Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, contact 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to find help or text SAVE to 741741 to receive emotional crisis support from a trained helper. Both lines are available 24/7 and are confidential.
Just last month, a mother watched her son as he crawled into ongoing traffic at Lake Hefner Parkway. He wanted to end his life. She was 10 feet away from him. She yelled, screamed and cried at him, “No, Michael! No!” She saw and heard vehicles hit his body. He was 46 years old, and he was determined to die.
Michael Liles, the son of Dorothy “Dot” Liles, had been in a deep, dark place for the last three years and had attempted to end his life several times. He was being treated at a local facility. The physician’s assistant prescribed Gabapentin and warned that the medication mixed with alcohol could be deadly. Michael found a way to mix them.
Dot knew Michael was spiraling into depression and despair. She told the treatment facility she was concerned his medications were not working. She told his PA that she suspected his Invega shot was not effective for the entire three months as expected. She asked if the Haloperidol he also was prescribed was responsible. She let them know that he was still not getting out of bed, could not sleep and was moving slowly, zombielike. During his last days, he refused to come out of his room to have a meal with his mother, older brother and twin brother.