Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
This week (Oct. 6-12) marks Mental Illness Awareness Week and I was thrilled to take part in a unique event
hosted by the global non-profit organization, NØSTIGMAS. I learned about NØSTIGMAS shortly after we launched this blog and was really moved by their efforts to raise awareness and erase the stigmas of suicide and mental illness. They collect and share stories of hope and inspiration to help educate the general public about mental ...
Have you ever felt that tinge of guilt when someone tells you they’ve recently lost a loved one to something other than suicide? This has happened to me a few times this year, usually in response to hearing about a loved one’s hard-fought battle with cancer or even the passing of an elderly grandparent. Before my dad died, I only experienced my grandparents dying from old age. I’ve now started to experience “suicide guilt” when talking to people ...
Every once in a while, I come across news or other revelations that help me piece together the puzzle of my dad’s suicide. Even though I’ll never have the puzzle solved, I do find some comfort in this information when I find it. This week, the Huffington Post reported findings of a study that showed a ‘clear rise in the number of suicides globally in 2009,’ one year after the global financial crisis. In the U.S., this impact was felt most heavily ...
I recently bought several books related to suicide and depression and the first one I started reading was The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham. It’s a great book—an “index” of everything related to her father’s suicide and her methodical process of trying to figure out his story and the reasons that made him end his life. She details the day of—from her dropping her son off at her in-laws, to how she’ll feel about seeing her Mom, to the emotions ...
In honor of National Suicide Prevention Day (Sept. 10) and week (Sept. 8-14), we wanted to share some of the helpful articles and resources we’ve identified through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). This is a tough week for survivors because we have experienced the terrible tragedy of losing a loved one to suicide. Many of us feel if there was ANYTHING we could have done to prevent our friend or family member from taking ...
