonstrated that widowhood is associated with lower levels of belonging in men, whereas marital status is unrelated to sense of belonging in women (McLaren, Gomez, Gill, & Chesler, 2015). In addition, it would have been informative to examine racial differences in sense of belonging in a larger sample, as well as the role of potential mediating factors, such as religion, that are likely to be a major source of support and affiliation in the Black community (Thompson & McRae, 2001).

Improvement of an individual’s sense of belonging may be an important aspect of treatment for depression and hopeless thoughts. To date, no one has systematically examined the resources and mechanisms needed to promote a sense of belonging among depressed individuals. Preliminary evidence suggests a sense of belonging may be fostered in Navy recruits at risk for depression using brief interventions (Williams et al., 2004). Further, a randomized controlled trial demonstrated that volunteer “befriending” has a greater impact on reduction of depressive symptoms than a control intervention (Harris, Brown, & Robinson, 1999).

The multifaceted nature of depression calls for a psychological treatment approach that integrates cognitive, behavioral, affective, and interpersonal components. A variety of strategies can be used to cultivate new relationships or repair strained ties with friends or family. In conjunction with cognitive and/or interpersonal work, it may be important to encourage clients to engage with others, to participate in social activities, and to take on previously enjoyable hobbies, which can reduce avoidance and increase positive interactions between individuals and their environments. A therapist can encourage clients to become actively involved with a variety of groups (i.e., group psychotherapy, self-help groups), which may serve as pleasant activities that also provide accepting environments for depressed individuals. Individuals who lack a sense of belonging can identify with others and discover that they are not unique in their struggles. In some cases, therapists could engage in a therapeutic discussion to help clients identify an individual who is capable of functioning as a potential confidant and help facilitate the client’s relationship with this person. A healthy, positive therapeutic relationship may play a central role in increasing one’s sense of belonging. By providing a warm, empathic, accepting environment, therapists can communicate to clients a sense of being accepted and valued in the therapeutic setting, particularly as rapport builds and the work deepens. No matter the therapist’s therapeutic orientation, it may be critical to address experiences specific to many veterans, including the impact of combat (if applicable), potential trauma, and social alienation that is often experienced among veterans upon returning to civilian life.

The present study examined the role of sense of belonging and social involvement in the context of a major depressive episode. However, it would be useful to explore the role of social involvement/sense of belonging in the aftermath of a traumatic life event. It appears likely that social involvement is greatly disturbed by combat experience, and social withdrawal may be used as a coping strategy for reducing excessive levels of arousal. Although these topics shift the focus away from depression and onto the nature of social involvement and sense of belonging as it is influenced by trauma/PTSD, further exploration of these topics may be critical in the mental health treatment of veterans, especially those who are exposed to combat. Incorporating sense of belonging into the treatment of depression is likely to improve outcomes and indirectly contribute to suicide prevention. Future research could assess the utility of the Sense of Belonging Instrument as an assessment and treatment planning tool. Further, development and examination of interventions aimed to enhance a sense of belonging are likely to be beneficial in the treatment of depression.

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[janebennetts]

oooh okay music recs: matt maeson, haim, saint motel, ry x, shannon saunders, sigrid, 6lack, astrid s, bleachers, and dua lip 💕

yessss thank you much zoey! i’ve literally only heard of like two of these and i’m so excited to listen to all of them! i’m listening to astrid s at your recommendation as i do this haha

URL:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 STEVE ROGERS

Icon: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BLUE SARGENT

Mobile Theme: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JAMES POTTER

Theme: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JAKE PERALTA

Content: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LILY EVANS

Advice/Compliment: you’re one of my favorite blogs and i can’t wait for the trc adaptation and short story in the paperback book so we can discuss every aspect about them! you know i love you lol  

want one?

[antoineproulxllc]

Home Office Space by Designer: Allen Saunders @allensaundersdesign Product: DK-74 Desk in Smoke Gray Ash with Titanium Steel Legs - Sargent Architectural Photography

[alwaysthequietones]

Sky 1 adds Sick Note to its growing line-up of post-watershed comedies set to air in a new 10pm comedy slot this autumn. And Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) will join Rupert Grint (Harry Potter Series) and Nick Frost (Paul) for series two, which is currently shooting in the UK.

Sick Note follows the story of Daniel Glass (Rupert Grint), a compulsive liar stuck in a failing relationship and dead-end insurance job, under the thumb of irrepressible boss Kenny West (Don Johnson). Just when things couldn’t get any worse, Daniel is wrongly diagnosed with a terminal illness by his incompetent doctor Ian Glennis (Nick Frost). When the error comes to light, Dr Glennis convinces Daniel to hide the truth of his misdiagnosis from colleagues, friends and family in a lie that spirals wildly out of control. The first series of Sick Note will air on Sky 1 and TV streaming service NOW TV this autumn. Sky 1 is now the home of original comedy on Sky and Sick Note is one of a host of edgier, grown-up comedies commissioned for the channel’s 10pm slot. Other shows in the autumn line-up include Bliss, a comedy starring Stephen Mangan and Heather Graham from Emmy award-winning director David Cross, and Bounty Hunters, a new action-comedy from Jack Whitehall and Freddy Syborn. 

Commenting on the commission, Sky’s Head of Comedy Jon Mountague said: “One lie leads to the next in this unsettlingly brilliant comedy that will hook viewers in and have them on the very edge of their seats. Filming for series two is already under way and we’re delighted to confirm Lindsay Lohan will be joining Rupert and Nick in this stellar comedy cast.” Series two will pick up from the end of the first, with Lindsay Lohan taking on the role of Katerina West, the daughter of Daniel’s boss. 

Produced by British production company King Bert, founded by renowned producer Jo Sargent and writer performers David Walliams and Miranda Hart, Sick Note is created and written by Nat Saunders and James Serafinowicz and directed by the BAFTA-winning Matt Lipsey (Little Britain, Psychoville). It is produced by Sarah Fraser and exec produced by Jo Sargent, who commented: “We are thrilled to be making a second series of this nail-biting comedy and very excited to be welcoming the extraordinary talents of Lindsay Lohan to our all-star cast.”

[parkerhouseblog]

Happy to plug a fellow historic homeowner’s rental. Parker House is on this and two other sites but doesn’t command anywhere near $900 a night! I’d enjoy staying here, though, just to be able to say I had, as my great-great-grandmother & her brothers and sisters did when visiting their Saltonstall cousins. They’d be sent down from Maine by their grandmother, who was Aunt Lucy to the two Saunders girls who married Saltonstall brothers and for whom a McIntyre double house was built by their fond papa, Lucy’s brother Thomas. This is one half of it. Their grandfather Paul Dudley Sargent had been born in Salem in 1745. Subsequent generations of the family were prouder of their connection to Charlotte Saunders Cushman, the great, flamboyant 19th c. actress, than to staid if blue-blooded Saltonstalls. Look for a post about Ms. Cushman in the near future.