Thank You For Participating in Our Suicide Awareness Blog Day! [Featured Quotes]
Last month MSW@USC held a Suicide Prevention and Awareness Blog Day, and we asked you to share your experiences by blogging about the importance of raising awareness around this critical mental health issue. We want to thank all of you who participated in the campaign. Each and every one of you have had a hand in breaking down the stigma that surrounds mental health and suicide. Below we feature excerpts from blog posts that represent the mission of this campaign:
Take Five – You’re Worth It! [Poem Excerpt] by Dorlee M.To those of you who feel utterly hopeless,
Overwhelmed, think there is no way out,
Or see nothing to look forward to,
I ask you to take a few minutes,
To consider another possible solution,
Than that of ending your life…
Life is sometimes SO hard,
There is no denying that,
But you must stop yourself,
You can click to read this,
You can reach out for help,
Be it to a friend, coach or therapist.
“I don’t mean to ever be seen as a blogger. Just a journal. Angst or worry or thoughts and ruminations for me to reflect on later…But this time-this one is different. Last November my dad committed suicide. Seven children, seven billion questions…”
“It was taboo to talk about it; it was taboo to get help for it. Depression is such a debilitating disease that is surrounded by stigma. There should be more of an awareness about depression and the extreme desperate act of suicide. Did you know that somewhere in the world someone dies every 40 seconds of suicide? That is a lot of lonely, lost, and scared people.”
“Nineteen months ago, my brother took his life on Valentine’s Day. And somewhere amongst the chaos following his loss, I made a promise to become an advocate for the cause. The cause has now become woven into my soul. I want to help save someone from traveling down this road. And if it is too late, I want to be there for those left behind.”
“What makes military suicides an epidemic? Well, in 2012, the number of suicides among U.S. military members surpassed the number of casualties from combat. According to http://www.military.com and several other reports, 349 service members committed suicide, while 295 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. That means that nearly 400 people, who served our country and made personal sacrifices every day to defend our freedom, were in such deep depression and turmoil that they made the decision to end their life, leaving behind parents, grandparents, spouses, partners, children, and friends.”
“Honor the struggles of your dearest ones, no matter how trivial they seem. Reassure them that, even in their most fraught hour, they are cherished. Take exquisitely seriously any conversations they broach or hints they drop about wanting to die. You may just save a life.”