I heard two stories about suicide today, one on the radio during my commute home from work, and one on PBS Newshour. I need to share them with you.
Addressing Veteran Suicides In Song And Prose is a moving story about a singer-songwriter who was only ten when his father, a veteran, succumbed to suicide. Dan Johnson, working with a novelist partner, has turned this tragedy into stories and an album, Operation Hemingway, that helps people deal with the pain of being a “survivor of suicide loss”.
Nearly 1 in 5 teens seriously considers suicide. Can schools offer relief? This PBS news story shares the efforts of a Virginia High School to prevent suicide, encourage “mental wellness” and help students see that they’re not alone.
Suicide is born of indescribable pain and causes indescribable pain.
But despite the grim and heartbreaking subject, both of these stories offer hope.
Hope is the only way to climb out of the abyss.
Hope and connecting with others can both prevent suicide and help the survivors of the loss if it isn’t prevented. That’s the point of both of the stories.
I was silent for years about my brother’s suicide, but no more. My late friend Theresa used to say, “you’re only as sick as your secrets,” and this family tragedy is no longer a secret, silent wound that festers. My Brother’s Suicide: Out of the Darkness and Into the Light tells our story, and there’s a poem, a plea, for anyone who is considering suicide to tell someone, just one person.
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
If you are a survivor of suicide loss and want to connect with others, November 17 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. There will be meet-ups all over the world where people can gather together to find support and share their stories. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention provides a link to find local gatherings and a virtual event will be held on Facebook. Their web site provides numerous resources for those who have lost someone.
Please don’t be silent. There’s hope.
In memory of Steven Thomas Harvell, November 29, 1966 – October 7, 2013. You left us too soon.
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Thank you so much, Kim. I have dealt with the suicide of two friends, and also the death of a 13-year-old girl who was bullied in school mercilessly because she has braces on her teeth. I hope that this will never happen to anyone else, but I am very aware of the reality of reasons people commit suicide. I went through a phase in my life too because I suffer from severe and permanent PTSD from lifelong abuse and also being assaulted and bullied repeatedly. I am glad I failed in my attempts, but I sure can relate to them. Working with special needs children too is difficult in that sense because sometimes the special needs folks, when grown up, commit suicide. We never really know, but it is good to become aware of all the reasons it happens and try to be there for others if they give a clue that they are depressed, etc.
I am so sorry that your brother left this world. My brother is a Vietnam Vet, and I think if he were not so disabled from that, he would have done that too.
Thank you again for sharing this much needed topic. It is very appreciated because it is very highly prevalent today in this crazy world in which we live.
Its important to listen and help those in need. There is always hope and sunshine right around the corner