Today, 9/10/2016 is World Suicide Prevention Day. Please take a minute to think of all those that lives ended too soon and for all those suffering.
Erasing the stigma of mental illness will help give people in need the courage to ask for help. We ask you to share your stories and let people know they are not alone in their fight. Let them know that you have been there and can tell them tomorrow will be better. Let know them know you understand and care.
Suicide has affected my family deeply. We lost my mother a month before I turned 12, and my husband lost his best friend. We miss them deeply and know that will never be able to bring them back, which is why getting this message out there is so important.
We aren't a board with heavy traffic, but I want people to know that they are not alone. You are loved. We are here. Talk to us.
As always. The phone number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Please see our newbie thread pinned to the top of the Mental Wellness board for additional information and contact numbers.
I know it's a little late in terms of the awareness week dates but can this be pinned to the announcements. We would like to keep the message going because it is a really important cause.
I can add in whatever trigger warnings you suggest to ensure there are no issues with it being on multiple boards.
Thank you for posting. I lost my H this last January to suicide and the pain is still very raw. I also lost a close friend at 19. It is a mind fuck of emotions and I hope that anyone who reads this that needs encouragement can know that there is always hope and many many people who would terribly miss them.
Post by numbbears on Sept 11, 2016 15:36:16 GMT -5
My father was bipolar and committed suicide when I was a kid.
To Write Love on Her Arms had a booth at warped tour this summer and a shirt they were selling caught my eye so I checked them out. They're a nonprofit that help people struggling with suicide attempts, depression, addiction, and self-injury find help, encouragement, and an outlet. twloha.com/home/
My father was bipolar and committed suicide when I was a kid.
To Write Love on Her Arms had a booth at warped tour this summer and a shirt they were selling caught my eye so I checked them out. They're a nonprofit that help people struggling with suicide attempts, depression, addiction, and self-injury find help, encouragement, and an outlet. twloha.com/home/
I'm so sorry for your loss.
TWLOHA is fantastic. I really like their approach.
Thank you for posting. I lost my H this last January to suicide and the pain is still very raw. I also lost a close friend at 19. It is a mind fuck of emotions and I hope that anyone who reads this that needs encouragement can know that there is always hope and many many people who would terribly miss them.
I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of YH. It's been 20 years for us. Whether it's a spouse, parent, sibling, or friend it all sucks so much.
If you ever need someone to talk to please don't hesitate to PM me.
Post by PepperPottsJ on Sept 11, 2016 16:40:39 GMT -5
willow and numbbears I'm so sorry for your loss and stand with you! There are now words to console anyone who has had this loss, but as Wallie's sister and someone who foundling thus lost their mother on their 18th birthday, it has been my life's work to help this movement. So much love for everyone and anyone who's life has been touched by suicide.
Thanks for posting this. I lost a friend to suicide in college, and my cousin just last month. The pain reaches so far and goes so deep. I'm sorry for everyone's losses.
Post by PepperPottsJ on Sept 11, 2016 21:18:45 GMT -5
Sending all the love in my heart to everyone who does and anyone who has ever struggled. We are here for you, and we love you. Just a reminder... Are you in crisis? Call 1-800-273-TALK There is also a crisis chat: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
I lost my brother a little over 2 years ago. The pain is there everyday. I also struggle with depression and I know my parents are terrified that something will happen to me. Luckily, I'm getting the help my brother never did, but it's so hard to think of the what ifs.
Same here. August for 4 years since my brother took his own life. I also struggle with depression. My parents worry about me all the time, but I tell them it's ok, I'm getting the help I need.
I'm sorry for everyone who has lost loved ones to suicide. Mental health is VERY important and needs more attention than it gets. I love TWLOHA and follow them on every social media account possible. My favorite thing I own that was my brother's was his TWLOHA hoodie.
Thank you for posting. We lost my Uncle to suicide in 2009. My Grandmother never recovered (she was agoraphobic and anorexic among other things, after he passed) and died in early 2015. My Mom, Aunt and other Uncle (his siblings, he was the baby of the family), and his father were so deeply affected. I feel like I witnessed first hand the pain of the isolation and stigma that the survivors have to go through in addition to losing a loved one. Seeing my Grandmother crying over his dead body at the funeral and helping to clean up his apartment and belongings after his death are permanently seared into my memory. I always try to reach out to anyone that I can, even when it feels supremely awkward. Thank you for shedding light to help end stigma.
The stigma attached to mental health issues is still a big problem and the more we discuss it, the more we can help to dissipate it.
I was so worried about what people would think of me in high school that I hid my depression for over a year. I told people I was trying to save money on gas when I abruptly started taking the bus to school. The reality was that every time I got into my truck I thought about taking off my seat belt and driving as fast as I could into a rock cut. It was terrifying. I didn't tell my parents because I thought they'd be ashamed or think I was ungrateful for the great life they'd given me. I didn't get help until one day a teacher finally asked, "are you ok?" I don't know how, but she had managed to see through my act. I was lucky. Too many are not.
