HIH Prince Ali Reza (28 April 1966 - 4 January 2011)


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What horrible news! My deepest sympathies for the Empress and her Family! I just watched the documentary about Farah, and when she talked about Leila she cried and was extremely sad, It's unfortunate she must go through this again. :(



I agree with yo. It is another terrible loss for the Empress and her family.My sincere condolences to the Iranian family.
 
Depression is a serious illness and unfortunately love and care of loving people can't do anything about it !
 
Are you sure?
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Do you know that there are more married depressive persons and with children than of persons who become depressive after a death, a divorce, a separation?
The depression is not only the consequence of an emotional shock, a bitter failure. It’s a disease that we also think of the consequence of the genetics, the heredity etc...
Indeed to be loved can be a protection to counter extremities as the suicide but it also an incitement in certain cases (the person does not want to be any more a burden).
But how many depressives fall in the drug, drink too much, have a practice dangerous sports, knot(tie) incomprehensible liasons? And it makes them more suicidal still.
The depression is really a terrible disease.
And I understands perfectly in which point this Prince and her sister had to suffer, as their loved and loving family, so powerless.
 
I can't believe how calm he is on making this statement, and how spot on he is.
 
At the risk of sounding insufferably self-righteous, I would recommend that members of these forums refrain from posting their own ideas and impressions about depression unless they have advanced training in psychiatry, psychology, clinical social work, or psychiatric nursing. People who are struggling with depression or any other form of mental illness may read some of the posts above and be easily confused, misled, or made to feel ashamed.

Let me be clear. Not everything that has been said is completely wrong - although some of it is - but therein precisely lies the danger. Because there are kernels of truth contained amidst vast amounts of conjecture and misunderstanding, some of these posts can sound plausible and informed when they are not. I am reminded of the saying: "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

For my part, I have a doctorate (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology and have the privilege of treating many depressed persons in my practice, but I would never dream of speculating or trying to interpret the exact nature of what ailed Prince Alireza without knowing him personally, listening to his own experience of life, and understanding his medical and family histories. To do so would be presumptuous and, in the context of this public forum, potentially damaging to others who may be struggling themselves. As always, my recommendation to anyone who wonders if (s)he might need help is to consult with a primary care doctor and/or a licensed mental health professional.
 
Rossina, thanks for the video! I've been looking for something like this lately. I applaud Prince Reza for his courage and strength.:flowers:
 
Memorial service for Prince Alireza Pahlavi - Toronto, January 7th, 2011

A memorial service has been organized in honour of Mr. Pahlavi in Toronto on Friday January 7th from 6-8 p.m. in the Westin Prince Toronto Hotel, for anyone who might want to attend and honour his memory.- CFP
 
I completely agree with you. Thanx for talking sense. It's the easiest thing in the world to judge.
 
It´s not my business whether Ali and Leila indeed were depressed or not or something else was the reason for their death we will never come to know but I critizise the former Imperial family for again blame it on the Iranian revolution. It´s ridiculous because specially the crownprince Reza who had to bare the fact to become heir of his father did very well so far by marrying and having children and going on with his life.
I sometimes have the feeling that Farah uses the deathes of her children to get public attention by bringing their destiny into political context.:bang: She always wants to explain that you simply can´t go on with your life but her eldest son proofed the opposite.
 
My deepest condolences to his family, especially his mother Empress Farah.
 
It´s not my business whether Ali and Leila indeed were depressed or not or something else was the reason for their death we will never come to know but I critizise the former Imperial family for again blame it on the Iranian revolution. It´s ridiculous because specially the crownprince Reza who had to bare the fact to become heir of his father did very well so far by marrying and having children and going on with his life.
I sometimes have the feeling that Farah uses the deathes of her children to get public attention by bringing their destiny into political context.:bang: She always wants to explain that you simply can´t go on with your life but her eldest son proofed the opposite.

