Question by oblivious: how did elliot smith die?

Best answer:

Answer by iijakii
Elliott Smith died on October 21, 2003 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California at age 34, from two stab wounds to the chest during an emotional fight with Jennifer Chiba. [16] According to her account, the two were arguing when she locked herself in the bathroom. Chiba heard him scream, and upon opening the door, saw Smith standing there with a steak knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out of him, after which Smith collapsed and she called 911. The time of death was listed at 12:18 PM. While originally reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in late December 2003 left the question of possible homicide open:
While his history of depression is compatible with suicide, and the location and direction of the stab wound is consistent with self-infliction, several aspects of the circumstances (as are known at this time) are atypical of suicide and raise the possibility of homicide. These include the absence of hesitation wounds, stabbing through clothing, and the presence of small incised wounds on the right arm and left hand (possible defensive wounds). Additionally, the girlfriend’s [Jennifer Chiba’s] reported removal of the knife and subsequent refusal to speak with detectives are all of concern.

According to the coroner’s report, the alleged suicide note, written on a Post-it, read, I’m so sorry – love, Elliot. God forgive me. The misspelling of “Elliott” was later acknowledged as a mistake on the part of the coroner. Robin Peringer, one of the singers few close friends towards the end of his life, says that Smith was a “cutter”, which would help explain the “possible defensive wounds.” Fritz Michaud, an engineer during the Basement sessions, claimed that “Elliott literally wouldn’t have been caught dead without his shirt on,” possibly explaining why the stab wounds penetrated his shirt (something extremely uncommonly seen in stabbing suicides).

His death has not been officially declared a suicide, and the investigation into his death continues, although almost no new information at all has publicly come to light since 2003.

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Question by Billy: What to expect next with friends serious sexual addiction?
My friends sexual addiction is so out of hand. He is up on the intenet all night on manhunt or adam4adam. It is not unusual for him to be with two or three different people a day. When he is not with some one he is looking. It is ruining all of our lives. He won’t admit to the problem It’s getting worse and worse. He cannot support himself sandy more. Along with this he is addicted to crystal. What should we expect next. We cannot afford counseling. I am in orange county California. And can anyone offer advice?

Best answer:

Answer by Nels N
There are free counseling services and programs. Sometimes schools or churches will have someone with experience in your type of problem for free. Like everything though, less money means less options. I’ve heard that ‘The Dream Center” in LA does a lot of good social work type things. It is associated with the Assemblies of God, but their focus is on helping people. I know this is a distance away, but maybe you could call them and they would know of someone in your area.

As for you, make sure you don’t get sucked into his drama. Sex addiction is bad enough, but throw in the legal and medical problems that come with drugs, and things can get out of control in the blink of an eye. Protect yourself.

He already has the one thing that really matters, and that is a friend that cares. I hope you’re able to help him, but remember that it is almost impossible to help someone who refuses to acknowledge a problem. Be there to help him pick up the pieces, but he may have to hit bottom before he realizes there is a problem. I’ll be praying for you and your friend.

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Question by DLM: What is the current medical definition of “addiction?” (more)?
Also, does the definition differ from one substance to another, or in the case of gambling or other behaviors, where there is no chemical dependency, is there a separate definition for those as well?

I am just curious about the “umbrella” that the word addiction covers in the medical world, versus common everyday ‘people-talk’ use of the word. The more specifics you can provide, the better.

Best answer:

Answer by John de Witt
You’ll want a DSM-IV for all the definitions you’d ever care to look at.

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