I really encourage everyone to look into mental health first aid courses in your area. You never know when you might save a life.
I want to thank everyone for sharing their stories so far. It is not always easy to talk about the loss of a loved one. My hope is to keep this thread up for a little while longer to give people a chance to see it and have the opportunity to participate.
Just a reminder to anyone in need of support or interested in sharing their experiences with others in need the Mental Wellness can be found under the Special Interests section. All are welcome to join.
Thank you for posting. I lost my H this last January to suicide and the pain is still very raw. I also lost a close friend at 19. It is a mind fuck of emotions and I hope that anyone who reads this that needs encouragement can know that there is always hope and many many people who would terribly miss them.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my fiance to suicide 10 years ago. We weren't married but had been together 8 years and lived together. It was a very dark time in my life. Feel free to message me if you ever need someone to talk to.
The Website with the story is having issues, but it appears GMA asked people wearing Be the Voice shirts to move, because it is an unpleasant topic... Way to be a part of the problem! I, for one, will be boycotting ABC, and debating if I am boycotting Disney as whole. Absolutely disgusting #StopSuicide
The Website with the story is having issues, but it appears GMA asked people wearing Be the Voice shirts to move, because it is an unpleasant topic... Way to be a part of the problem! I, for one, will be boycotting ABC, and debating if I am boycotting Disney as whole. Absolutely disgusting #StopSuicide
Holy shit. Can you link anyways in case it starts working again? I'd really like to see the story.
The Website with the story is having issues, but it appears GMA asked people wearing Be the Voice shirts to move, because it is an unpleasant topic... Way to be a part of the problem! I, for one, will be boycotting ABC, and debating if I am boycotting Disney as whole. Absolutely disgusting #StopSuicide
Holy shit. Can you link anyways in case it starts working again? I'd really like to see the story.
The statement about Robin Williams and covering suicide from bullying just boils my blood.... OK GMA... you'll cover the topic when it sells or is convenient? No just no. Congrats on being an even bigger part of the problem.
I know this has passed but to me every single day is suicide and mental health awareness day. I support every single person here and anyone else that may be reading - YOU MATTER - you do, even if you don't know how or to whom.
****TRIGGERS****
I have struggled with panic attacks and depression in the past and at its worst I contemplated suicide. I knew it wasn't what I wanted but I didn't know how to get rid of the fear and pain I dealt with on a constant basis. On that day, I remember being in my house (I lived alone) and going to the kitchen for a knife. I brought it in to the living room, put it on the coffee table, and stared at it. I fell to me knees and just prayed and prayed and prayed for hours and hours on end (I wasn't very religious at the time) because I was so afraid what I would do if I got up off my knees.
I also lost a classmate in middle school to suicide and it has haunted me for years. I wish I knew then how much a smile and a friend could mean to someone.
About a year+ before his death we were sat next to each other on a bus ride on a school field trip. He had opened up to me about major family issues he was having - sexual and physical abuse from various relatives and spoke about how he wished he was gone. We were 11 and I didn't know what to say or do, suicide wasn't talked about 20+ years ago, certainly not at our age. That day I tried to be his friend as best I could. About two weeks later I was walking out of school with a friend and he ran up and asked me to a school dance that night. He was not "popular" or "good looking" or "insert stupid label we give people"... And I, struggling on my own to fit in because I was poor and extremely awkward and ugly and shy, turned him down and said I wasn't going. Later that night I was at the dance, dancing with a boy. He came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and asked why I lied to him. Stairway to Heaven was the song playing, I can't listen to that song without thinking of him.
About a year later he fell eternal victim to his abusers. I wish he knew that I really did care and that I will never not speak up again.
Oh my goodness, kleigh, middle school? That is so terribly tragic. Not that any other loss to suicide isnt, but how heartbreaking for a preteen to be feeling that kind of pain so young.
Triggers in next paragraph.
Thank you for all the kind words. I extend my heartfelt sympathies to all of you who have lost someone and/or have felt the struggle yourselves. I'm in therapy which is helping quite a bit, but I was pregnant when my H died and now have a 7 week newborn, so a lot of what I had worked through has resurfaced in new ways. A lot of anger and frustration at being "alone" (I have an amazing family but it's not the same) in this, and how that manifests into anger at my H for leaving me this way. I was there when he did it (did not see him, he locked himself in the bathroom), and it's going to take a long time before that day won't replay at least once a day in my mind. While I hate that there are so many people here that are so personally affected by suicide, I am also comforted in knowing that I'm not alone in my feelings. It's so hard to reconcile anything from something like this, and I wish peace for all of us.
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