Actually I tend to agree with you, although we appreciate Iranian Royal Family very much (my in-laws lived there for five years during the reign of the Shah and my husband was born there). However, being exiled isn´t a reason for suicide for healthy human being. Many royals were exiled (Habsburgs, Romanovs, Greek royals...) and they live on. Prince Alireza and his sister suffered from depression, that was the cause of their death. Who knows, maybe they would have been suffered from this disease even without any exile, maybe the unfortunate circumstances just speeded it up.
 
I do agree with you, they did live in exile but the two of them were very young when they left Iran so they could have adapted to that situation such as other royals in exile, were they not fragile human beings. Their depressions could be the result of other matters, not only the departure from Iran. This is very sad for their poour mother Farah.
 
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The pattern of depression is undeniable. But there could be any number of reasons why Prince Ali made the choice to take his own life. Suicide can be a trigger for depression and "inspire" that same action in others, particularly if they are close. Perhaps he was deeply affected by his sister's suicide and was never able to move on from that. We don't know what demons he faced on his own in private, even if he appeared "normal" to anyone else. We have never been privy to very much information about Ali, and even less in recent years. Maybe the ending of his engagement, even if he was the one who ended it, was a staggering emotional blow to him. Maybe he compared his life to that of his brother, who by all appearances seems happy and has developed a full life, and in that comparison found his own life to be empty and/or meaningless. Who knows? I think the tragedy is knowing that THAT amount of despair was a part of his existence and was so ovewhelming he decided it would be better to not deal with it. There are probably people in the world I would wish that emotional despair on but only a few and only because they have done horrible atrocities, particularly against children. Otherwise, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even if I dislike them. The whole situation is just very sad.
 
... I critizise the former Imperial family for again blame it on the Iranian revolution...
I sometimes have the feeling that Farah uses the deathes of her children to get public attention by bringing their destiny into political context...
Pahlavi Suicide:Why Royal Family Still Haunts Iranians - Time
Like so many Iranians, I find my feelings toward the Pahlavis a complex jumble of personal dreams and resentments, and the intensity of my emotions reminds me that they have as much to do with my past, my family and my relationship to history as the royal family itself.
...
The family remains of great emotional relevance to Iranians. The Pahlavis themselves know that they stand no chance of being reinserted into Iran politically, though they must more than suspect that their moments of personal grief will be reflected in monumental ways on the larger stage of the Iranian political imagination.
...
The acknowledging of mental illness is taboo in the Iranian culture...
 
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I heard that Ali Reza wanted to be cremated...
But Islam (and he was a Muslim) does not allow cremation as a form of funeral, does it?

And wouldn't it be dangerous for Reza to scatter his brother's ashes into the Caspian sea? It would be an ideal ocasion for Iranian authorities to shoot down his plane!
 
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Tragic death, my condolences to the family.
 
This is so sad, I heard it in disbelief on the radio. Prayers are with his family at this difficult time...
 
I heard that Ali Reza wanted to be cremated...
But Islam (and he was a Muslim) does not allow cremation as a form of funeral, does it?

And wouldn't it be dangerous for Reza to scatter his brother's ashes into the Caspian sea? It would be an ideal ocasion for Iranian authorities to shoot down his plane!

I was also a bit surprised about the cremation as it's not allowed by Islam .
 
I heard it in the news and I was shocked. Suicide is one of the worst things that can happen to a family and now for the second time, that's beyond horrible... I hope that Ali Reza will rest in peace and my condolences to poor Empress Farah Diba and the family! :sad:
 
How awful poor Farah to lose two children to suicide is an absolute tragedy. I hope Ali has found peace.
 
I assume the Prince's death came as a huge shock to his family, rumors fly here and there, up and down, in Boston but I don't wanna speculate or start rumors. Just wanna wish he found real peace now. Sad Prince of Persia, RIP :D !
 
Didn't Empress Farah allude to Alireza and perhaps the other surviving children having had difficult lives and a hard time coping in the film "The Queen and I" last year? IIRC, she said something about them having a hard time finding happiness and settling down.
 
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